By Virtue I Fall (Sins of the Fathers #3)(64)

“Oh holy shit,” I gasped into the pillow.

Santino’s thrusts hit me so deeply and filled me so entirely that stars burst before my eyes from the sensations. The slapping sounds of his thighs hitting my ass cheeks mingled with our moans. The bed vibrated, slamming against the wall over and over again. I really hoped our neighbors wouldn’t call the police.

I came with a cry, my fingers clutching on to the bars and my teeth sinking into the pillow. This was almost too much. Santino didn’t slow. He was angry fucking me. I’d never really understood the term, but now I did, and it was addicting.

He leaned down. “Savor every second. One day the memory of this will be the only thing that’ll get you through the unfulfilling poking that Cliffy considers sex.”

“Asshole,” I gritted out, trying to shove up but Santino’s thrusts kept me flat on my stomach.

“That’s right,” Santino growled, kissing me harshly. I answered his kiss with the same fervor.

I lost track of time but the soreness in my body when Santino and I had come told me we might have established a new personal record.

I rolled over on my back, sweat trickling down my chest. I was completely exhausted. A low hum rang in my body, an echo of pleasure that seemed reluctant to go. I closed my eyes, basking in this feeling. I could hear Santino move and the wet sound of the condom hitting the bin. Slowly my eyes peeled open as Santino stood next to the bed, watching me.

I gave him a lazy smile. “I like your form of punishment.”

“Glad I performed to your satisfaction.”

He didn’t return to bed and it made me wonder if he wanted me to go to my room. We still hadn’t spent the night together since Clifford’s appearance and I missed it. “Won’t you lie down? I feel like falling asleep beside you again.”

I didn’t care if admitting it weakened my position. Santino was jealous so he too must feel more for me than lust.

“You think that’s a good idea?”

It most definitely wasn’t. Nothing about this was a good idea. “I don’t care.”

Santino chuckled sardonically. He stretched out beside me and pulled me against him. “One day, I’ll regret this, but as you put it, I don’t care.”





This was the first time I’d face Anna’s family again after we’d started our affair, or whatever we had. At this point, it was hard to say. Whatever it was was limited, and if Anna and I didn’t manage to hide our less than professional relationship from her family, it would be terminated long before Anna entered the holy bond of marriage with Cliffy—by my cruel death at the hands of Valentina and Dante. I was sure they’d both join in the dismemberment for this special occasion.

“You look tense,” Anna said as we waited at the airport.

One of my eyebrows twitched up. Even if she liked to pretend otherwise, her excessive cleaning spree in the last few days told me she was just as nervous about her family’s visit. She’d cleaned every surface where we’d had sex in the last few months at least twice. “Don’t tell. Shouldn’t you be nervous too? You realize that we’ve both been betraying your family for the last five months?”

Anna had finished her first semester and we were supposed to fly back to Chicago for the summer, but first the Cavallaros would spend a week in Paris to celebrate Valentina’s birthday.

“Betrayal is a strong word for what we have.”

“What would you call it? We both gave your parents our word that there would never be anything between us.”

“They won’t find out. We agreed that we wouldn’t sleep together while they’re here.”

It would be easier to pretend we weren’t sleeping together if we kept a physical distance, but it would be hard. Anna and I had barely been able to stay away from each other these last few months. Now we’d have to go without sex for weeks, because even after the Cavallaro’s Paris visit, we’d still have to spend a few weeks in Chicago before only the two of us would return to Paris alone.

Dante, Leonas, Beatrice, and Valentina, followed by my dad, stepped into the waiting hall of Charles de Gaulle Airport.

While Anna rushed toward her family, I went over to my father to greet him. We hugged briefly before he pulled back to look at me. “Everything good?”

“Of course,” I said. Nobody knew about my affair with Anna, not even Arturo, and certainly not Dad. Though he probably still suspected something.

I wasn’t sure if Anna had shared anything with one of her friends. Speaking about something like that over the phone was definitely too dangerous so I suspected she hadn’t either. Of course, I knew she’d disclose every last detail of our affair with Sofia and Luisa as soon as she met them in person.

Dante came over to me and shook my hand. His expression didn’t show a hint of anger or hostility, so he didn’t suspect anything. We’d just have to keep it that way. “I must say I’m very satisfied with your work so far. Your daily reports were very informative.”

And mostly made-up shit. I had to leave out half of the activities Anna and I embarked on. “I’m glad.”

Valentina came over next, and even she seemed less suspicious than last time. “It’s good to see Anna so happy. Thank you for making sure she’s safe while living her dream.”