I mean every word. I’ve stopped wanting to marry Adora for revenge and started wanting her for myself.
“Not if I kill you first.” Agnello’s glance twitches toward the desk drawer, where he no doubt keeps a gun.
I don’t move. Don’t even blink. “If you think you’re fast enough, try it. Give me a fucking reason.”
The air crackles with barely leashed violence. My self-control is slipping. We’re seconds away from blood.
“Stop it, please! Both of you, just stop.”
Adora’s voice cuts through the tension like a blade. She moves between us, one hand on my chest, the other raised toward her father.
“Please,” she says, her voice breaking. “Please, no more blood. No more death. I can’t—” She swallows hard. “I can’t watch anyone else die because of me.”
Her body is trembling. I can feel the despair radiating from her in waves.
But she stepped between us anyway and put herself in the line of fire to stop this. My eyes graze the curve of her cheek. Drink in those luminous amber eyes.
Brave. Foolish.
Beautiful.
I don’t move, but I don’t advance either. For now, I will honor her plea even as everything in me screams to finish this. To end Agnello right here, right now, and be done with it.
Agnello and I glare at each other over Adora’s head. A silent battle of wills.
I see the calculation in his eyes. He wants to call his guards. Wants to order my death and watch me bleed out on his expensive carpet.
But he’s not sure they’ll arrive in time before I kill him.
The only thing holding me back is Adora. That has to sting, knowing she has more power over me than he does.
Finally, something shifts in his expression. The rage doesn’t disappear, but it gets locked away behind cold calculation.
“I have consented to you marrying my daughter, but I will remind you that we’re doing this properly,” Agnello says,straightening his cuffs with sharp, angry movements. “The Montonis won’t lose face in front of the other families. I won’t allow a filthy Vici to ravish my daughter before casting her aside. There will be a proper wedding, and until then, she remains under this roof. Untouched.”
Every muscle in my body tenses, and my eyes narrow. He’s drawing a line, asserting control where he’s already lost it. Trying to claw back some semblance of power.
I should tell him to go to hell and take Adora with me right now.
Adora’s hand tightens on my shirt, and I feel her silent plea.Don’t make this worse. Please.
I lower my voice and say to Adora, “You can’t stay in this house after what he’s done to you.”
There’s a flicker of fear in her gaze as she looks up at me. Adora is terrified of her father, but she still won’t run into my arms. And I know why.
Better the devil she knows.
Adora still doesn’t trust me.
“Fine,” I bite out, the word tasting like ash.
It galls me to play his game. But for her, I’ll wait. For now.
Agnello’s mouth curves into something that’s not quite a smile. “Good.” He glances between us, calculation sharp in his eyes. “Adora, why don’t you offer our guest a drink?”
Adora’s face pales.
He turns and strides toward the door, then pauses at the threshold. “Vincenzo? If you lay a hand on her, I’ll kill you.”
