THE MAFIA’S CAPTIVE ANGEL

Mani’s Pov.

It was getting late and time for our date. I was nervous, standing in front of the mirror as I took in my appearance.

I was dressed in a blue gown that fell below my knee with a black heel, and I packed my hair in a high bun to get the hair out of my face. There was little to no make-up on my face, since I wasn’t really a fan of such. After taking a satisfying look at myself in the mirror, I made my way out of the room.

When I got to Sin, he was on his phone, not paying any attention to me, so I made the decision to observe him. He was dressed in a black suit and pants, a white shirt, a black tie, and a pair of black shoes that appeared to be their first ever appearances in the sunlight.

I could not understand what he was saying since he was speaking quickly in Italian, but as soon as he turned to face me and smiled, my stomach was filled with butterflies and my heart melted.

“I will get back to you later; right now, I have something important to do,” he said in a threatening voice, which only made him look hotter.

“You look beautiful, love,” he said as he walked up to me to place a kiss on my forehead.

“Thank you.”  I whispered, nervously fiddling with my fingers.

“Shall we?”  He asked, and I nodded as his hands found their way to my back and we began making our way out of the house.

We drove for nearly an hour and thirty minutes before arriving at a fancy-looking restaurant.

Sin’s hand once again found its way to my back when we walked in. We were immediately attended to and given a seat with a better view of the city.

♤♤♤♤

“What do you want in a man, Mani?”

I lifted my eyes to look into his dark orbs. There had been a few times over the first few weeks when I had been taken back by the intensity in his gaze.

We hadn’t said a word since we left the house to each other, and as much as I wanted to know about what happened between him and Victoria, I decided against asking him.

But despite everything that had trespassed between us, his eyes seemed to have gotten softer when it was just the two of us, and tonight wasn’t an exception; tonight they felt almost calm and beautiful.

“I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it.”

“I’m sure you might have thought about it, at least once in your life.”

I tried to tug my hand away from his hold, but he held on to it, making it impossible for me to let go. Forcing a smile onto my lips, I glanced around the restaurant, gathering my thoughts. “I’m not trying to be difficult; I have always wondered what it would be like to have a family to share the happy and sad times with, but I don’t think I have ever thought of what I wish for in a man.”

“You haven’t.”

“Not really. I have been hurt enough in the past to know not to set preferences or have high expectations because it would only leave you hurt when those expectations aren’t met.”

“I understand.”

“But if there is something I would wish for, then I want nothing more than to be with a man I know would love me irrespective of my flaws, someone I know I wouldn’t ever regret giving my heart to.” I said, looking away from him shyly.

“You said you have been hurt before.” Sin asked.  “I didn’t realize you had been in a relationship in the past.”This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

My eyes widened a bit, recalling my mistake.

He didn’t know about Jason, and I knew I shouldn’t be scared of the threat being made in Paris, but I wasn’t sure if letting Sin know about us was the best thing to do.

I took a deep breath before turning to gaze at him with a smile. “It was nothing more than a simple crush, though the feeling wasn’t returned.” I hated the fact that I was lying to him, but the last thing I wanted was for anyone to die because of me. just like the guard in Paris.

“Then it’s his loss.” Sin said, and I gave a small smile.

“What about you?” I asked, changing the focus from me to him. “You probably like women like Lauren and Victoria.”

“You don’t know that.” He grumbles out.

“I know that to a certain extent, Nikolai. I’ve seen the women you’ve been with.” I didn’t like the thought of him being with the other women. Again, I tried to tug my hand away, but he wasn’t releasing me.

Gritting my teeth, I glared at him, but he merely tilted his head to the side as if we were only having a conversation.

“You’ve never met the women I’ve been with.”

“Lauren kept throwing herself at you despite being married, and I saw Victoria walk out of your room in nothing but her nightwear, remember? Are you going to tell me that nothing ever happened between you two?”

He cleared his throat. “I have never, for one day, slept with Lauren,” he says, his tone as clear as day. ” And for Victoria, she had been a source of entertainment and nothing more. She means nothing to me.”

“Maybe, but I wish I could say the same about her,” I muttered under my breath.

“You know for a fact that nothing happened between us that night.”

“No.”  I didn’t know why I had brought up his mistresses, or ex-girlfriends, or whatever they were called. “Will you please let go of my hands?”

“Not when you are still angry.”

“I’m not angry.”

“Jealous, perhaps.”

“I don’t have anything to be jealous about.” Sin smiled.

“There’s nothing wrong with you being jealous.”

“Whoever you sleep with is none of my business.”

“So, you are saying if I wish to take up Victoria’s advance on me, you won’t feel a thing.”

“Sure, whatever you wish.” I said, trying to act unaffected, but the word left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Maybe you should lessen your tight grip on my hand, maybe then your words would be more convincing,” he teased with a smirk.

“Oh….”  I bit on my lip, looking away from his intense gaze. “I didn’t realize it, but that means nothing. Being jealous would mean I harbour some kind of feeling for you, which I don’t.”

“Are you certain about that, amore?” He asked.  “We have definitely shared a lot these past few weeks.”

“Maybe, but how certain are we that what we feel is nothing but lust?” I said.  “I don’t think we should be having this conversation,” The last thing I wanted was for things to go from bad to worse. The menu lay open on the table in front of me. “Maybe we should just order.”

Sin didn’t let go of my hand, and even as I tried to avoid his gaze, he still stared at me. I looked around the room, trying to find an excuse to distract him, but I had no choice but to look at him, and he kept on staring at me.

He was looking at me with such seriousness.

And I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in that mind of his.