Fabio's shoulders lift in a careless shrug. "So be it."
He turns back to me, and his face transforms. The hardness melts away, replaced by something almost tender. He cups my cheek with one large hand, turning me away from the chaos like it doesn't even exist.
"Let's go, angel," he murmurs, and before I can respond, he bends and sweeps me into his arms.
I squeak in surprise, my hands flying to his shoulders for balance. "I can walk?—"
"I know." That's all he says. He carries me down the aisle like I weigh nothing, like men carry women in movies, while the screaming and threats continue behind us.
Outside, a sleek black limousine waits. A driver jumps to open the door, and Fabio slides inside with me still in his arms, settling me on his lap. The door closes, sealing us in quiet luxury.
"Wait," I finally manage, my brain starting to catch up. "This is crazy. We can't—I don't even know you! There's been a mistake!"
"No mistake." His voice is low, soothing. His arms around me don't tighten, don't threaten. But they don't let go either. "The wedding planner got it wrong, yes. But sometimes wrong turns lead to right places."
I stare at him, incredulous. "Are you serious right now? We just got married by accident!"
"Nothing in my life happens by accident." His eyes—dark brown, almost black—search my face. One hand lifts to brush hair from my forehead, the touch so gentle it makes my breath catch. "Tell me you didn't feel it too."
"Feel what?"
"When our eyes met." His thumb traces my lower lip. "When everything else disappeared."
God help me, Ididfeel it. Whatever electric current jumped between us when he looked at me. But that's insane. That's fairy tale bullshit. That's not real life.
"This isn't legal," I say desperately. "We can get it annulled. No harm done."
"Is that what you want?" he asks quietly.
The limo pulls away from the curb, city lights beginning to streak past the tinted windows. I should be panicking more than I am. Should be demanding he take me back, let me go. But being cradled against his chest feels like stepping into the eye of a hurricane—chaos all around, but here, with him, there's an impossible calm.
His heartbeat is steady under my palm. His arms around me feel like they could keep out the world.
I can’t form the words. All I can do is nuzzle closer to him.
He smiles then, a slow, satisfied curve of his lips that makes him devastatingly handsome, and I realize I've just stepped off a cliff with a complete stranger.
God help me, I can't bring myself to care.
three
. . .
Fabio
The limo glidesthrough Vegas like a shark through dark water. City lights streak past the windows—neon blues and pinks and golds smearing into a blur that can't hold my attention. Not whenshe'shere. Not when my palm rests on her soft knee and her scent fills the car—vanilla and wildflowers. A scent I'll hunt for the rest of my fucking life. She's looking up at me with those wide brown eyes, questions swimming in them, but all I can think is:mine. All I can feel is her warm weight against my chest. All I know is I'd burn this city to the ground before I'd let her go.
"Let me tell you what I want." I keep my voice low, steady. "I want to take care of you. Give you everything you could ever need."
"Why?"
"Because you're mine now."
"We don't even know each other."
"We have time."
She shifts on my lap, and this time there's no hiding my body's response. Her eyes widen slightly as she feels me harden beneath her. I don't apologize for it. Don't try to explain itaway. It's the truth of what she does to me, and I won't pretend otherwise.
