Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
U sing the burner, I searched for a five-star hotel and found one a block away from Sin’s home.
I didn’t go to that one.
Instead, I walked four angry miles through the pulsing city streets, ignoring Bria’s requested one closer to home, but I just needed to decide something for myself tonight.
Now, I’m lying in quite possibly the softest bed in existence mulling over what to order from the room service menu.
Caviar, lobster, steak.
I haven’t had dinner.
I was treated like royalty the moment I walked inside with that little black card. They placed me in a penthouse suite, not that I would ever need that much room, but with a card that has no limit… why not?
The bill won’t be posted until I leave, so if Sin has access to the account he won’t know until I’m long gone.
Where I’ll go, I do not know .
With a quick call down, I order every little thing my hungry, sad heart desires.
Typically, I wouldn’t do this, but I do know that this is my last night of luxury and Sin can pay for hurting my heart the way he did.
As for now, I will stay in this penthouse that overlooks the sparkling city and pretend that I’m a woman who has her shit together, that afforded this gorgeous place and all of its luxuries.
I slip on the silk robe from the bathroom and rub the expensive lotion into my skin, relishing in its citrusy scent.
A knock sounds, startling me. I place my palms on the door and look through the peephole, calming at the sight of room service. I open up the door, mouth-watering as they wheel in a tray.
"Your dinner is ready, Ms. Finley." The mention of my name surprises me until I recall that they needed my ID during check-in.
I move out of their way. “Thank you so much.”
“Would you like your meal on the balcony?” he asks.
The thought is nice, but I want to eat in bed. “By the bed is fine. Have a wonderful night.” Before he leaves, I pull some cash from my wallet and give it to the man. My own money from the tips that Victoria split with me on my first day. I’m going to have to go to work tomorrow, but at least I have a job.
Now that I’m alone, I sit on the bed. The tray holds a platter of various dishes covered with metal domes to keep them warm or cold. Garnishments of fruits surround them.
This is about to be so good. I grab a tablet labeled ‘ambiance’ from the nightstand, clicking on the button that says Vibes. As I press it, the white lighting above dims to a golden hue. Soft music plays throughout the room.
Lifting the lids off I decide what I want to try first. The caviar can wait, but the warm dishes are calling my name.
I eat my first lobster, drowning it in salty butter as tears roll down my cheeks.
A bite of caviar on a cracker with a white sauce is divine. I’ve never had anything like this, and the fact that I never will again doesn’t bother me. My future is what I make it. If I want to aspire to afford things like this, I will, but a quite quaint life would suit me just fine.
With my belly full, I slip onto the balcony, looking at the twinkling lights of the city. It’s electric. I don’t want to go to sleep just yet, I’m too sad, and I need to cheer up.
Grabbing the magical little tablet, I steer clear of the romance button and decide on party mode. I can at least pretend to be happy.
Enticing music plays through the room, the golden lights drip into a scarlet red as the TV clicks on, the screen pulsating with different colors.
I stand up on the California king bed, dancing and jumping to let out all of my pent-up rage. If I was on a low floor, the people outside would see me looking insane, but I’m all alone up here.
I land in a spin, dizzy with the freedom of it all, the weight of the world nowhere to be found. It’s a moment just for me, unfiltered, unplanned. I dance, I jump, I let go. No one’s watching. No rules. Just pure, unrestrained joy.
Suddenly, the music shuts off, the room illuminated only by the moon and stars.
I turn to see a shadowed figure in the corner of the room, coming towards me. A shiver rakes over my skin, covering me in chills.
“Why are you here?”
It’s Sin. I sink down onto the bed, attempting to gain back the breath he stole.
I grab the tablet, flicking a random button that turns the dim lights back on, thankful I didn’t accidentally hit romance. “I could ask you the same question,” I reply with a cool tone.
“Mags.” He reaches his hand out to me, sorrow etched along the crease in his brows. “I’m sorry.”
I turn my face away from him. “Why aren’t you with her?”
His finger crooks underneath my chin, forcing my gaze to his ghost eyes. “That is my work life, that is business, she means nothing to me.”
“Didn’t look like it.”
He laughs with no humor. “I’m risking everything being here, Magnolia.”
“Am I not worth the risk?”
With a sigh, he runs his hand over his face, sitting down beside me. I scoot a few inches away from him. “You don’t understand what you’ve done. The treaty is broken. If they saw me, which I’m certain someone has, then there is no barrier.”
“A treaty?” I scoff. “I don’t care about some treaty. I don’t even know what you’re talking about! Sin, you hurt me. I trusted you.”
He realized this conversation needs to happen before anything else. “I was revolted when she sat on my lap. Even more so when you walked up to us, and I had to pretend like you meant nothing.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I have to keep you safe, and the only way I can is if no one knows I care for you.” He holds my face in his inked hands; I try my hardest not to lean into him. “Magnolia, the people I care for get taken from me.” His eyes are desperate, full of sorrow.
“How did you find me?”
He leans forward, his lips so close. “I will tear apart any world to find you, Magnolia.”
Somehow, instead of kicking him out or screaming more, I entangle my fingers in his thick hair when his lips touch mine. His hands gliding over every inch of my body as we sink into the bed together.
I can be angry later, but for now I want… no, I need him.
He strips off my robe, revealing bare skin and lets out a long, drawn-out breath, seeing me like this for the first time. I don’t cover myself, or shy away, although I’m nervous. I give into him, putting my jealousy to the back of my mind.
He brings his lips to my breast, licking my nipple, teasing me with the gentle tug of his teeth. I don’t want to be the only one so exposed, so I curl my fingers underneath his shirt, lifting it.
Slyly, he slips off his pants. I love the way the light cascades over his golden skin, accentuating ever muscle and inky tattoo. I take my palm and rest it against the bulge of his boxers. They don’t stay on long. His fingertip brushes my clit, dipping into my wetness, eliciting a moan from me.
He reaches for me, his fingers brushing my skin, learning my body piece by piece. My heart skips, and I pull him closer, feeling the gentle press of his body against mine. There’s nothing rushed about this moment, nothing hurried. It’s as if time has slowed down just for us, just for this.
There’s a quiet, fragile moment as he enters me, a brief pause where everything feels suspended. I look at him, really look at him, and for a second, I forget to breathe.
“You can’t leave like that,” he says between us.
“I was never allowed to leave before,” I moan out, trying to make him understand.
There is no pain, as gentle as he’s being, but more of a building pressure. His movements are calm and methodic. I reach out to touch him, my fingers tracing the line of his strong jaw. In the stillness of the room, our hearts beat in sync, slow and steady, like we’ve always been this close, always been this connected.
He slides his hand down the small of my back, pulling us closer together. I feel him deep inside, and it feels good. A lip biting kind of pain that makes me moan in equal parts delight and gentle agony.
“Magnolia,” he breathes, in his own world of euphoria.
I rake my nails down his back. “Yes?” I whisper.
“If you ever,”—he slides into me—“so much as think of disappearing again, Magnolia,”—a growl escapes him—“I will lock you away and never let you go again.” His voice cracks as he comes undone.
Tangled in bed, with the tablet officially on the romance setting, we listen to soft jazz in the red light covered room. That was transformative, my first time in this penthouse with this man that makes me feel way too many emotions all at once.
I can’t help but wonder if it felt anywhere near as special for him as it did for me. His words come to the forefront of my mind, haunting this sweet moment. “You wouldn’t really lock me away, right?” I ask playfully, but he can detect the seriousness of the question.
“Do I want to? Yes. Absolutely. But no, that was just dirty talk. I will not truly take you in with open arms and lock the door behind you, Magnolia. Ever.”
“You hurt me,” I say quietly.
He leans up, carefully maneuvering me off of his shoulder. I’m trying to have a serious conversation with him, but he’s wearing only boxers while I’m in only his t-shirt. He makes me feel so small; it covers everything on me.
“I can’t have anyone knowing that you mean anything to me.”
“Why?”
“Because…” he pauses. “It’s dangerous.”
I sit up, placing my hand in his. “I already know this. You’ve explained it to me before. I’m leaving your house, Sin, people know I’m there.”
He runs an inked hand over his face. “I know. You don’t think I know that?”
“Make it make sense to me, Sin.”
“You won’t just be Magnolia Finley anymore, if we go public… you’ll be another Donati member on a hitlist.”
I ignore the angel on my shoulder telling me to run, to hide, to move to a different country to escape the possible threat to my life this could create. But he is what I want. “Whatever this is,”—I gesture between us—“it either needs to be public or you have to let me go.”
He’s quiet for a long moment. Then, “You’re right.”
“I am?” My eyes widen in surprise.
He nods. “I don’t want to hold you like a secret, Magnolia, but I also don’t know how to keep you safe.”
“How about at the next family dinner we strategize on that, then? I mean Bria runs around, she has guards and she’s safe.”
“Bria,” he laughs. “I don’t mean this to sound bad, but Bria is trained in weaponry. She knows how to protect herself, although I like to believe she doesn’t. The guards I hire for her are more for me to know her location more than her safety.”
Interesting. “So, she could teach me how to protect myself too.”
His ghost eyes darken. “If something happens…”
“Sin,” I breathe against his collarbone, “make me yours.”
His smirk tells me he already has. “We’ll host an event, with maximum security so everyone knows and can also make sure they’re aware of how protected you are.”
I grin. “Like a ball?”
Playfully, he rolls his eyes. “No, like a party.”
I stand up, twirling. “With dancing?”
“Yes.” He chuckles.
“Fancy dresses?” I squeal, already excited to go shopping with Bria.
“Again, yes. Whatever you want.”
“So, it’s a ball then?”
“The Donati household is not hosting a ball, Magnolia. It’s a party. Actually, let’s host a masquerade.”
“Oh!” I grin. “With masks?”
He nods, thinking. “Yes, that way if I feel uncomfortable your identity will be masked but if all goes well, we can take them off at midnight. I’m just not used to having that many important figures of New York in my home, but it’s about time I do host an event.”