“Ugh, get it together, Liana. Just remember what this is. A contract marriage.That’s it.”
After unlocking the door, I push it open. When it closes, my wrist gets grabbed from behind and I’m yanked back into a brick wall of a chest.
“What the hell, Massimo?” I hiss out.
“This isn’t just a contract marriage, and you know it, so stop calling it that. You came on my fingers,mia moglie. We’re way past this bullshit you keep trying to hold onto.”
Before I’m able to respond, he pushes me into the bedroom in the back of the plane. He locks the door, then turns to face me.
“What’re you doing?” I ask, eyeing him cautiously.
“Are you done pretending like this marriage isn’t real?”
I cross my arm over my chest. “You were eavesdropping?”
“I was patiently waiting for you outside of the bathroom. It’s not my fault you speak loudly to yourself.”
I roll my eyes and shake my head but can’t help the smile that breaks out on my face. “This is all so ridiculous.”
“What’s ridiculous is that you’re still calling our marriage a contractual arrangement.”
“I mean, that is technically how it started,” I say with a shrug.
Massimo closes the distance between us. “How it started,” he repeats. “And what about now?”
My throat dries up at that question. Am I actually going to take the step and admit this isn’t just a marriage on paper? I’ve worked so hard to fight against this, but I’m so tired.
He notices my hesitation and puts his arms on my shoulders. “Don’t freeze me out now,mia moglie. Tell me. What does it mean now?”
“I… I don’t know, Massimo. This… You… You’re not what I expected. I thought you were this playboy douchebag who just wanted to control me, but you’ve been nothing but attentive, respectful, and…”
“And?”
“Caring. It’s the complete opposite of what I thought I knew about you. Other than you forcing me to marry you, you haven’t given me much of a reason to hate you the way I thought I was going to throughout this marriage.”
His mouth tugs up into a smile, and he places his hands on my waist. “Well, I tried telling you, but you refused to listen to me.”
“Can you really blame me?” I scoff out humorously.
He tightens his hold around my waist, and I sink into him.
“Imagine where we’d be if you had just let me in years ago,” he says.
I shake my head. “I don’t know… This still doesn’t…”
I stop, not wanting to say the words I’m sure he’s already well aware of.
He lets out a deep sigh. “I know you’ve had to deal with a lot of loss. I’m not saying there’s never going to be a chance that things get scary for us, but I’m asking you to put all of the what-ifs aside and give us a shot.”
“But if I fall for you and something happens, I don’t know if I’ll be able to recover again, Massimo.” My voice cracks.
Putting my feelings out there for him has me shaking with nerves. I never thought I’d develop feelings for a man I swore I’d never be with.
“Life is all about taking chances. I can’t promise you that nothing will ever happen to me, but I can promise that I’ll love, protect, and cherish you for as long as I live.” A grin breaks out on his face. “And even after that, your ass isn’t getting rid of me. I’ll haunt you for good and kill any man who tries to take my place.”
That pulls a laugh out of me. “I can absolutely see you doing that to some guy I’m seeing.”
A deep, territorial growl vibrates through Massimo’s chest. “Okay, let’s stop talking about you with other men.”
