THE MAFIA’S CAPTIVE ANGEL

Mani’s Pov.

“Praise the heavens, you decided to leave your room.” Zoey mused when I took a seat at the counter, and I playfully glared at her while pouting my lips.

“You act like I don’t leave my room.”

She snorts, shaking her head. “You can’t possibly count spending hours in the library as a breath of fresh air.” She says, “I know you love reading and all, but don’t you get bored?”

“I don’t.  My aim is to read as many books as I can in the library. Besides, it’s my source of entertainment when you aren’t there to keep me company.

“I understand, but still.” She sighs, placing a hand on the left side of her waist. “What book do you plan to read now?”

I smiled.  “I actually saw one, Fifty Shades of Grey, and I’m intrigued to see what it’s about.”

Her brows creased and her lips parted a bit. “Are you certain about that?”

“What?” I asked, confused.

“I mean, are you sure you want to read that?” She clarifies, eyeing the book in my hand.

“Yeah, why?” I asked, staring at the book before staring back up at her. My frown deepened.

I saw amusement shimmer in her eyes, and she shook her head. “It’s nothing,” she says with a smile. “It is a really great book; I was just surprised you picked it.”

” oh…”

“Don’t worry; you are going to love it. There are a lot of thrilling and entertaining chapters. You could surely pick up a thing or two from them”. She winks, and I smile, wondering how great the book is.

“I better head back up to my room. I’m eager to read this now.” I said, raising the book.

“I’m sure you are.” She laughs.  “I will have some refreshments made and brought up to your room.”

“Sure, thanks.” I walked out of the room and began making my way upstairs when I was interrupted by a deep, raspy, familiar voice.

My eyes shifted to Sin, who walked in with his phone clad to his ear as he spoke in Italian.

I kept an aloof eye on him, like a stalker. I observed the genuineness of the smile spreading across his face. It was strange to see Sin smile and appear so carefree, and I wondered to whom he was speaking that made him this way, and I felt resentful without understanding why.

While I was watching Sin speak in Italian, I wondered if the person on the other end of the line might be a woman.

However, the next thing I saw made my stomach drop. Sin’s eyes darted in my direction, catching me staring at him.

There was no disputing that I had been avoiding him during the past couple of days, which is why I was often holed up in my room or the library. I wasn’t sure how I felt when I saw him standing there, but I could feel my heart skip a beat as his gaze scorched my skin.

“Hey, Mani… Why are you standing here?” Zoey asks, dragging my attention away from Sin.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Oh, I’m, I was…,” I stuttered out, not knowing what to say.

“I thought you were eager to start reading your new book, but I guess something else caught your attention,” she probed.

“Excuse me?”  I stared at Zoey with a baffled expression.

“Sin…”  Zoey nodded her chin towards where Sin stood, who was still on call but his eyes were fixated on our direction, on me: “You have been avoiding him. Seeing him now makes you realize you miss him. Right ”

“What.. no…”  I shook my head profusely. “I wasn’t avoiding him, and I definitely do not miss him.” I lied through my teeth, crossing my fingers behind me.

Zoey chuckled.  “Yeah, sure, I totally believe you,” she says sarcastically.

“I wasn’t avoiding him, I truly wasn’t.” I scoff.

“Yeah, you weren’t.” She cooed like she was talking to a child. I rolled my eyes, turning my attention back to Sin, which I was certain Zoey didn’t miss, even if it was for a brief moment.

“I’m sure you are dying to know who is on the other line.” Zoey snickered.

“I’m not, and I don’t care.” I responded, acting nonchalantly.

“Well, you don’t have to worry.” She says, “From the little I got while coming upstairs, I’m certain it is his mother.”

“His mother.”

“Yep.”  She nods.  “She is the only one he acts warmly toward and who can make him smile that much.”

“Oh…”

“So quit worrying about it being another woman.” She says, “Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted cookies or ores.”

“I will go with the ores.”

“I better get right to it. You carry on with what you were doing, but not doing.” She teased, walking back downstairs.

I sighed, still surprised at how the mind was such an interesting cognitive faculty. It allows you to think wrongly, and you wouldn’t even realize it unless someone told you otherwise.

Dragging my gaze back to where Sin stood, I found the spot empty. I looked around but couldn’t see him.

I was clinging to the book in my hand while wondering where he had gone when suddenly I felt a presence next to me. When I turned to look, I was in awe, realizing that it was the very same man I had been looking for.

“Looking for me?” Sin grinned lopsidedly, and his gesture pierced my abdomen with electrifying arrows.

I had pictured the same set of black eyes several times during the previous four days. A part of me despised myself for feeling this way, even though I was undoubtedly attracted to the man’s personality and was curious to learn more about him.

I was well aware that he was staring at me too, and I wondered what he was thinking at the moment, until his question rang in my head again and I was forced out of my thoughts.

“What if I was?” I asked with a smirk, wondering where this boldness was coming from. Just a couple of moments ago, I had openly denied looking at him when Zoey asked. Yet here I was admitting it to him without a second thought.

Sin tilted his head to the side, his eyes shunned with amusement as he chuckled. Tearing his gaze away from me, his gorgeous smile stayed on his face. “I see you have gotten even more feisty than before, not that I’m complaining. It’s quite compelling. ”

I melted at the sound of his sexy laugh, but pretended to be unaffected and scoffed, “I see you find my honesty appealing. Don’t be so full of yourself. I just wanted to be aware of where you were so I could avoid you.” It was only partly true. I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. I was attracted to him.

Who was I kidding? No one could blame me if they saw him. He was like a model who came straight out of a magazine-a freaking Greek god. But he didn’t need to know that. My thoughts were safe.

“Now why would you do that? I’m very curious as to why you would avoid me.”

“I just don’t want to be associated with you. Not after what happened the last time we were together.” I wasn’t lying. Even if I were attracted to him, it still wouldn’t erase the fact that he used me. “You clearly won the bet, after all.”

“Really?  Do you seriously think I won the bet?” He arched a brow. His voice got darker. “That is where you are wrong, little temptress. You clearly have no idea the hold you have on me.” He says, his gaze darting down to the book I was clutching and his fingers playfully tapping the novel’s hardcover.

Before I could protest, he suddenly grabbed the book from my hand. reading through the title, turning to gaze at me. His dark orbs pierced through my eyes.

“I see you are making quite good use of the library.” He chuckles, flipping through the chapters of the book and settling on a particular page. A smirk graced his lips as he started reading the portion of the book with a low, gruff voice: “For a moment, I wonder what to do about the panties. Christian’s avaricious fingers tore right through them under the dinner table. There’s no point in keeping them on. I… ”

My eyes widened in shock when I heard the words he read, and I attempted to grab the book from his hands. Sin stretched his hand to the side, moving the book away from me as I strived to steal it from him. His face was emotionless compared to mine, which was filled with horror at not realizing what kind of book this was.

“Zoey,” I muttered under my breath, thinking of a way to plan her murder.

How could she not warn me and end up putting me in such an embarrassing situation?

Clicking his tongue, a glint flashed across Sin’s eyes as he darted the book to me, meeting my shameful glance. “I didn’t know you read novels like this.” Using only one large hand, he slammed the book shut. The action made a thud, causing me to blink. “You know, you don’t have to, though. Reality is much, much better, as I’m certain you can attest.”

He watched me swallow at his question, and before I could find the courage to reply, he leaned forward until he was only inches away from my face. “I have no problem showing you how insanely great I am, much better than what’s written here.”

He was so close to me that I could smell his tasty, musky scent. And when I was supposed to back away from him, I didn’t move, allowing him to invade my personal space.

I was too weak against him and didn’t even try to guard myself. I was supposed to be afraid when his voice dipped so low that it warmed my core and sent shivers down my spine.

I felt his hand on my waist and was almost satisfied. I wanted to refuse my inner desires, yet I was frail under his hand, anticipating what he would do next as I gazed back at him.

Sin leaned forward further, running the tip of his nose along the line of my jaw and breathing against my ear, “Tell me, amore. How badly did you want me to touch you again for you to want to read a book such as this?”

My eyes involuntarily closed, eager to feel the delicious sensation. I should be pushing him away, but I could only let out an audible breath, betraying my resolve. My heart raced, ramming against my ribcage. A hot flush crept across my cheeks, and, despite wanting so badly to lean into him, I pushed him off of me.

“What do you think you are doing?” My voice weakened just as my ears turned red.

Sin stared straight at me, studying the embarrassment in my reaction that I was sure amused him.

I watched him take in the flush that coloured my pale skin, and his adam’s apple bobbed.

When he didn’t answer, my eyes caught sight of the book that was still in his hands, and I had the urge to reach for it, but just as my hand moved forward, he had already shifted it to the side, revealing a knowing smile on his face. “I will be confiscating this and making a thorough cleaning of the library. I don’t want you to read such a book.”

I scoff, eyeing him. “I will have you know that I’m a grown adult and can read whatever book I desire.”

“I never said you weren’t old enough to read such books. I’m saying I don’t want you to read them. You know why, amore?” He asked softly, once again closing the gap between us. “Because I plan on corrupting you myself.”

My breath hitched, and I nervously tucked my hair behind my ear at the same time that my gaze shifted to the side. I fudged, my fingers absent-mindedly fiddling with the hem of my shirt as I tried to stop myself from blushing.

I felt warm lips touch my cheek, and I blushed even more. “As much as I would love to carry on with our conversation, amore. I’m afraid I have matters to attend to, though I won’t mind carrying on this conversation later.” He says, cupping my cheeks as he caresses them softly, before walking past me with the book.