Page 45 of Diary of a Mafia Princess

Men lined both sides of the table, Carlos Guerra at the head of it, the seat to his left empty, presumably for me.

Luca sitting in the seat to his right.

He smirked at me in that infuriating way he had that was also irritatingly attractive.

Lynx sat farther down the table, presumably amongst the other grunts without as much authority as those who sat closer to Carlos.

That thought was almost laughable. I was right next to him but I had no authority at all.

I was just for show.

Just like the day before, Carlos seemed to like one. “Nyah! Come eat. Try this peanut butter. It’s my favorite. The staff has made a feast.”

I wanted to remind him “the staff” had names. But I had a feeling Virginia wouldn’t have liked me standing up for her like that, making a fuss. Luca’s warnings from the day before still rang in my head.

Namely, to keep quiet.

So I just took the seat next to Carlos, declined his offer of peanut butter, and watched him put food on my plate. A small scoop of eggs and some fruit.

He winked at me. “I assume you’re watching your figure before the big day? Trying to drop a few pounds?”

I had to forcibly keep my jaw from dropping open. I was maybe two months pregnant and not showing at all, other than the fact my boobs were bigger than they normally were. Not that Carlos Guerra would know what size they normally were anyway. I wasn’t rake thin. I liked carbs. So fucking sue me.

“Her figure looks just fine to me,” Luca said sharply. “Let her eat. She doesn’t need to lose any weight.”

Both Carlos and I looked at him sharply.

So did most of the men to my left, at least the ones in hearing distance.

Anger glimmered in Carlos’s dark eyes, and I knew there would be repercussions for Luca, for speaking out of turn.

Unless maybe I could smooth it over. Hell, I owed the guy a favor, since he’d just stood up for me.

I put my hand on Carlos’s arm and stroked my fingers over the back of his hand gently. But my words and disapproving tone were aimed at Luca. “Your father is right. I won’t fit into my wedding dress if I put on any weight. What he’s provided for me is more than adequate, and I’m sure it’s delicious.” I smiled up at the older man, hoping it came across as sincere. “You know best.”

Carlos dragged my chair around so I was sitting right beside him, but though the scrape across the tiles was grating, it wasn’t enough to distract me from the expression on Luca’s face. The way his jaw tensed and the slight shake of his head.

It didn’t take a mind reader to know what he was thinking.

That I could go to hell.

Carlos’s hand landed on my thigh and made short work of gathering up my long skirt so he could return the stroking gesture I’d made on his arm.

Only he was making it on my bare leg, fingers inching higher with every pass. The tablecloth did nothing to cover it.

Luca’s gaze caught the movement. He pushed his chair back abruptly. “I’m not hungry.”

Carlos stopped him with a glare. “Sit.”

For a long moment, I thought he was going to argue. But then he sat back down, like an obedient dog, and picked up his fork again.

It was surprising it didn’t warp with how hard he strangled it.

Carlos’s finger rimmed the elastic of my underwear, and I fought the urge to slap his hand away. Clearly the man was attracted to me, even if he was determined to keep me a virgin for our wedding night. But waiting wasn’t an option. I’d be showing by then, and there’d be no way of convincing Carlos this baby was his.

I had to make him want me. Had to make him lose control enough to take me.

I leaned in, pressing my tits against Carlos’s arm as all the other men went back to eating. All except Luca, who was too close to not hear every word and see every movement of his father’s hand, when I whispered, “I like when you touch me like that.”