Page 144 of Taint My Soul

“Mine.”

Another kiss.

“Mine.”

Kiss

“Mine.”

He goes on his knees, kissing me all the way from my neck down to my tailbone. The tears I’ve been trying to hold back slide down my cheeks, leaving a burning trail.

“Yours, baby, yours,” I whine, gritting my teeth as pleasure overcomes me. He gets back on his feet, and I turn around and meet his intense gaze. He searches my eyes as his thumb swipes over my cheeks. He smiles and kisses my lips one more time.

A distracting buzz comes from his pocket. He doesn’t break eye contact even when the call comes in the third time.

“It could be something urgent.” I tell him before he finally lets me go to pick up his phone. His expression hardens when he sees the name on the screen. He receives the incoming call and turns away from me.

“I need you at my office right now.”

“Now? Can we meet tomorrow?”

“Right now, Saint! If you’re not here in thirty minutes…” his deep voice comes off with a lethal threat.

“I’m on my way, sir.” He answers and hangs up. He tosses the phone onto the bed and returns to me.

“You need to go, I’ll be here when you’re back.” I promise and reach up to his cheeks. “He doesn’t have power over you or us.” I smile at him, and he shuts his eyes and heaves a loud, relieving sigh, leaning into my touch.

He grumbles under his breath and looks at me. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“Neither do I, but it’s your father. It could be business.” I remark.

“Fine,” he agrees and steals a last kiss from me. “I will think of you all night.”

“And I, you.” I smile at him. “And I will make dinner.”

“Sure.”

He hurries to the bathroom to shower. I’m lying on the bed when he joins me for another kiss before he leaves. In his absence, a hollow feeling settles in my chest, knowing full well how homophobic his father is. I hope he makes it back to me in one piece.

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

SAINT

As Bernard approaches the building, I pull out my phone and stare at a picture of Elio. My lips lift into a smile at the sight of him snuggled up in my arms. I had taken these the weekend before his first session with Dr. Khadija. I leave the app and stare at his phone number, fingers hovering over the dial button.

I was terrified of what it would be like to see my father. I hadn’t visited for weeks, even though I had everything on track with the organization and the syndicate.

I want to tell Elio how much I love him, how I haven’t been able to get him out of my head. But I also wanted him to feel safe around me and recover physically and mentally.

Bernard parks the car around the fountain, and I exit the car and stride toward the house, placing my phone in my pocket. I step into my father’s office and meet the tall, spry man standing by the open window. Cool air filters through the space, alive with the amber light that shines from the ceiling. “Have a seat, son.” He says without taking his eyes off the field. I unbutton my suit jacket and sit down opposite his throne.

“I have about four months to live.” His voice is hoarse. “I took over my father’s company when I was sixteen. Became the mafia boss of the Black Viper Syndicate at twenty-two, shortly after I married your mother.” He faces me with a full smile. I have never seen my father smile for years. But here I am, and what’s unnerving is that I see the mix of torture and regret consuming his eyes.

“I gave this family everything! Everything.” A throbbing chuckle escapes his lips. He walks toward his throne and lays his arm on the top. His gaze breaks away from me as tears gather in his eyes. “You stood up our guests twice! Turned down the first marriage I set up. Turned down the second. Hell, you didn’t even confirm whether the traitors we have in our custody are the ones we’ve been looking for.” He whispers more to himself. Too stunned. Too disappointed.

I know where this is going, so I regain my footing.

He regards me with a glower, eyes sharp with heated indignation.