Page 44 of Madness & Mercy (Deadly Sins #1)

JULIAN

My first thought waking up to an empty bed is damn, I’m sore. My entire body aches, proof that Nico Vitale doesn’t know the meaning of mercy. That bastard left me wrecked, aching, and apparently abandoned.

Images of last night flash through my mind. His hands, his mouth, the way I lost every shred of control. The way he lost control.

I fumble for my phone on the nightstand, my eyes half-shut. Nothing. No calls, no texts.

“Well fuck you too, asshole,” I mutter. One minute he’s telling me he belongs to me, and the next he’s vanishing like it never happened. Like I was just a fuck. Not that I care.

I toss the phone back down, head for the bathroom, and let the shower scald me awake.

It doesn’t matter how hot the water gets, I can’t get him out of my head.

My mind keeps looping back to the way he begged, the way I chained him to the bed and rode him until I forgot my own name.

Did I push it too far? Maybe. But hell, he liked it.

I brush my teeth, throw on a pair of grey sweats, and stalk down the hall.

Knowing him, he’s holed up in his office, hiding behind a mountain of paperwork and secrets.

Or maybe he’s out with Luca, painting the town red.

Either way, what gives him the right to disappear after giving me the best damn sex of my life?

I find his office. Locked.

I slam my fist against the door. “Hey, asshole. Open up.”

Nothing.

Great. Now I’m pacing the damn house, checking every corner like an idiot. Kitchen, empty. Lounge, empty. Guards and staff, gone. What the hell is going on?

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I yank it out and glare at the screen.

NICO: You look adorable when you’re flustered.

I scoff.

JULIAN: Very funny. Where is everyone?

NICO: Luca and Enzo took Allegra to run an errand. Gave the staff the day off. Meet me out back. I’ve got something to show you.

I squint at the screen, suspicion curling in my gut. Knowing him, this is just some elaborate plot to drag me back into bed. And after the shit he pulled this morning? Yeah…like hell I’m falling for that.

JULIAN: Why should I?

NICO: Because I said so.

I roll my eyes so hard it hurts, shoving the phone in my pocket as I head for the back doors.

The second I step outside, my jaw goes slack. “You’ve gotta be shitting me…”

Sunlight filters through silk drapes strung between the trees, the fabric shifting lazily in the breeze.

Rose petals are scattered everywhere, spilling across the grass like droplets of blood.

And at the center, a fountain runs clear and bright, rimmed with candles—yes, actual candles—still flickering against the daylight like Nico couldn’t resist overdoing it.

There’s no one else around. Just us. Just him.

Nico stands at the end of the path, waiting for me in a designer suit, silk tie, polished shoes. It’s the kind of perfection that makes my stomach drop and my throat close up. Holy hell, he looks good. Like sin wrapped in Armani.

And I’m supposed to walk toward him? With my pulse trying to escape through my neck? Yeah, right. Still, my feet betray me, dragging me closer no matter how hard I try to resist.

“Nico, what the hell is this?” I rasp, trying not to let my voice crack.

That infuriating smirk curves his lips. Without saying a word, he sinks down on one knee.

My brain short-circuits. My breath catches. My chest caves in like someone just punched me. And fuck me, my eyes water.

“You bastard…” I whisper.

He pulls a velvet box from his pocket like he knows he’s already got me. When he flips it open, I nearly stagger back.

The band inside gleams like it was forged from the stars themselves. It’s the kind of ring that doesn’t belong on a man like me. It’s too perfect. Too expensive. And yet somehow, he’s holding it like it was always meant to be mine.

My chest feels too tight, my thoughts too loud. Part of me wants to scream at him to get up, to stop looking at me like I’m his entire world. But the other part, the reckless, buried part I can never seem to kill, just wants to hear him say the words—

“Julian Cross,” Nico says, his voice low but steady, filled with a darkness that almost terrifies me. “Will you marry me?”

My mouth falls open, but nothing comes out. For once, I can’t mouth off, can’t throw up my walls. All I can do is nod, over and over, like my body’s answering before my brain catches up.

“Caro mio,” he murmurs, rising to his feet with that effortless grace, like kneeling was just another power move. “You’re mine. Always.”

The words hit harder than the ring. My throat locks up, my eyes sting, and suddenly I’m pressed against him, burying my face in his shoulder because I can’t stand him seeing me like this.

He holds me steady, his arms firm around my back, like he knew I’d break the second he asked.

“Don’t hide from me,” he whispers into my hair, fingers tightening against my spine. “Not now.”

I swallow hard, pulling back just enough to look at him, and goddamn it, I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want him.

“You could’ve at least told me to wear something nice,” I mutter. “I look ridiculous.”

“You look perfect,” Nico cuts in. His gaze drags over me until my face burns. “No suit could ever compete with the way you look right now.”

I snort, trying to play it off. “Yeah, perfect. In sweats.”

His smirk sharpens. He leans closer, his voice dropping low. “Piccolino, you could be in rags, in blood, in nothing at all—and I’d still get on my knees for you.”

Heat shoots straight to my gut.

“And the way those sweats are hanging off your hips…” he adds, his eyes flicking down, “…don’t tempt me to ruin them before I even get this ring on your finger.”

My breath catches as he reaches for my hand, and before I can process, he slips the band onto my finger. It feels cool and heavy, wrong for someone like me, and yet it feels like it belongs. My chest tightens, and I don’t know if I want to laugh, cry, or throw myself at him.

“There,” he murmurs, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “Perfect fit. Like you were made for me.”

I swallow hard, my chest tight. I should say something, but all can do is stare at him, at the ring, at the certainty in his voice.

“How much did you drop on this?” I manage.

Nico chuckles. “Take a guess.”

I snort. “I don’t know…ten times more than I’ve made in my entire miserable life?”

“Yes,” he says smoothly. “But you’re worth it.”

Heat crawls up my neck. “Jesus, when did you get so damn corny, Vitale?”

His hum is low, satisfied, and way too close to my ear. “The second I fell in love with you.”

My whole body prickles. I shift back a fraction, trying not to drown in him. “Where’s yours, then?”

That smirk of his cuts me in half. “Thought I’d let you pick one out for me.”

I arch a brow. “Fine, but don’t expect me to get down on one knee.”

He leans in, dark amusement glinting in his eyes. “Cucciolo, you get on your knees for me all the time.”

Before I can even come up with a comeback, his fingers hook under my jaw and he claims my mouth like he’s trying to brand me from the inside out.

My pulse spikes. I clutch at his shirt, trying to breathe, trying not to melt, but he doesn’t give me a chance.

His tongue pushes past my lips, his teeth graze, and fuck, I’m gone.

The ring’s still heavy on my hand, but the only thing I can think about is him, dragging me under, ruining me in the best way possible.

My grip on his shirt turns desperate, dragging him closer, like if I don’t, I’ll just collapse into the grass.

Nico’s hands slide down my back, gripping hard at my waist, at my ass, pulling me flush against the solid wall of his body. He groans into my mouth like he’s been starving for me, and suddenly I’m not sure if it’s the morning sun or him that’s making me burn alive.

I stumble back a step, but he follows, relentless, pinning me against one of the damn silk-draped trees. Candles flicker around us in the daylight, petals crushed under our shoes, but I don’t care. His mouth moves to my throat, biting just enough to make me gasp.

“Nico…” I rasp, but it comes out broken, more plea than protest.

He pulls back just enough to look at me, his eyes black with want. “Do you have any idea,” he growls, his voice rough, “what seeing you wearing my ring does to me?”

I swallow hard, my cock straining against my sweats. “Apparently it makes you horny.”

His smirk is pure danger. “You have no idea.”

Then he drags his hand down my sweats, gripping my cock through the fabric, and I bite back a whimper. My knees nearly buckle.

We’re out in broad daylight. But with him pressed against me like this, with that ring burning on my finger, I can’t move even if I wanted to.

His hand grips me tighter, and I bite down on my lip so hard I taste blood. My body jerks forward on instinct, grinding against his palm.

“Nico—fuck—” I hiss, my voice breaking.

He doesn’t stop. If anything, he gets meaner, his lips dragging down my throat, teeth grazing my collarbone. “I warned you not to tempt me,” he growls against my skin. “Now look at you, shaking, desperate, begging to be fucked in my garden. You’re all mine.”

The thought should terrify me, but instead it makes me burn hotter. The silk drapes, the fountain, the flowers…it’s all a backdrop to the way he’s touching me, like I’m his prize, his possession, his fucking downfall.

He shoves my sweats down just enough to free my cock, his hand wrapping around it in one ruthless stroke. I groan, my head falling back against the tree. Sunlight spears through the branches, blinding me as he works me over like he’s savoring every twitch, every gasp.

“You look so fucking beautiful like this,” he murmurs, biting my ear. “With my ring on your hand and my cock in your fist—”

I don’t even remember grabbing him, but I’m stroking him through his suit pants, desperate and sloppy. “Nico, someone—someone could come back—”