Page 51 of Birthright (Sinners of New Orleans #4)

Olivia

Six months later

F riday night at Gino's has never looked better. We're packed with customers, and the warm glow of success wraps around me like a blanket.

A lot has changed in six months. For one, I'm no longer a captive of the city’s mafia boss. No, I'm his girlfriend now. I smile at the thought.

"Another round for our table, boss lady?" Naz calls over the buzz of conversation. Our crew has taken up a whole section of the bar every Friday night for the last few months. It started when Sam wouldn't leave the bar when I was working evenings, and now it's become a thing.

"Coming right up," I say, grabbing fresh glasses.

I glance across the room to where Sam sits with Adrian, their heads bent together in conversation. Even when discussing business, Sam's eyes find mine every few minutes, a silent check-in that makes my heart flutter.

"You're staring again," Lana teases, sliding onto a barstool beside Madi.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I laugh, pouring their usual drinks.

Zoe joins them. "Your grandfather's killing me at cards again."

I look over to where Grandpa Gino sits in his usual corner booth, shuffling a deck with surprising dexterity.

He's having one of his good days — they've become more frequent lately, thanks to a new medical trial Sam got him into.

Nurse Kelly sits at his side, sipping a lemon seltzer and watching him swindle anyone brave enough to play against him.

Chuckling, I shake my head. "I'm not surprised."

Once I’ve placed the drinks for the guys on a tray, I head over to their table, handing them out. Sam catches my hand, pulling me into his lap.

"How's my girl?"

"Happy," I say simply, because it's true.

I used to think I was destined to repeat my mother's mistakes — falling for a dangerous man, ending up broken-hearted and alone. I believed Sam was cut from the same cloth as my father.

I was wrong.

We're writing our own story, Sam and I. Creating something new from the ashes of our pasts. The ghosts that haunted us both have finally found rest.

"What are you thinking about?" Sam murmurs against my ear.

"That we changed the ending," I reply, turning to kiss him softly.

"I have one more page, I think." He straightens me up so I'm standing again, and then he drops to the floor on one knee.

My breath catches in my throat as he pulls a box from his pocket, opening the black velvet to reveal a stunning diamond set on a diamond encrusted gold band, looking like something out of a fairytale.

I stand frozen, the sounds of the bar fading to a distant buzz as Sam kneels before me. My heart hammers against my ribs, and for a moment, I forget how to breathe.

"Olivia Marchese," Sam says, his voice steady despite the vulnerability in his eyes. "When you walked into my life — or rather, when I dragged you into it — I had no idea you would become my everything."

The bar has gone completely silent. I feel everyone's eyes on us, but all I can see is Sam.

"I know this isn't the perfect love story. We didn't meet like normal people." He smiles. "But somehow, in the middle of all that chaos, we found something real."

My vision blurs with tears as he continues.

"You saw the worst parts of me and stayed.

You taught me that love isn't a weakness, it's a strength.

That family isn't just about blood, but about who you choose.

I want to choose you, every day, for the rest of my life.

I want to build something that's ours, something better than what either of us came from. "

I'm aware of Grandpa Gino watching from his booth, his eyes clear and present in this moment. Of Madi, Lana, and Zoe holding their breath. Of Joey behind the bar, grinning like a fool.

"Olivia Marchese, will you marry me?"

The question hangs in the air between us. Six months ago, I was his captive. Now I'm standing at the edge of forever with a man who's seen me at my worst and loved me anyway.

"Yes," I whisper, then louder, "Yes!"

Sam slides the ring onto my finger, then rises to his feet and pulls me into his arms. The bar erupts in cheers as his lips find mine, sealing our promise with a kiss that tastes like new beginnings.

We're barely through the door back at his house when his mouth crashes against mine, desperate and demanding. I moan as his hands find the sides of my dress, bunching up the fabric until he can pull it over my head. The cool air hits my skin, but I'm burning everywhere he touches.

"Been wanting to do this all night," Sam growls against my neck, his teeth grazing my pulse point. "Seeing you with my ring on your finger… You're mine, Olivia. Mine to own, mine to worship."

I gasp as his hands cup my breasts through my lace bra. "Then worship me already," I challenge.

Sam's eyes darken. He fists my panties, ripping the fabric from my body with one rough tug, making me whimper. "Always a little brat, aren't you?"

I don't get a chance to answer as his mouth swallows any words I might say. He kisses me like a starving man, and I lose myself in his lips.

"Mine," he growls, biting down on my shoulder, hard enough to mark me.

I cry out, the pain blending with pleasure as his fingers find me, testing how ready I am for him. When he feels that I’m already soaking wet, he groans.

"Please," I beg, wrapping one leg around his waist in an attempt to get more friction. He grabs my other one, hoisting me up so my legs are wrapped around him while he walks to the sitting room.

Dropping me on the couch, he hovers his body over me, still peppering my skin with kisses while I writhe beneath him.

"Please," I beg again. "Sam, I need you."

Sam doesn't make me wait any longer. He frees himself from his pants and drives into me with one powerful thrust. The force of it knocks the breath from my lungs.

"Fuck," he hisses, his fingers digging into my thighs hard enough to bruise. "So tight."

He sets a punishing pace, with each thrust harder than the last. I want more. I want everything.

"Harder," I demand.

Sam's response is to slam into me with renewed force, his mouth capturing mine in a bruising kiss. I taste blood — mine or his, I'm not sure.

The intensity builds as he shifts angles, hitting that perfect spot inside me. I'm so close already, my body tensing around him.

"That's it," Sam growls in my ear. "Come for me, Olivia. Let me feel you."

His thumb finds my clit, circling roughly in time with his thrusts. The dual sensation pushes me over the edge, and I scream his name as waves of pleasure crash through me.

My back arches as he grips my hips and continues his relentless pace, pushing me through the waves of ecstasy until I'm screaming.

"Sam," I gasp. "Oh God, Sam..."

His eyes lock with mine, dark and possessive. Sweat glistens on his forehead, his muscles tensing with each powerful thrust.

"You feel so good," he growls, his grip tightening on my hips. "So fucking perfect."

I wrap my legs higher around his waist, changing the angle. Sliding deeper, he hits that spot again that makes me see stars. I'm building toward another climax already, my body responding to him like it was made for this — for him.

"Don't stop," I beg, reaching up to pull him closer. "Please don't stop."

Sam leans down, his chest pressing against mine as he captures my mouth in a searing kiss. The new position creates delicious friction against my oversensitive clit, and I moan into his mouth.

"Never," he promises against my lips. "Never gonna stop loving you."

His pace quickens, becoming erratic. I know he's close, and I want to fall over the edge with him.

"You look so good taking my cock, baby." He slips his hand between us, his thumb circling my clit with just the right pressure. "I want you to come around my cock again, Olivia. Can you do that, baby girl?"

"Yes," I pant. Sam leans in, capturing one of my nipples between his teeth, and that's all it takes to send me spiraling again, waves of pleasure washing over me as I cry out his name.

My release triggers his, and Sam thrusts once, then twice more, before burying himself deep inside me with a guttural groan. I feel him pulsing, filling me as his body shudders against mine.

We stay connected, breathing heavily, our bodies slick with sweat. His weight presses me into the couch, but I don't want him to move. I run my fingers through his damp hair, savoring the aftershocks still rippling through both of us.

Sam holds me close as we catch our breath, his heart pounding against mine. After a moment, he lifts me gently from the couch, carrying me to our bedroom. He lays me on the bed with a tenderness that makes my heart ache.

"I love you," he whispers, brushing hair from my face.

"I love you too."

We curl together under the sheets, my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat slow to a steady rhythm. His fingers trace lazy patterns on my bare back while I stare at the beautiful ring that adorns my finger.

I’m not sure what comes next for us. But I do know that we’re no longer held down by parents and our pasts. We’ve closed that book, and now we’re writing a new one. And the best part is, we get to choose our own ending.