Page 20 of Sin and Seduction

He tosses the rest of his drink back before setting his empty glass down on the table rest, crossing his leg over the other as he stares out the window.

“For keeping our family’s business a secret. For loving my brother. For...saving him and showing him a new way of life.” He sounds earnest, and it stuns me for a moment.

“You don’t need to...thank me. I love your brother, Oscar. I’d do anything for him.”

“I know you would, and that’s why I am thanking you. We’re dangerous people, Esmeralda. And yet, you’ve still found a way to still find the good in us. You’ve taken our world by the balls and made it your own. That takes a lot of courage and bravery. Something we didn’t have when it was thrown at us.” His voice darkens, and he meets my eyes.

“You already know how dangerous our world is, so just stay smart. I’ll be staying home in San Andres with my mother and sister, but I’ll still be a phone call away if you need anything. It’s time for me to grow up and take a little more responsibility. My family needs it.”

I nod at him, and he gets up, walking out just as Dante walks in.

“You’re a lucky man,” he says, clapping Dante on the shoulder as my husband smiles at me.

“Don’t I know it,” he says, and Oscar laughs, closing the partition and leaving us.

Dante takes a seat next to me, pulling me into his arms and holding me in silence for quite some time.

“How did it go with your sister?” I ask, and he sighs.

“As good as it could have gone. I know where James is, or at least his plan. But the conversation was a lot more than just that,” he says.

“How so?” I ask, staring up at him.

“Our family has been broken for quite some time, Emmie. I worried we could never repair it, but there is...some hope. I definitely need to be around the women in my life more.” He chuckles as I nod in eager agreement.

“I’ve been so cold for so long...it’s hard for me to learn otherwise,” he says, his voice dark.

I grab his face and force him to look at me, staring at him with all of the love I feel for him in my heart.

“But you are learning, Dante. Give yourself a little bit of credit.”

“I’m learning because of you, mi ciela,” he says, petting my face and kissing me gently.

“Everything I’ve learned and done is because of you. Thanks to you.” He looks at me with so much love that it leaves me breathless.

I kiss him gently, tentatively. Our tongues seeking and soft as they find each other. I love this man so much, no matter what happens.

“Don’t thank me,” I say as I pull back gently. “Everything I do, I do because I love you. Because you and I are made of the same parts.” I hold his face in my hands, memorizing every feature to detail as he gazes back at me.

“My wife, my world,” he whispers before kissing every part of my face softly.

I sigh and cuddle into him, breathing in his dark scent as we fly across the ocean.

9

Esmeralda

We toucheddown in Columbia in the evening.

I’ve seen nothing but pure ocean for the last several hours. A breathtaking sight that I never thought I’d have the chance to witness. California water has nothing on this; in fact, the ocean I’ve grown up around looks like a sewer compared to this. I stretch my limbs and rise from my seat as Dante grabs my luggage. We walk down the aisle and step out into the warm summer air.

The sun is bright and warm, greeting all of us as we step down off the plane. I see a large house in the distance, covered in light stone and ivy. It sits on top of a hill that overlooks the blue and green colored ocean. I sigh in bliss, feeling relaxed as I take in the view before me. Dante grabs my hand and ushers me along, his siblings and men following us. I glance behind me at Gabriela and offer her a small smile. She’s wearing designer sunglasses, so it’s hard to read her expression, but the small smile she returns to me allows me to see that she’s in better spirits than when we left California.

We approach the house, and I am in awe. Since knowing Dante, I would think that little would surprise me by now, yet I have to pick my jaw up from the floor once again. The house is three stories tall. It looks old but still grand and inviting. Several exotic flowers and trees line the walkway to the front door. I see expensive-looking sportscars in the driveway and groundskeepers working on the lawn. Dante squeezes my hand as we approach the front door.

“Welcome to my childhood, mi ciela,” he whispers, staring at the door with a shadowed expression.

I can tell this house reminds him of his late father. Perhaps that’s why he seldom visits. I squeeze his hand back, trying my best to put on a smile even though my sudden nervousness for meeting his mom rushes to the forefront of my mind. He looks over at me just as the door opens. A small and old woman greets us with a happy shout and pulls Dante in for a hug. Her hair is grey and tied up, and her maids uniform is clean and molded to her plump body.

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