Page 104 of Sins of the Orchid

I had to get to the bottom of it all. I wouldn’t fucking lose her to either one of those things.

“I’m almost done, Santi.” Her soft voice pulled me back. A soft smile curved her full, red lips. God, what she could do with her mouth! Her lack of experience was irrelevant when it came to sex. She was pure perfection, molding into my every need. “Sorry about the delay.”

“Take your time.”

From the looks of it, she was making changes to the designs. She was in her element. Fashion was her life, her passion. Not hiking through the jungle. Bullshit story. The fact that DeAngelo went along with three special ops men told me she was doing something more. Something dangerous, and he wanted to ensure she was safe.

There was only one conclusion left.

Revenge.

Amore Bennetti was after revenge.

But I struggled to see her going after the cartel. It wasn’t part of Amore’s DNA. Mine, yes.But hers, no. She didn’t have a mean bone in her body. And the thought scared the living daylights out of me. Just the idea of her getting hurt rattled me straight to my core. Drove me fucking nuts!

Me! A damning hustler that tore through the Cosa Nostra, ruling it and conquering anyone that refused to bend to my will. I’d lost count of the men I’d killed, beaten, hustled, tortured. Truthfully, there wasn’t a single man that didn’t deserve it. Adriano wasn’t cut out for killing. I, on the other hand, didn’t give a crap. It was kill or be killed in the world of the Cosa Nostra.

But this woman!

A simple, sorrowful expression in her eyes and she’d bring me to my knees. Someone hurting her would send me into a raging inferno, and not the good kind.

It had finally happened. I had found my weakness. Amore Bennetti had become my weakness, in flesh and blood. Worst of all, she was vulnerable. I wanted to put a titanium suit on her, close her in the highest tower, surround her with the strongest, trusted men… just to ensure nothing happened to her.

Yet, I knew if I did all that, Amore would rebel. She loved her freedom, her independence, her life. How in the fuck would I survive to thirty worrying about her safety?

Amore’s soft voice carried over to me. She was talking to someone on the phone.

“I sent you my changes,” she said, the young woman gone and in her place a confident heiress. “I think we are on target with all of them. Let me know if you agree and we can send them into production.” The room went quiet, then a soft chuckle. “I know. We really did great. I’m so excited to show them off.”

Another second and she hung up. Striding over to me with her eyes twinkling like emeralds with excitement.

My lips curved up. “New fashion line?”

Her whole face lit up. “Yes. I’m excited for it. It isn’t Regalè Fashion. Something I started on the side.”

You couldn’t help but admire her. She hustled too, just slightly different than me. We were opposites, yet we fit perfectly.

She looked beautiful wearing a white summer dress that came to her knees with light pink polka dots and matching sandals. Her hair was pulled up into a loose ponytail, a few unruly strands falling free. And her skin… smooth, pale, and so damn silky. I wanted to run my palms over every inch of it. Again and again.

I couldn’t find a single thing I didn’t like about this girl. I loved it all, inside and out. She was smart, funny, beautiful, and so damn loyal to the people she loved. Irrationally and selfishly, I wanted all her loyalty for myself.

“Now, Santi,” she whispered, pressing her body against mine and offering her mouth for a kiss. “Where are you taking me?”

For a woman that didn’t have a man before me, she sure knew how to arouse one.

“We are going to eat at a nice restaurant,” I told her. Grabbing her gently by the nape, I bent my head down, our lips inches apart. “I’m going to show all the Italian men you are mine. Then I’m bringing you home and bending you over the balcony and fucking you until you are screaming my name out to the sea.”

I watched in fascination and self-satisfaction as her cheeks turned crimson. It didn’t matter how many times I uttered filthy words to her, she blushed every single time. I lowered my lips to hers, and instantly she parted for me, our tongues dancing together in perfect harmony. Her response to me was so genuine, so soft, so addictive. Like all she ever wanted to do was please me.

And all I wanted to do was back her up against the wall, place my hand over her throat or her mouth, and watch her green eyes haze with lust as I rutted her hard and ruthlessly.

“Well, the night seems promising,” she purred softly, and I couldn't resist a chuckle.

“I can’t quite decide whether sex goddess or monster is more appropriate.”

“Stick to goddess,” she retorted, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “And I might reward you.”

I shook my head with amusement. “Let’s go, sex goddess.”