“Mathias, if you and the men choose to follow his orders, I won’t be able to protect you. If you aren’t ready for what’s coming and my sisters are harmed, I will come after you myself. Am I clear?”
“Yes, ma’am, Ms. Carminatti.” He spoke through gritted teeth. He of all people should know I didn’t play around.
His deep, low voice startled me and made the pit in my stomach grow to astronomical proportions. “Who is this?” I turned and looked up at my husband's imposing figure.
“M, Mathias Turini.” He stuttered. Sure, the fuck brain wasn’t afraid of me, but he was quaking in his boots when Nico spoke.
“You are aware that I’m the head of the Carminatti family now, are you not?”
“I, I am sir, yes.”
“Then why are you bringing information to Mrs.Venosa?” He emphasized my new name and stared down at me. I didn’t blink; I didn’t break eye contact with Nico. He wouldn’t intimidate me.
“She called me about what happened downtown.”Shit. Singing like a god damn canary. This guy was dead. I should have killed him last year, when he threatened to out me, but I’d given in and agreed to his demands. He’d wanted a raise, his own mansion, expensive cars and like a fool, I’d given it to him to keep my secret.
“Oh, she did, did she?” He spun my chair, so I was facing him, and he bent over, placing his hands on the arms of the chair as he leaned over. “And Mathias, what were the orders I gave when I wed Mrs. Venosa, only last night?”
“That you would be handling business matters from that date on.”
“You seem to recall what I said so, again I’m going to ask why you’re speaking with my wife, when I now hold the power of the family?”
“Because later in the evening she told us that she would be the only one making the decisions for the Carminatti’s, your word wasn’t to be followed.”
“Interesting. Well, Mathias, you might have just saved yourself a bullet from me. I can’t guarantee what mywifewill do to you. Please let all the men know that the only person receiving information and giving orders will be me.” Nico’s voice was flat, without emotion, and his eyes bore into mine.
“Yes sir. I will pass that along. Thank you for the clarification.” Nico reached up and ended the call without looking at the phone.
His eyes narrowed, and they became a darker shade of brown as he looked at me. “So, only ten minutes ago I told you I’d take over, and now you’re in my office speaking to a capo from your father’s organization.”
“It’s my organization, not his, or yours for that matter.” I sneered at him.
“You’re in my chair.” His eyes danced with laughter, even though he was trying to be angry. Pushing my foot back, the chair lurched backward, and Nico almost face planted, but of course, he caught himself. Standing, I walked to the opposite side of the desk and waited. “Are you going to sit?”
“Oh, am I allowed to?”
“Emilia.” He growled, which was something he had done before when he was frustrated with me, and my fucking body buzzed with lust, and I hated its betrayal at this moment. Lowering myself into the chair, I crossed my legs and waited.
“Do you want our enemies to see that this house isn’t unified?” He moved closer, and the scent from his cologne filled my head. “They’re all looking for a crack, a way to figure out howto use us against one another. If that’s what you want to happen, I’ll save you the trouble and take your family out right now. That includes you.” His gaze was set on me, and the hint of laughter that had been in his eyes-only moments ago was gone. The man that sat before me wasn’t the one I’d married; he was the head of the Chicago Cosa Nostra, and it didn’t matter what we’d shared in the last twelve hours. I knew his name and family were more important than our brief marriage.
I couldn’t look at him anymore, I looked down at my hands in my lap, right to the ring I wore. His ring, the one that he’d slipped on my finger when he’d told me we were to be married, a wedding band that he’d put on me yesterday when we said our vows. It was like they were handcuffs, taking my life away from me. But they’d also given me the protection I’d been so desperate for all my life. I’d vowed my loyalty to him, and in turn, he’d promised to keep me safe.
This could go really badly.
He stood and walked around to sit on the edge of his desk in front of me. Reaching toward my face, I flinched, waiting for his punishment. There was no sting of a slap, no aching blow of a fist, just him gently lifting my chin with his finger. “You don’t have any reason to fear me,amore. I will never lift my hand to you in anger. But you have to trust that I have your best interest at heart. If we don’t start working together, we’re both going to end up dead, and while I vowed till death do us part, I’d like that to be old age, not a war amongst the families.” His voice was tender and nothing like the men in my previous life. “Am I understood?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Good.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, but I kept my mouth clamped shut. I wasn’t going to roll over for this man and just let him take whatever he wanted.
Nico pulled away and smirked. “You’ll change your tune, judging from your nipples straining against your lace bra, it won’t be long either.” He ran his thumb over the perky bud, and I couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped.
Turning, he grabbed something off his desk and set it in my lap. “What’s this for?”
“Well, it’s to call people, or text them, or maybe send naughty pictures to your husband when he’s out of town.” He arched his brow, and I watched him look down my body. “I’ll see you tonight. I have a few things to clean up.” He held out his hand, and I took it. I had so many questions, but there wasn’t any time to ask them.
We left his office, and I stopped at the door to our room. “Your things are in the closet, as much as I love seeing you in my shirt, your clothes are probably more appropriate.” Leaning down, he pressed his lips to mine again. My heart fluttered, and I took a step closer to him as I reached up and ran my hands through his hair.Emilia pull away from him. You have to stop kissing this man whenever he wants to. Enough.I tried to take a step back, but his hand was on my back, preventing me from moving. When our lips finally parted, he smiled. “See you later.” And he walked away from me. It was like in a movie when the male love interest renders the woman speechless, and she just watches him walk away, all the while wondering what the hell just happened.
I was still standing dumbfounded in the hallway when my cell phone rang, interrupting my pity party. “Hello?” I snapped. I hadn’t even looked at who was calling.
