Page 201 of Sins of the Orchid

Sending a quick note to Regina, letting her know she was safe, I got rid of my phone and turned to face the open car. She sat with her back straight, her feet dangling off the side and a pensive look in her eyes. It was a lot to process.

She leaned over, her head placed against my chest, and her arms came around my waist. After what had happened, she just needed comfort. I tangled my fingers through her flame-colored hair, the scent of strawberries drifting in the air as the warm breeze swept through. The sound of the city in the distance was drowned out by our heartbeats beating as one.

“I thought you…” she whispered against me. She lifted her head to meet my eyes. “I’d never see you again. And Adriano…” Tears stained her pretty face, freckles on her nose more pronounced when she was upset. “I thought I’d lost him.” Her voice broke, a hiccup escaping her lips.

I cupped her face with my hands. “Adriano wouldneverbetray you.” Emotions flickered across her face. “He’d sooner betray me than you.”

She sniffled. “No, he wouldn’t.”

“Let’s agree to disagree,” I teased, kissing her forehead because I had to feel her skin against me. It was the only thing keeping me sane.

“He helped us capture George. He came up with the idea to get George out of hiding,” I murmured against her forehead, then pulled back. Her shimmering greens stared at me. “Adriano figured that the two of us had something going on. Even before you got back from Italy. The night at the Orchid… it was so the word could spread. That way when Adriano wanted revenge, it seemed sincere.”

Her throat bobbed, emotions flickering in her expression. “Don’t cry, baby,” I begged her. I could handle torture and crying from anyone but her. “I would have told you, but we had to make it convincing.”

Her hands flew around me, her mouth showering kisses all over my face. “I love you,” she whispered. ”So damn much.” Her lips slammed against mine. “And I love how criminally smart you are.” Another kiss. “I love everything about you. How you love your brother, how you refuse to kill my father knowing how much he means to me. Your sneakiness to get what you want. Fucking everything.”

My chest hurt in the best way possible at her admission. “Ah, Amore Bennetti Russo, my heiress. I love you too.”

Her shimmering greens met my gaze. “Always?”

“Fucking always, baby.”

Adriano approached from the house that at this point looked like a battlefield. My eyes flicked to him, then to Amore who still hadn’t noticed him. I took her chin between my fingers and gently turned her head.

Her eyes softened, while her lower lip trembled with emotions. My little sex monster was emotional.

“Adriano.” Her soft voice choked. We shared a glance. She had to work it out with him. The last few weeks were hard on both of them. They had been joined at the hip for so long, cutting the cord wasn’t an option.

“Go ahead,” I told her. “I’m going to talk to DeAngelo and your brothers. But after you talk to Adriano, you come back to me.”

“Always.”

In one swift move, she left me and ran to him.

Yes, a low grumble left my lips. And yes, I’d always be overly possessive of my wife. But she chose me, gave her heart and body only to me.

And I knew when Amore Bennetti gave something, she gave it her all.

CHAPTER78

Amore

Adriano’s arms were open as I threw myself into them.

My hands clutched his neck with a mixture of relief and‘I wanna kill you for giving me a heart attack’.

I pulled away slightly and we watched each other in silence. So many words, so much had happened.

“I’m sorry,” we both started at the same time and laughed.

“You first,” he offered.

I was tempted to make him go first, but at the same time, I needed to get this guilt off my chest. Taking a deep breath, I met his eyes, almost as dark as my husband’s.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Santi,” I said, keeping my voice mournful. “I…well, I always had a crush on him.” He tilted his head, and I rolled my eyes. “Like a bad, crazy girl crush. But I thought I’d grow out of it… eventually.” His lips tugged up slightly and hope fluttered in my eyes. “Then that night at The Orchid. I kissed him. Or he kissed me.” Gosh, I was rambling. I pushed my hands through my hair, nervous tension flowing through me. “Anyhow, he called it a mistake. Said I was just a kid. I was pissed off and then went to Italy. I came to terms with the fact that he’d always see me as a kid.”

He cocked his eyebrow. “Okay, so how did it get to sleeping with him?”