Page 6 of Claimed By the Silver Fox

Not that my own family went to any lengths to protect me from their anger, no—hell, I was the reason, most of the time, that they flew off the handle in the first place. It didn’t seem to matter how much I tried to keep from getting into trouble. The very thought of them dumps a cold wash of fear through me, and I can only imagine what they would make of all of this, if they were to find out what the hell I was involved in right now. Left at the altar—my mom would probably tell me I deserved it, that no man should have to put up with me.

I twist my hands around each other again, willing my breathing to steady. “So…this isn’t just because you want…?” I trail off. I don’t want to put it into words.

It feels almost arrogant, to think that a man like Antonio—with all his wealth, all his power, all his good looks—would shoot a second glance in my direction, let alone that he would want to marry me.

He frowns, looking over at me. “Because I want what?”

“I mean…what people do when they’re just married…” I feel stupid for even saying it.

He grunts with irritation. “Jesus, Julia, you think I would have gone this far just for sex?” he demands.

I retreat back into my seat, feeling stupid for even asking. Of course he wouldn’t have. Nobody would. Especially not him. Something twinges in my chest, the same thing that did when he kissed me back in the church, and I scold it silently within my head, willing it to vanish before it can take hold.

“Where are we going?” I ask, changing my approach.

“My place,” he replies.

“Oh, okay…”

I’ve been there a few times before, when Antonio, according to Andreo, insisted on meeting me. I had thought he was scoping out whether I was a good enough match for his son, but now I can’t help but wonder if there was something more to it. Preparing me for this, the moment he would step in and marry me instead. As much as he seems intent on claiming that it’s nothing more than duty, necessity, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to believe that anytime soon.

We drive the rest of the way in silence, and my mind wanders. I wonder if he has questions for me. Why I was so willing to go along with marrying someone I barely know, let alone the father of my fiancé? He must think I’m crazy.

Maybe I should tell him the truth—I mean, now that we’re married, I guess it’s going to come out, isn’t it? Or perhaps not. The way he framed it, this is nothing more than something he has to do, not the start of some long and beautiful romance.

But if he knew…if he knew what I was running from when I met his son, maybe he would see it differently. God, I don’t know if I want to tell him. I hardly even talked to Andreo about it, after all, and there’s a reason for that. I want it to be behind me, I just don’t know if it ever can be.

We arrive outside his gated mansion, and the large steel gates pull back when the car draws up outside. I guess he must have security watching this place at all times, making sure that he never has to wait longer than a second to get inside.

I shift slightly in my seat. I don’t know exactly what his business is, though I doubt, given the sheer intensity of the security on this place and his willingness to go this far to protect me from its enemies, that it is anything legal. I try not to let that thought linger too long in my mind as we crunch up the driveway, toward the house, still in the wedding dress I put on when I thought I would be marrying his son.

He offers me a hand to get out of the car, but I ignore it, stepping out and gazing up at the house. My new home. I guess I’m going to have to get used to that…

A rush of defiance courses through me as he makes his way up the large steps toward the house. Two stone lions sit on either side of the door, both posed mid-roar. I cross my arms over my chest, and he stares down at me. “Julia, come on.”

“You think I’m just going to stay here with you?” I ask him. “Play along like a good little⁠—”

“I think you need to get inside,” he tells me, his voice edged. The door opens before him, two guards standing parallel to the lions before it. I know I’m outnumbered here, and that I would do well to act like it, but there’s a part of me that just doesn’t want to make this easy for him. Doesn’t want to back down, no matter how crazy this day has been.

“What are you going to do to me?” I demand.

His chin lifts slightly. “What do you mean?”

“It’s our wedding night, after all.”

His gaze hardens, the mere suggestion of it enough to shift his mood entirely. “Julia, I told you, I did this to protect you,” he growls, making his way down the steps once more.

I tense, half expecting him to grab for me and pull me inside like Andreo would have done, but he doesn’t lay a finger on me.

“You’ll have your own quarters,” he assures me. “Your own space. But you can’t get to it standing out here. Come on. Now. With me.”

Something in me finally snaps, and my shoulders slump. I realize how ridiculous I must look, digging my heels in like this, standing outside this place in my wedding dress and acting like I have any clue what I’m doing.

Finally, I do as I’m told, and make my way up the steps behind him, into the polished dark wood surroundings of the foyer. My eyes are trained to the ground, but I still remember the place well, how amazed I was when I saw the level of luxury that Andreo had to his name. The marble sculptures that dotted the hallway, the red-carpet-draped stairs that led up to the expansive second floor.

Back then, it had seemed like a miracle that I would even get to taste a small slice of this life, but now it feels more like a threat, a prison I might not be able to get myself out of.

“Marcia,” Antonio calls, and a woman, dressed in a smart black suit with her dark brown hair cropped short to her head, rounds a corner. Her eyes dart over to me, and she seems to take me in for a moment, no doubt wondering what the hell some runaway bride is doing here.