Page 137 of Made for Sinners

Me:I’m putting on shoes. I’m walking to the elevator. I’m pressing the button.

Dante:If you leave that penthouse, I swear to God

Me:You’ll what? Spank me?

Pause.

Dante:Don’t threaten me with a good time.

I grinned.

Me:I’m leaving. I’m doing it. You can’t stop me.

Dante:Try me.

I stood from the couch, tossed my empty coffee mug into the sink, and grabbed my purse. I didn’t even bother changing. I was still wearing his shirt and a pair of black biker shorts, which I figured was a vibe. The “hot mafia wife sneaks out for a drink” aesthetic.

I slipped on my sneakers, pulled my hair into a messy bun, and headed for the elevator.

The second I stepped inside and the doors slid shut, my phone buzzed again.

Dante:You’re going to regret this.

I stared at the screen, thumb hovering over the keyboard, unsure how to respond.

So I didn’t.

I just smiled to myself and leaned against the elevator wall, watching the numbers tick down.

The bar was quiet this early in the afternoon. Dim lighting, a few regulars hunched over their drinks, and the bartender—Michael, a guy with a man bun and a tattoo of a koi fish that wrapped around his forearm—gave me a nod as I slid onto a stool.

“Back so soon?” he asked, pouring me a glass of white wine without waiting for me to order.

“Don’t judge me,” I said, accepting the glass.

He smirked. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

I sipped my wine and pulled out my phone, scrolling through Instagram, pretending I wasn’t waiting for Dante to show up and drag me home caveman-style.

Because he would.

He always did.

And I always let him.

I was halfway through a post about someone’s engagement ring (too big, too gaudy, definitely cursed) when I felt it.

The shift in the air.

The slow, deliberate weight of a presence behind me.

I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

34

DANTE

Iknew she was leaving before she even touched the door. How? Because I knew my wife better than she knew herself. I knew the itch under her skin would be gnawing at her to do something bad.

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