She stops in front of an apartment building. No doorman. No security. Just a locked entrance that wouldn’t keep out anyone with half a brain.
“I’ll walk you to your door.”
“That’s not neces?—”
“Why take the risk?” I cut her off. “Unless you’re afraid of me.”
Something flickers in her expression. There it is. She is afraid.
That’s going to be a problem.
“I meant it when I said I wouldn’t hurt you.” My voice drops. Quieter now. As close to gentle as I’m capable of. “You’re going to have to learn to believe that.”
“Why?” She tilts her head. “You planning to keep following me around?”
“No.”
The moment stretches between us. My pulse quickens as I stare down at her upturned face.
“But you’re going to marry me.”
6
SIERRA
“Um... what?”
The words come out strangled, like someone’s got their hands around my throat. There’s no way he just said what I think he said.
“I want you to marry me.” Matteo’s voice stays level, calm, like he’s suggesting we grab a drink instead of entering into holy matrimony. “It would benefit us both.”
I stumble back a step. My heel catches on a crack in the sidewalk, and I almost go down, but I catch myself against the brick wall of my apartment building. The rough surface bites into my palm.
“Are you insane?”
“No.” He doesn’t even blink. “Just hear me out. It would be a real marriage, legally. But we’d only do it to draw Viktor out. You said he’s obsessed with you. I believe this will piss him off enough to make a move.”
A laugh slips out before I can stop it. It sounds unhinged even to my own ears. “Why thefuckwould I want to piss him off? I just want him to go away and leave me alone.”
“But that’s not happening, is it?” Something shifts in his expression, a hardness that makes my stomach clench. “Aren’t you worried about how far he’ll go? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like he’s already escalating.”
The bruises on my arm throb in answer.
“Of course I’m worried about that,” I hate how small my voice sounds. “That’s why I think lying low is better than poking the bear.”
“He’s not going to move on, Sierra.” The way he says my name sends an unwanted shiver through me. Personal. Intimate. Like he already knows me better than he should. “Men like Viktor don’t let go of things they think belong to them. You ended it. You rejected him. That’s not something he’ll forgive.”
I flinch at the truth I’ve been trying to deny.
“If we get married,” he continues, “I’ll keep you safe until I get my hands on him. Then we can look into ending the marriage.”
“So I’d get protection.” I fold my arms, trying to hold myself together. “And you’d get what, exactly? What do you want to do with Viktor?”
Matteo’s eyes go flat. Cold. For a second, I have no trouble picturing exactly what he does with that gun.
“You mentioned the feud between the Italians and the Bratva. If you know about that, you must have some idea of who Viktor really is.”
I didn’t. Not really. Not until he showed me.
