Liam bent his head, words ghosting over my ear. “Infidelity is a sin, little bird.”
The rush of anger snapped me out of the trance. I shoved at him. Leave it to a mobster to think Iinvitedthe lewd, carnal attention of brutes.
“How dare you!” I snapped.
Pulling back, those grey-blue eyes flashed. “You can hate me. You should fear me. But that doesn’t matter.”
I narrowed my eyes, glaring up at him. “Oh, and why’s that?”
“Because.” The corner of his mouth tipped in a vicious smirk. “You belong to me now.”
“Not yet, I don’t,” I responded hotly. My blood boiled. “You’ll have to catch me first!”
Pointless words. I was already sold.
“I don’t chase.” Liam ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “I collect.”
Me. He was here to collect me.
His eyes darkened. “But the idea of chasing you is…tempting.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, but before I could formulate a response, Liam moved.
His shoulder brushed against mine.
The skin on my arm crackled from the contact.
The masked devil was gone a second later. I stood there, heart thumping hard in my chest as I listened to his steps retreat down the hall. That was the devil, the real monster behind the mask. There was no pity there. He didn’t hate the situation, and he wasn’t miserable at the prospect of marriage.
Wonderful. Just freaking wonderful.
Once my heartbeat slowed and the spike of shock wore off, I adjusted my skirt once more and tiptoed after him around the bend, down the corridor, and into the dining room to face my fate.
Chapter 5 – Liam
Ablack kernel of wrath vibrated in the middle of my chest. Too much had happened, and we hadn’t been here more than forty minutes. Normally, my head was crystal, and I could dissect the intricacies of the situation with quick, efficient movements. I knew we were walking into a hornet’s nest tonight.
If our men were pissed that we were joining forces with the Italians, those hot-blooded Morelli sonsofbitches were worse. We no sooner piled out of the car than the unguarded looks were tossed our way. I had the urge to draw my weapon. Give myself that extra second before the blood spilt.
We walked into the backyard, so pretty, like a postcard from Tuscany, and wholly out of place for a Northern climate like New England. And what waited for me in the bed of bleeding roses? Venus herself, come down to toy with the broken shell of a man that I was.
I hated Deluca’s daughter on sight. Unlike when I caught a glimpse in the restaurant a few nights ago, she stood next to the flowers in all her glory. Nut-brown hair, smooth and shiny. Honey eyes the color of an aged whiskey. And that body. It wasthe thing of fantasy. Curves in the right places, toned, long legs in dainty little heels that made me mad with want. She wasn’t dressed provocatively to cause such an burst of fire through me. She didn’t have to. I was burnt just from that first look.
The second? Recognition slapped me in the face.
It was the eyes. The way they steeled against me, flashing determination and defiance.
Gabriella Deluca was the mystery girl from the streets.
What the fuck a capo’s daughter was doing wandering alone after dark, let alone working that late at night, was beyond me. I was under the impression that Made Men treated their women like royalty. And yet this little princess pretended to be as down to earth as I was.
Our first exchange wasn’t good. Instead of giving her my full attention, I was keenly aware of what a violent brute I must seem. So I didn’t face her—much. And then there were the rumbles of dissent from the men.
I was going to kick the living shite out of them for daring to behave like savages. If Connor had been here, he would have wrangled them into better behavior while Da and I were forced to endure small talk with our hosts. But he was off, sulking near the capo’s house, trying to set up a surveillance system since Deluca and his wife weren’t home. He’d texted that there were too many kids for him to break inside, but he’d manage.
No, with Connor gone, there were few lads to choose from. We’d handpicked our entourage so we didn’t seem like pagan barbarians in front of the cultured don and his wife.
Fat lot of good that did.
