I need my sacrifice to mean something.
He nods, features cast in a somber expression. “It gives us a powerful ally. Someone we can’t afford to lose.”
My future husband must be important.
He leaves, and alone, I realize I haven’t even asked about his name, how old he is, what he is like, but it’s irrelevant. It would change nothing.
I hear some heated talk in the hall before Chiara darts inside and wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry.”
“Please don’t fight with your husband over something we knew would happen.”
“But not like this…”
I shrug, numb to my core. “This is the Mafia, Chiara, and we all serve. Now it’s my turn.”
With hands clasped together, I draw strength to confess, “I have a problem. I’m not a virgin, so how do we fix that?”
One moment her eyes glisten, the next she bursts out in laughter, making me laugh as well. Giving in to a fit of hysterics, my troubles ease.
She slaps a palm over her mouth. “You didn’t.”
“Oh, I did. Several times.”
She bows to me. “I failed. But you, my terrible good girl of a sister, did it. I’m in awe.”
I slap her shoulder. “I’m serious. What do we do?”
“Let me gather the girls. Alessandra surely knows.” She smiles as she types in their group chat, mouthing at me. “You’re a rock star.”
16
TRISTAN
Even though we talk daily, she hasn’t told me about her impending marriage.
Knowing her, Viviana simply accepted, because that’s who she is when it comes to her family—compliant. If I weren’t the man she has to marry, I would have lost my shit.
Duty trumps love, which is a respectable trait, especially in our world, strengthening my resolve that I made the right decision.
I wait for her to come outside the dorm, the darkness providing a cloak of safety.
The last twelve days have been brutal. I have submerged myself in work, worked some more, and slept even less.
The moment I see her walking toward me, I climb out, erasing the distance between us.
“Fuck, I’ve missed you like crazy.” I palm her face and kiss her with every aching fiber in me.
She breathes life into me with her sweet moans, kissing me just as ardently, making up for lost time, the prelude to what is coming. Every atom is charged with the need to claim and take, demanding every bit of restraint to pump the brakes on desire.
After depositing her bag in the trunk, I open the passenger door for her, and she offers me a small smile.
As I drive away, she fidgets with her fingers on her lap, and I wait for her to start the conversation. She must have gone through this talk a hundred times in her mind. It doesn’t surprise me that she keeps silent.
“Is something wrong?”
I am such a bastard. An unapologetic one on top of that. I don’t deserve her, but I am too far gone to care. She’s stuck with me—for life. For good.
“No,” she says, squirming in her seat.
