She’s not wrong.
“How many crime families are actually here?”
She lets out a laugh, like I’ve asked if the sky is blue. “All of them. It’d be an insult if even one didn’t show. Usually they send a representative, or the head of the family comes.”
“Right.” I nod slowly. “Totally normal.”
Silly me. How did I not know that?
“You’ll get used to it.”
I scoff under my breath. “Highly doubt that.”
“Nervous?”
“Only mildly terrified.”
She smirks. “Good. That’s the appropriate response to marrying a Marinov.”
I spend the next stretch of the reception nodding politely, smiling when expected, and repeatingthank youuntil it loses all meaning. My cheeks ache. My feet hurt. And the whole time, it feels like I’ve been dropped into the center of a den of wolves.
Except I’m the only one here without a weapon.
By the time Adriano Scutari of the Grazia family approaches, I’m exhausted and need a nap.
He walks with the kind of ease that comes from power, a calm and confident stride that carries a quiet threat rather than comfort. He’s maybe around Aleksei’s age, even a little older.
The Grazias might be respected in legitimate business circles, but everyone here knows they’re just as cutthroat as the rest.
Adriano reaches for my hand, bending slightly to kiss it.
He never gets the chance. Aleksei is there in a second, a shoulder angled between us, hand on my waist.
“You don’t touch what doesn’t belong to you,” he says, each word a warning.
Adriano raises both palms, grin still firmly in place. “Of course. My apologies. We’re here as friends. My family and I hope to leave any…recent tensions in the past.” His eyes flick to mine for a beat too long.
What the hell was that about? My gaze darts to Aleksei, who hasn’t moved, every muscle in his body strung tight.
Do these two families not get along? I haven’t known of any problems between them. Not anything known amongst the legal world, anyway.
Adriano moves on to say hello to the Quinns, and when he approaches young Tatiana, her lashes dip, her body shifting. She clearly has a thing for him. When he picks up her hand and kisses the top of it, she just about melts.
I lean into Aleksei. “I think your cousin likes him.”
“Too bad,” he mutters. “She’s not marrying into that family.”
“Why not?”
His features tighten. “Not your concern.”
I arch a brow. “Aren’t I your wife now? Shouldn’t I be aware of such things?”
That gets his attention. “Oh?”
His arm slides around my waist, heat pouring off him as he pulls me closer. His eyes flicker with something possessive and altogether dangerous.
“You’re my wife now, huh? I thought this was just pretend…or how did you call it? A sham?” His fingers claim my chin, mouth inches from mine, breath hot against my lips.
