Forgivable Sins (Bellandi Crime Syndicate 2)

His quiet chuckle lit up his eyes, and I realized that watching the transformation from so close was even more spectacular than all the times I’d seen it with more distance between us. “I think the hospital staff would discourage it. They’re probably safe until they go home.”

I gave him a mock gasp, all too aware of the way his eyes fixated on my mouth. “How dare the hospital staff discourage caveman traits? That’s discrimination, that is.”

When he walked into the bedroom, he dropped me on the bed gently. His eyes were still warm on mine as he murmured, “Get some sleep, Little Dove. You’re going to need it soon.” He turned to go shower off his day in the bathroom. I curled up, resting my face on the pillow he used every night so that his scent surrounded me. Not even his ominous warning was enough to push away the comfort that enveloped me and drew me in.

I was asleep before he got out of the shower.

Divorced. Single.

Free.

Fourteen

Lino

Matteo's home never seemed forbidden. Not like it had when my uncle had been in charge and ran the house like a prison. Despite the security that Matteo stepped up after Ivory came back into his life, the guards were friendly and valued the trust given to them. Matteo rewarded loyalty and good employees, and they often enjoyed rather cushy jobs for being mobsters.

Guarding a mansion behind a twelve-foot fence and gate was about as safe as it got when it came to safety. Even if they had to brave the cold winters of Chicago to check the property or do their rotations outside. So, it was no wonder that as soon as I walked in the door, Scar grinned at me.

The house was jovial on the most casual days.

The day after Luna was born was a special circumstance.

I didn't want to intrude on their family time, or distract from Ivory's recovery, but Matteo had called me over to meet my baby cousin.

There was no saying no to an invitation like that.

I'd wanted to bring Samara with me, but I thought seeing the bruises on her throat might cause Ivory distress. Matteo had said the birth went as smoothly as anyone could have ever expected, his Angel handling childbirth as well as she handled shanking villains who threatened unborn babies.

Scar wasn't what I would have called a softy, though Ivory brought that out in him. But watching the man walk around cooing to the newborn cradled in his arms was downright comical.

I reached out for the beautiful girl, glaring at the kitchen when Don's voice called out. "Wash your hands, you filthy animal! You will infect her with some disease, and I'll kill you myself!"

Scar chuckled quietly, his chest vibrating with his attempt to hold in the sound so he wouldn't wake Luna. I grunted, making my way to the kitchen and stripping off my suit jacket to roll up my sleeves.

I made a point of showing Don how I washed every crevice of my hands. "Fucking Ryker went right for her. That man has more blood under his fingernails than a mortician, but he thinks he can just grab the moon girl? Not on my watch." He waved the knife in my face as he chopped up cucumbers for Ivory. It appeared that her craving didn't just go away when she gave birth.

I supposed it was preferable to the pickle craving. Don had made more late-night pickle runs than I could count.

That and banana yogurt with dark chocolate chips in it. The woman was a nut.

I highly suspected Matteo would never touch a banana anything again.

As soon as my hands were washed to Don's preference, Scar finally handed over the baby. "Well, hello there little Princess," I cooed at her, tucking her head into my arm and bouncing the way I'd seen Scar doing. She didn't stir, just let me take hold of her while she slept.

"Where's Ivory?" I whispered as I stared down at the bundle in my arms. Faint chestnut hair like her mother, with long and dark lashes even though her head was mostly bald. Those little lips came straight from her mother, pursed into a perfect angelic pout as she slept. But the nose was all Matteo, and I knew from his rambling last night that she had his blue eyes. The perfect combination of the two of them, all wrapped up in a lilac baby blanket and sleeping soundly. Hopefully, she would keep the blue eyes. She felt tiny in my arms, and I instantly wanted a dozen of them for myself.

"Sleeping. Little Luna kept her up most of the night. It was a rough first night home," Don answered, but there was nothing but affection in his voice as he stared at the baby in my arms. No frustration that his own sleep had probably been interrupted since he lived on the property as well.

"What are they doing home from the hospital? Shouldn't they be under observation or something?" I asked, because even I knew it was uncommon to come home the next day.

It was Scar who answered, and I really should have seen the answer coming. After Ivory's run-in with Adrian Ricci that had resulted in Scar getting shot, Matteo took no chances where her safety was concerned. "You know Matteo. Security risks. He has a doctor coming to check on them both twice a day to be safe, but everything looks good so they're safer here."

"Makes sense," I nodded, staring down at the other woman he would no doubt take no risks with. The poor thing would probably be under lock and key for most of her life, if not all.

I didn't blame Matteo one bit.

Ivory came down the steps slowly, and I watched as Donatello hurried over to her side. "You know you shouldn't do the stairs alone. We could have brought her up to you."