He smiled again. “Please do.”
My attempts were useless.
“I’ll break your heart,” I told him, trying to findonelast thing to say before I stayed silent.
“Then break it a million times. God forbid you break anyone else’s.”
He was impossible. How was he able to act like this, as if nothing had happened?
This was ridiculous. What made me so special to him? Why wasn’t he upset with me like I was upset with him? I could never forgive him for betraying me like this—how could he?
“Why aren’t you upset with me?” I asked, unable to keep my curiosity at bay.
His gaze flickered down to my mouth for a moment before returning to my eyes with an intensity that threatened to consume me. “I’ll be having my way with you eventually, Rosalie.”
I bit on the inside of my cheek, both to suppress the heat rising in my face and to hide the unexpected flutter in my stomach. “But you won’t hurt me?”
“No,” he admitted gently. “No one will. I’ll make sure of it.”
My stomach lurched. Those dreadful butterflies had returned with a vengeance, a swarm taking flight in my stomach.
“My family will stay safe?”
Max leaned back again, his seriousness returning. “If you agree to marry me, yes.”
“If I marry you ...” My voice trailed off. “I hope you realize how unfair this is.”
He scoffed—a harsh, humorless sound. “Unfair? You sent me to jail,mia cara.”
“And I’ll put you right back in there after what you did to Lucas,” I retorted, my voice rising a notch. The memory of what had happened pushed back at the fear threatening to consume me.
“Put me back?” He smiled—a slow-moving smile that spoke volumes about his disregard for my threats. “I thought you were smarter than that, but go ahead. Just know, I’ll be out before the ink’s dry on the marriage certificate, and when I am, you’ll be begging me for the mercy you’ve shown me none of.”
I looked down. I had nothing to say. I had one choice to make, and that was between marriage and mayhem. I feared the latter, but that didn’t make the first option any better. Marrying Max wasn’t just about enduring him; it was about becoming the very thing I was told to fear—a Romano.
“You need to take care of the mess in my apartment,” I complained.
“That is your problem.” He leaned back in the booth with relaxed shoulders. “You can clean this mess up yourself. Maybe learn a lesson while you’re at it.”
I was going to kill Max. Might as well, right? I could be going to prison for the murder of Lucas anyway. A two for one, if you will.
But before I could strangle him with my bare hands, Max spoke again. “Relax,” he soothed, his words laced with a forced calm. “I’m sure Sean will help you.” He looked down at his watch. “He should be here any minute now.”
And he was.
Sean stood at the door, his gaze searching for me. I held my hand up to him, silently urging him to stay put.
Duke shifted at my feet when he saw Sean approaching. He ignored my frantic signal, his long strides eating up the distance between us. Max folded his hands on the tabletop and looked up at Sean.
“Perfect timing,” he drawled. “Sean, Rosalie will be needing a ride to her father’s.”
My gaze darted between Max and Sean. Sean, usually the picture of composure, seemed to shrink under Max’s stare. I didn’t trust Max near a fly, let alone another human being. I wanted Sean to get away from him before Max’s temper was triggered.
“Rose, come on,” Sean said, his voice clipped with urgency.
Max wasn’t done though. “Oh, and she might need a hand with a bit of ... mess in her apartment. I’m sure you and Liam are aware of where to take Lucas, yeah?”
Sean shifted uncomfortably, his eyes flickering away from mine. They exchanged a look as if they were having a silent conversation, making me feel completely clueless.
