“I can’t help it. You’re fucking beautiful. It’s only natural to stare.”
She blinks repeatedly, looking momentarily stunned, and I wonder why. Surely it can’t be my words? Men must be tripping over themselves to rain compliments on her.
“Why are you prepared to do this?” she asks after a couple of silent beats.
I give her the explanation that is for public consumption, opening myself a little in the hope she will do the same. “Neither Gabe nor I were ever supposed to be don. Circumstances forced it. We made a deal after our father and our brother Primo were killed in the warehouse explosion. Gabe would take up the mantle, and I would be free to live my life until it was time for me to take over.” I shrug casually. “That time has come, and I’m getting ready to step up.”
“You don’t need a wife for that.”
“It is frowned upon to lead without a wife and without heirs.”
Calculation glints in her eyes. “Your brother has managed it.”
“Barely,” I truthfully reply.
“Is Don Mazzone forcing this because of your brother’s sexuality?”
Her observational skills are not lacking. I would be impressed even if I wasn’t concerned for my brother. That secret is a secret for a reason. Fear sluices through my veins, but I keep it hidden behind a mask of neutrality, neither confirming nor denying it.
“I know he is a forward-thinking man, but our organization is still backward-thinking when it comes to the role of women and gay men.” She steps up closer, and the spicy scent of her perfume tickles my nostrils. “There is only so much Ben can do. I suspect you are being dragged into this as an unwilling party and you are agreeing to protect your brother.”
There is some merit to her assessment, but it’s not my main motivation. Still, it suits me to have her believe it. “What if I am?”
“I won’t marry another weak man. It damages my reputation and sets me back. I think this contract has the potential to derail my hard work, and I won’t put myself in that position.”
“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter,sweetheart,” I say, purely to piss her off. “You need this contract as much as I do. I lend legitimacy to you in the same way you do for me. It’s of mutual benefit, or it wouldn’t have been suggested. Byyou, might I add.” Folding my arms over my chest, I smirk at her, wondering if this supposed hesitation is all for show or if she’s purposely trying to talk herself out of it. Which wouldn’t make sense. She is hungry for a bite of the Big Apple, and she knows she needs me to secure the support of The Commission.
If sheistrying to get out of it, it’s because she’s either running scared at the prospect of being married tomeor she is hiding something she’s fearful I might uncover.
Either way, I’m as intrigued as ever and even more determined to make her mine.
“Don’t fucking insult my intelligence,” she snaps, poking her finger in my arm. “You need me way more than I need you, and your petty taunts prove my point perfectly. I eat pathetic pricks like you for breakfast. I need aking. Not some playboy prince who has spent years fucking his way around Europe while the rest of us work for a living. It’s almost an embarrassment to weak men to group you in the same category.”
Irritation prickles my skin, and anger surges through my veins, quick and pointed. I step forward, clamping my arm around her back and pulling her into my body, trapping her arms at her sides so she can’t retaliate. Fuck her and her “no touching” rule. Wrapping my free hand around her ponytail, I yank her head back and glare at her. “Mia amata. That is the last time you’ll ever suggest I am weak. Don’t make me demonstrate how I am the complete opposite because I don’t want to hurt you. Challenge me, and you won’t like it. That I guarantee.”
I lower my face to hers as she wriggles against me, spewing poison from her eyes. My mouth hovers an inch from her lips, and we are pressed so tightly together I can feel the rapid beating of her heart against my chest and see the pulse throbbing at her neck. Air spills from her lips as her furious eyes pin me in place. “We both know this is happening, so quit fighting me. You can save that for our wedding night,” I say, brushing my lips briefly against hers before moving my mouth to her ear. “I look forward to a proper reunion.”
ChapterSeven
Catarina
“You look like you’re ready to unleash holy hell on your intended,” Nicolina says, working hard not to smile as she tops off my wineglass.
“He unsettles me,” I honestly reply. “He has me off my game, and that’s not a good thing for any of us.”
“It’s a momentary blip,” my bestie says, slurping from her wineglass. “The bathroom hottie caught you off guard, but you’ll regain the upper hand. Massimo is no match for you.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. Something tells me there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye,” I murmur, watching the new arrivals as they stride toward where we are congregated, standing around the cozy seated area, chatting and drinking.
Dinner was delicious, but it was difficult to enjoy it with the heated stares leveled my way by my new fiancé. Unfortunately, Massimo and Gabriele were seated directly across from me. Dario engaged Gabriele in conversation while Nicolina almost single-handedly carried the conversation with Massimo while I quietly fumed.
“At least he doesn’t look like you know who. That’s got to help,” she whispers in my ear.
“It does,” I truthfully admit. Massimo takes after his mother while his other brothers favor their father. It’s the only explanation as to why I didn’t spot a resemblance before. His deceased brothers and Gabriele have dark-brown hair and brown eyes, and Massimo has blue-black locks and forest-green eyes. He is also taller and broader, and he seriously works out because every inch of his body is taut, toned, and ripped to perfection.
Which leads me to my other problem. How can I manipulate him when I’m so attracted to him? Usually, it’s easy for me with men even if they are hot. But the intense chemistry between me and Massimo could cause me to lose focus, and I can’t ever take my foot off the controls. I have a lot on my plate—so many elements I’m juggling—and I don’t know if I have the capacity to handle my fiancé on top of everything. It would be a cakewalk if there was no simmering attraction and he wasn’t so invested in pushing my buttons. I am quite likely to murder him the next time he goads me, and that wouldn’t be smart. I need to stay my hand until all my ducks are lined up.
When I kill Massimo, Gabriele, and their mother, it will be when the time is right and I’m poised to take control of The Commission.
