Page 130 of SINS & Riley

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I kiss the tears streaking her cheek, bitter salt on my tongue. “You’ve thrown yourself—and that baby—into the middle of a goddamn war.”

“I know that too.”

My lips ghost over hers, because I have to know.

If she sees me.

If she’s pretending not to know I’m Dante.

Or if she’s just blind enough to believe the monster in front of her has a soul worth saving.

“Why would you tell him that? The father?—”

“He’s dead.” The word falls soft; the grief that follows feels like a blade.

I curl around her. “It’s too late. Go. Tell Enzo the truth.”

“No.”

“Why, Pom?”

She nibbles her lip, the same spot I can’t resist kissing a second later. Her eyes meet mine, gold-flecked and raw, broken and perfect.

“Because I already lost Dante. And I can’t lose you, too.”

41

RILEY

Kisses. That’s all I feel.

My body still thrums with the wreckage of everything that just happened, and through it all, he doesn’t stop kissing me.

My cheeks. My lips. Every tear.

And no matter how hard I try, I can’t lie to myself—the last smack he landed on my ass was delicious.

The sting still burns, and God help me, I love it.

I also try not to think about how fucked up that is.

Or the fact that I told him I’m pregnant and can’t lose him, and his big, sweeping reply is four little words: “We’re taking a shower.”

Not that I’m asking for a declaration of eternal devotion, but—what the actual fuck?

I stare at him. “Did you just say we’re taking a shower?”

He shimmies off my body, and proceeds to peel off his clothes. “You heard me.”

I push up on the bed, glaring. “Did you even hear what I said?”

Pretty sure he did. Because that smug grin of his stretches so wide, it carves two lickable dimples into his face.

“No,” he growls, deep and teasing. “What did you say, Pom?”

I narrow my eyes. Even if he didn’t hear me, I’m not repeating myself.

Not when I’m this annoyed.

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