But I can’t stand him. How can we make this work when I want to slap him so hard across the face and yet… I also want to get to know him? Marco is keeping something from me. I can feel it in my bones.
This marriage is going to be the death of me. I just know it.
Chapter Eight
Ciara
Marco and I are silent on the drive to the airport. Going on our honeymoon. How ironic. There’s nothing about our relationship that would speak to us being happy and in love.
He married me for an alliance and I was forced into it by my father.
Honeymoon? Forget it.
There is one thing on my mind as we sit next to each other in the back seat of the car, neither one of us looking at the other. Marco didn’t make me have sex with him last night. He could have easily taken me, claiming he has the right as my husband. But he didn’t. Sure, it’s the bare basic respect to not force me into sex but still…
“Why didn’t you want to have sex?” I blurt out.
I can feel him look at me but I keep my eyes glued to the window. “You clearly didn’t want it and I didn’t want to rape you. I married you because I wanted to work with your father. There’s no point in me raping you to achieve that.”
“What if I had wanted it?” I’m not even sure why I ask. It’s not like I have feelings for Marco. It has nothing to do with how handsome he is. With how good it felt to have his arms around me as we danced.
“If you had wanted it, then I would have taken you. But you didn’t. I was doing was both a favor. We don’t like each other but we’re bound together now. It’s better this way to just avoid each other. We’ll go on our honeymoon because it’s what your father wantsand I need to make him happy. And once we return, I can start work on taking Enzo Bianchi down.”
“You want to go after him right now, don’t you?” I ask, finally glancing at him. His hands are clenched on his knees.
“More than anything. But your father wants us to get along and thinks a honeymoon will do that. I need his support so I’ll do this. It’s only for a week anyway. We can survive a week together and then we’ll come back to New York, live our separate lives, and I can achieve what I’ve wanted to achieve for the past year.”
“Killing Enzo Bianchi.”
“Yes. And Will Taylor too. His right hand.”
“Why kill him?”
“Because he’s too high up. He’ll come after me if he’s left alive. Will needs to die right along with Enzo.” Marco doesn’t look at me as he says this. For some reason, my gut is telling me he’s not saying everything that’s on his mind but I can’t prove it. I don’t know Marco well enough to know when he’s lying or not.
“Well, I hope you get what you want. Maybe if you’re happy you won’t be so insufferable.”
Marco smirks and doesn’t comment.
It takes everything out of me to say what’s on my mind but I have to say it. “Thank you. For not making me have sex last night.”
He inhales sharply as he looks into my eyes. After a moment, he speaks. “You’re welcome. It’s the least I can do. I know you didn’t want this marriage.”
“You didn’t either.”
Without a comment on that, he turns away from me.
We arrive at the airport. There’s a tension between us that I’m not sure we can break. I didn’t want to be married to Marco and yet, he saved me from those men. He is disarmingly handsome. I feel… something towards him that I don’t understand. Spending my life alone does not sound fun but does spending my life with Marco sound better? I’m not sure.
Before we can reach the doors of the airport, a car comes screeching into the spot behind us and my brother gets out of the car.
“Cormac,” I gasp.
“I will not let him take you out of the country,” he growls, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards his car.
“Let her go,” Marco warns.
“I am saving my sister from you. You will hurt her.” Cormac looks Marco up and down with a sneer. “You’ve already hurt her.”
