Sin and Redemption

by Cora Reilly

“This is what’s going to happen, Maximus. You are going to fuck the pretty doll. I bet you’ve been secretly lusting after a high-ranking pussy like hers. With your fucked-up family history, a cunt like hers is out of reach, right?”

“I’d prefer it if we picked new rings. You will be my wife. I don’t want any signs of your previous fiancé on your body.” He snapped his lips shut,

“I birthed and raised you. I held you when you cried when you were little. Don’t think I don’t see when you’re breaking inside. If this was how you just described it, you wouldn’t have buried it the way you did. Lie to yourself if it helps you, but I can see the truth!”

“Every loss needs an outlet. I hope it helps you cope with our loss.” Our loss. I had rarely considered it as such. That Maximus felt that way made me feel better. I didn’t ask what he did to cope.

Maybe I’d foolishly hoped getting revenge would wipe the slate clean, that it would mean a new start for our marriage, but Sara’s reaction made it clear that it wouldn’t. Maybe I should stop thinking it ever would and just return to living the life I had before Sara.

“Just say the words. I’m yours. If causing me pain helps you heal, do it. Just fucking do it. Nothing’s worse than this fucking charade of a marriage we’re in.”

“Maybe that’s what I’m doing by deciding to have a child. Sex isn’t important to me.” “It is, just not in a good way,” she contradicted.

“Maybe I should ask her for a divorce. That way, she could start new with a guy who doesn’t remind her of one of the worst days of her life. But I can’t. I just can’t. Even if our marriage is far from good, even if things are hard, I don’t want to give her up.”

“But you’ve acted like you don’t want me close since we got married.” “Because you reminded me of what happened and of my helplessness. You could do something to work through the trauma. You hunted those men and killed them. You acted. I felt like I did nothing, or at best, reacted.”

“I’d prefer to eat you, but as that’s not on the menu tonight, I’d love a hearty soup.”

“I think I’m attracted to you,” I said. In the past, I would have never uttered something rash like this. Maybe it was Isa’s influence on me. Maximus’s eyebrows climbed his forehead as he gave me an amused look. “You think?” I laughed. “It’s complicated.” “I know,” he murmured. “You know what’s not complicated?” His gaze burned into me in a way it had never done before. “No,” I whispered. “There’s nothing complicated about how I feel about you, Sara. I’m definitely one hundred percent, no doubt about it attracted to you.”

“I’m scared because I don’t know what to expect. What if I can’t feel good because of what happened? What if the memories hold me back?”

more. I felt like the Sara I never got the chance to be.

I wanted things to progress. I wanted my wife by my side at night. End of story.

“I told you I don’t blame you.” Maximus gave me a tight smile. “I know. And I’ll still spend the rest of my life making amends for what I did.”

“You don’t have to worry about me, alright? My trauma, or whatever you want to call it, is nothing. Definitely nothing I want you to waste your energy on. I want you to get past your trauma. That’s all that matters to me.”

If I’d known that spending a weekend in the Hamptons with Amo and Greta and their nonstop public displays of affection would lead to Sara and me sharing a bed, I would have done it a long time ago,

“I’m not worried about having to sleep with you again if I’m not pregnant this time because I wouldn’t mind doing it even if it’s not about making a baby.”

“Actually…phew.” I blew out a breath, embarrassed to say what I felt. “Watching you like this”—I motioned at his half-naked state and the axe behind him—“has made me feel quite…umm.” I gave a nervous giggle, my face bursting with heat.

“I know I only asked for one taste, but if you don’t mind, I’ll finish my meal,” he growled.

“Licking you turns me on like crazy, Sara.”

“I don’t want you to kneel in the dirt.” I bit my lip, amused. “I don’t mind getting dirty.” “There are other ways to get you dirty,” he growled,

“You look like a goddess. Too beautiful for words.”

“Both need stitches. Why didn’t you go to the doc?” “I promised to pick you up.” She gave me a stern look. “Your health is the top priority.” “No,” I muttered. “You are and will always be my top priority, Sara.”

“Hard to say. Revenge often leads to more revenge. It’s a vicious cycle.”

“Too many of our women have suffered for our sins,” Amo said bitterly. I grimaced. That was the truth—a bitter pill to swallow.

“Fuck! There’s nothing I want more. The last time was amazing, and like you, I felt closer to you than ever before. I hate having sex for reproduction.” “Because you don’t want a kid?” “Because I want you to be with me without second thoughts.” Her sweet smile melted my stone-cold heart. Shit. “No second thoughts this time.”

“How about you sit on my face so I can relax and wake up with the taste of your pussy in my mouth?”

“The sound of your heartbeat always makes me drowsy,” she mumbled, sounding as if she was already half asleep. “Sleep tight,” I murmured.

“And I want you to know that I will love you every day of my life just like I love your mom.”

“Are they always this small?” he asked, worried. Cara watched with teary eyes, then slipped out and left us alone. I bit my lip. “She’s average size.” Maximus’s brows puckered. “No, nothing about you is average, Ambra. You are magnificent.”