Page 27 of Mafia Love

I couldn’t believe I was going to say this, but I had to. “Maybe you shouldn’t.”

“I can’t stop, and I don’t want to.”

“I don’t want you to either, because I love you, and I can’t stop loving you either. No matter what Sinclaire is to me, he’s not you. Even when I knew you were the man I shouldn’t love, I still loved you. I trusted him, of course, and yes, I did so wholeheartedly, but he never had my heart. I was so lonely trying to be someone I wasn’t. It was stifling and unnatural to me. I had to toughen up and be this hard person I wasn’t. Luc, I’m a ballerina. We love music, we love peace and serenity. We love creativity and inspiration. But I threw myself into a world of evil and violence thinking I could change the world and do my part to stop it. Maybe on some level I felt responsible for who my father was. It’s hard to have all of that going on in your head and not have someone to trust. That is what I meant.”

“I get it, and I won’t ask you about him again. I’m jealous because he’s everything for you I’m not.”

“Like what? Didn’t you just hear me?”

“He’s a good man. I am not.”

“Define good, because from where I’m standing, I’m looking at the person who would do anything to protect me. Even if it killed you.” I knew that about him, and it terrified me.

“I feel helpless, Amelia.” He sighed.

“Me too, but if we lose each other, what do we have?”

He reached out and touched my face. The touch sent ripples of energy through me, and I leaned into his hand.

“I can’t lose you. I love you too much.”

“And I love you. Can’t we just… indulge in that?”

His eyes searched mine, and he nodded.

I reached up for his chin and guided him down to my lips, loving the feel of the sharp bone structure of his chiseled face.

We kissed slowly at first, then the kiss turned up a notch when he swept his tongue into my mouth and tangled it with mine.

The slight tug on my bottom lip made me melt and forget.

“Let’s go upstairs.” I pulled away, teasing, and smiled up at him. “But…”

“But what, goddess?”

“We forget, we leave all the worries inside this room and become whoever the people we want to be upstairs.”

“The gardener and the dancer.” He smiled with longing.

“No… just Luc and Amelia.”

His smile widened. “I get to be me.”

“And I get to be me.”

I gasped and smiled as he swooped in and picked me up, hoisting me over his shoulder.

Chapter 7

Amelia

* * *

The minute we stepped through his bedroom door, I got lulled into the ecstasy of being with him.

I willed myself to take on the impossible task of forgetting all the craziness that was happening around us. Everything was happening so fast, and these were probably the last few moments we would have together as a couple who was crazy about each other.

This was our normal, and since I could have gotten an Oscar for best actress in my role as Amelia Taylor for the last close to eleven years, I felt that I could pretend for a little while longer that this was us.