Page 97 of Liberated By Sin
I was never a fan of kissing since the act was so intimate. A kiss was vacant if the connection and chemistry beyond a good or quick fuck were nonexistent. But Amara’s lips were addictive, her tongue enticing. I’d never tire of tasting her.
“Mia preziosa…” As I met her gaze, I became mesmerized when her eyes caught the light from the fixture above our heads, making both unique colors sparkle beautifully. “I love you.”
The declaration slipped past my lips before I could stop it. But once it was out in the world, I didn’t regret it for a second.
“I love you, Amara,” I repeated with a smile, enamored by the way the words rolled off my tongue.
“Santi…” she whispered, fresh tears sliding down her flushed cheeks.
“I do.Ti amo, bella.Stay with me.”
Luca had come tragically close to ripping her from my life. The thread of our mortality was fragile. I knew that more than anyone. Living without Amara wasn’t an option.
“I don’t want you to say it back…yet. Only when you’re ready. But I need you to know how precious you are to me. That I’m yours in every way you’ll have me.” I kissed her, tasting the tears on her lips. “And you’re mine, Amara. Only mine.”
38
I staredat Cambri’s text thread until my eyes crossed and the words blurred together, gutted by the time stamp of her last message.
No response.
Guilt gnawed at my insides when I realized that I couldn’t remember why I hadn’t reciprocated the sentiment. Maybe I’d meant to and forgot, distracted by Santino and having met Helena and Silas the night before our flight back to Miami—two weeks since I’d heard her voice and ten days since her body was found in the trunk of an abandoned car. Luca, that goddamn bastard. She’d been dead from the beginning. I didn’t know what was worse, never locating her or uncovering her fate and horrific death. I prayed to whichever god would listen that she hadn’t suffered before he put a bullet through her head.
My throat ignited, and the tears I’d shed for mybeautiful friend every day since threatened to fall. I’d been drowning in my grief, consumed by guilt. Today was my first day stepping back into Illusion. I hadn’t come with the intention of working, but the walls of Santino’s massive home were suffocating. I needed to breathe.
The time had gone by excruciatingly slowly but also in a blur.
Luca’s death had left me shaken in more ways than one. He covered his tracks well—almost too well. Santino and his men had tracked down Luca’s closest allies and attempted to coerce information from them using extremely creative tactics. But none seemed to have been privy to his plans or else they would have sung before losing vital body parts. The what-ifs were unnerving. Who had he gotten his information from? And had he told them where to find me? With the threat of unknown retaliation, we’d been on high alert and forced to hire extra security, not only for us, but for the club and the girls as well. While things had been quiet, uneasy energy still hung in the air, like the calm before a cataclysmic storm.
Dabbing the corner of my eye where a lone tear had escaped, I sighed at my reflection and swallowed my grief. There would be time to spill more on my pillow later tonight. My dressing room was still my solace at Illusion, dancer or not. I still came here for the peace the space offered when Santino wasn’t in his office.
“Amara!” Two strong knocks accompanied a woman’s voice. She sounded slightly frantic and I hurriedly pulled open the door. “Oh, thank God. I think I’m going to be sick, and Mr. Leone asked me to bring some drinks out to his special guests…Oh!” She covered her mouth as a gagging noise bubbled up her throat. “I can’t do it. And everyone else is busy. And I—”
“It’s okay. I got it. Where are they?”
“Thank you!” she said, blowing out a breath of relief, immediately regretting exerting the energy as she doubled over and fanned herself. “The drinks are at the bar. And they’re outside in Cabana A.”
“Go home, Amy. I’ll cover your shift today.”
Her smile only lasted a moment before her eyes shot open, and shebolted for the nearest bathroom.
I expected to find Santino in the lounge, but he must have returned to his office. Amy’s order was on the counter—a tray with two drinks and an appetizer.
As I walked across the spacious main floor, I glanced at the empty stage and pole—a place I hadn’t touched for two weeks. There was a strange sense of nostalgia even though I didn’t miss a single moment of being objectified by the men who frequented this club. Pushing the front door open with my hip, I stepped into the South Florida sun and regretted not putting my hair up. The humidity was about to wreak havoc on my curls.
Cabana A.
My sandals tapped against the wooden walkway toward the green awning where two people, presumably a couple, sat with their backs to me as the male applied sunblock to his companion’s beautifully tanned back and shoulders. He’d removed his shirt, revealing a heavily tattooed torso. They resembled the typical Miami couple.
“Hey,” I said as I rounded their table. “I’m sorry it took so long. I’m filling in for…”
The storm.
Glass shattered against my feet.
And like a gut punch, all the air in my body rushed out as I stared into familiar blue eyes. No matter how much time had passed or how much he’d matured, like Derek, I’d never forget his face and that liquid steel gaze surrounded by the darkest lashes.
Kai.