I tried to remove my arm from his hold. “Noted.”
Time seemed to stand still while we stared at each other. He wasn’t leaving me any room to squirm away from him. I didn’t want to cause a scene. I didn’t trust Capo. What would he do if he walked in and saw the way we were standing? I didn’t want to find out.
“Do you know why I call you Strings?” Harrison said, finally breaking the tension some. “You never asked.”
“No,” I shook my head. “I thought it was just a cute nickname.”
He laughed some, his breath fanning over my face. “Cute,” he repeated. “The first time I saw you, you tangled me up,Strings. They’re still wrapped around my heart. I want you to marry me, Mari. Live here with me. I want to take care of you. Kindness doesn’t mean you owe me anything. We can be kind to each other. That’s what a husband and wife do. Be kind to each other when they’re not tearing each other apart from too much passion. Love. It does wicked things, but it’s good. So good, too.”
“Harrison,” I said, trying to remove myself from his hold. From the situation entirely, but he wanted an answer. I wanted to run. “We’re family.”
“No,” he said. “Keely is family. You’re family because I want you to be mine. I’ve always wanted you to be mine. You know how many nights I couldn’t sleep because I was worried that something might happen to you? And you turned down every offer of help I ever offered. I’m not taking no for an answer this time, Mari. Kindness is not your enemy. Love isn’t your enemy, either. You deserve love. My love.”
“I—” I tried to move away, afraid that if I said the words,I don’t love you like that, I’d lose my entire family.
“You don’t love him, Strings.” His hold on my arm grew tighter, but he wasn’t hurting me. “You hardly know him. He’s just another rich bastard who thinks he can turn a poor girl into something he wants her to be. I love you the way you are. Kiss me, Mari. Kiss me once.”
“No,” I said, and this time, my answer was harder. He put my hands against his chest, right over his heart, and I pushed against him. “No. I can’t do this. Iwon’tdo this. I’m getting married.”
Something made me turn, and I jumped after I did. Capo stood in the doorway, half of his body tilted toward the frame, watching us. How long had he been there? The entire time? I wouldn’t doubt it. Was he testing me? Like he’d tested those women at The Club? Would he walk out and then turn his back on me, too?
Harrison held me for a second longer before he let me go. My breath held when he stopped in front of Capo and held his stare. Capo stood like he had no issue, like he had all of the time in the world, but something about his eyes made my heart race. They seemed dangerous. Machiavellian.
“Harrison?” Keely said, coming to stand behind the two men. “Come on. Go outside and get some fresh air.”
Lachlan was right behind her, and he took Harrison by the shoulders, leading him outside, whispering things in his ear as they went.
Not wanting to cause any more trouble, I kissed Keely goodbye and we left.
* * *
As we metthe last step of the house, I could hear the family in the backyard, still enjoying the party. Leaving like we did made me feel guilty, but I’d rather live with guilt than to live with something unforgivable happening between my soon-to-be husband and the only family I had left.
My concentration was on what had happened, so when Capo took me by the arms and brought me to the side of the house, pressing my back against it, I gasped. He wasn’t rough, but I knew he wasn’t messing around either.
“You love him,” he said. His eyes searched mine, digging brutally for the lie on the tip of my tongue, if there was one.
I shook my head, swallowing hard. I couldn’t tell if the ball in my throat was my heart or all of the food I’d eaten. I wasn’t afraid of him—he could’ve killed me years ago—but I was wary. Even though we had an arrangement, we still had to learn how to live with each other. The real him ran too deep, and until I could break the surface, we were left trying to figure out how to navigate our terms.
Before I could answer, he hit me with, “You knew that he was in love with you.” His tone was accusing and sharp.
“Yeah. I found out about it the night I met you at The Club.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
“Why should I?”
“It’s my business,” he said.
“No. It’smybusiness. It happened before you.”
He grinned, but it was fucking frightening. “Anything touches you, it touches me. You get fish instead of the steak you ordered, I know about it, understand?”
“I know the terms,Capo,” I said, my voice starting to rise. He was starting to piss me off. “Again. This. Happened. Before.You.”
“There is no before me. There is no after me. You. You’reallme.”
“You can’t get pissed about this. You have no right. He feels the way he feels. I feel the way I feel. The end.”
