And dangerous.
Most likely the most dangerous man I will ever meet in my lifetime, and I’ve been in the same room with many of my father’s powerful associates. But this man is different. Underneath the tailored suit is a predator. Untamed. Dangerous. Ruthless.
And he’s staring right at me.
“Matteo Rossi,” my father starts, grinning from ear to ear as he steps forward with his hand outstretched. “Thank you for joining us. I would like you to meet my eldest daughter and your betrothed, Sofia.”
Chapter Two
Matteo
If I were a lesser man, I would take offense to the fact that my future bride looks horrified simply from my presence. I can't tell if her pale skin is natural or a result of coming face-to-face with me.
A devil. Something I’ve been called in many spaces. A title I have earned. Judging by the fear written in those large doe eyes, I don’t doubt the pretty little thing seated across the dinner table from me thinks of me that way.
My soon-to-be wife?
Such a pretty little thing. All eyes and nerves.
When my father told me I needed a wife before he’d step down as don, I was annoyed. What the fuck do I need a wife for? I have a reputation for ruthlessness with the work ethic of a madman. Years of working as my father's underboss have more than earned me the right to take over as don of the Rossi family and continue his work.
I’m respected in our world—my name holds as much weight as my father’s or even his father’s. Still, I would lose half of that power and respect if my father chose not to give me hisblessing as the new don. And he’s choosing to withhold it until I’ve tied myself to a woman.
So I made a deal with Giovanni Marino. His daughter for my name and protection—plus access to the power and influence that comes with being tied to the Rossi family.
And this is the bride I chose. A reluctant one from the look of things.
I shift my eyes from my wine and back to the girl seated across from me and she must feel my gaze because she visibly stiffens and lifts those moss-green eyes to meet mine. They grow impossibly wide, and I read the fear and nerves in them. I wonder whether it’s this marriage deal or just the man she’s marrying that scares her the most. My bet is on both and I suppose I could do more to put her at ease—like not staring at her— but fuck me, she is beautiful. A petite little thing, a good foot shorter than me with a body made for sin and fucking hell…
Sofia Marino is a picture of beauty.
With those bright, wide eyes and full pink lips over porcelain skin, it’s tempting to reach out and touch her to see if her skin is as soft as it looks. But her face isn’t the only thing I want to touch. Her hair is a cascade of wavy chocolate, falling around her shoulders. It looks soft, and I picture myself running my fingers through it, grabbing a fistful, and watching those pink lips part in surprise—those eyes staring up at me in shock and need.I could make her need me!
But she looks… delicate.
Innocent.
Nothing like I imagined a bride of convenience would be. I figured Giovanni would offer me a woman who could handle this world—someone already hardened by it. She's theeldest daughter of a wealthy businessman, for Christ's sake. I figured she was being prepped to take over her father’s empire. Shouldn’t Marino’s daughter have the calculating eyes of her father and the icy demeanor of her mother. A woman who would be too busy chasing her own career to care what the hell I was doing with mine.
Not Sofia Marino.
Not this delicate girl in a seductive black dress that calls to the animal in me to tear off the dress and fuck her hard against the dining table and then make slow, sweet love to her. To protect her from the world—my world—while I corrupt her at the same time.
My father wouldn’t approve of this arrangement. He’d want me to find what he had with my mother—real love. The kind that nearly destroyed him when he lost her. Still, I don’t understand why he thinks I need to tie myself down to a person who will constantly pull my attention from my work. I am better off working alone; only then can I be free of distractions as I expand my family’s influence.
I've never had much interest in relationships and now I'm forced to focus on taking a wife when I should be working on the weapons deal I’m seeking to cultivate. I already have enough on my plate to waste more time on dinner with the family of the woman I’ve chosen to spend the rest of my life with.
The memories of my father’s words this afternoon ring in my head. He’d called to remind me what I needed to do to become a don.
"To be a good leader, you need a family to keep you focused and grounded, Matteo!"
I'd feel more grounded if I were left alone to carry out my tasks without distractions or ultimatums, but here we are, with my bride. Beautiful, stunning… a distraction nonetheless.
“Matteo,” I shift my gaze from the temptress to her father, Giovanni. “I don’t suppose that you and Sofia have met before tonight.”
“Not that I recall,” I respond, glancing back at the girl. There is no fucking way I would have forgotten such a beauty. “I was told that she’s spent the last six years in Switzerland.”
“Oh yes,” he beams. “My Sofia is a very smart girl. I made sure to enroll her in all the best schools and she always made me proud, coming out on top of all her peers. You should count yourself lucky, Matteo, that I am willing to part with such a prize. I’ve had many offers for her hand—influential men who would pay handsomely. But I chose you.”
