“What are the fucking odds? What’s with the nice to meet you crap?”
“Man, I had to pretend we didn’t know each other. My dad would kill you if he knew the nasty shit you did to his only child. It would ruin the entire merger and start a war.”
He chuckled, nodding his head. He took my hand and led me to the dancefloor. There was a band whose lead singer was doing a marvelous rendition of Monica’s For You I Will. It was a very appropriate song for a couple in love to dance to at their engagement party. We definitely looked the part, as Nicolo took me in his arms and began swaying with me. He made eye contact with me and held it, as he sang to me with a rich baritone voice. Those Italians were on a whole different level. They did not play fair.
Unable to look away from his brooding eyes, I began to fall for him a little bit more than I already had. When he spun me in a circle, and then pulled me back against his hard body, I almost melted into the floor. I could feel my father’s eyes on us, stinging like a swarm of bees. By the time the singer hit the crescendo of the song, Nicolo’s mouth was on mine in a gentle kiss that caused my heart to flutter.
“You would be wise to watch the affection you are showing me. My father is not the type to see his daughter exhibiting PDA. If he saw that, we are both in trouble.”
“A man can’t kiss his wife-to-be?”
“Not if she’s Ethan Baldwin’s daughter.”
“Fine, I’ll behave. For now. How would he feel about us having a chat?”
“I think he’d be good with that.”
The sexy man took my hand and guided me to a small table for two set up in the corner, away from everyone. I was sure our parents had strategically placed it there with us in mind. I wanted desperately to be alone with him, in bed getting nasty, but that would have to wait. Instead, we opted for a getting to know you session. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by his masculinity, I squeezed his hand to steady myself. He winced a bit causing me to look down at his hand. It was a bit swollen, and his knuckles looked like they had been through a meat grinder.
“What happened to your hand?”
“Nothing. It’s fine. Now, tell me why a vibrant, fun-loving woman like you would agree to an arranged marriage.”
I was well aware of what hands looked like after a fight. And this was fresh. Since he didn’t want to tell me, I recognized it as something family related, and dropped my inquiry. His question, however, took me by surprise. Hell, I could ask him the same thing, except I already knew the answer. At least I think I did. Taking a deep breath, I looked him in the eyes and began to answer him.
“It’s all about loyalty. My father needed me to do something for the family. Ask anyone who knows me, and they will tell you my family means everything to me.”
“Yeah, but marrying a man you’ve never met before in today’s world?”
“Listen, I love my dad and would do whatever he asks of me. Besides, I am pushing thirty, and I don’t have a man in my life. Why not have my dad select one for me? I don’t intend to change who I am just because I got married.”
He smiled as he devoured me with those intense eyes of his. The man could make any woman stop in her tracks with that look.
“That’s good. I don’t want you to change. I think I’m liking who you are, very much.”
“So far, I’m liking what I see in you.”
“And what’s that?”
“Sexy, brooding, and bad ass. However, I think there’s more that you haven’t let me see yet. I’m intrigued.”
“You could have fooled me.”
I turned my head to the side like a curious child and questioned him. What had I done in the last hour that would make him think I wasn’t interested in knowing more about him?
“What do you mean?”
He cleared his throat and then continued his comment, “You told me why you agreed to this marriage, but you never asked me why I did. That doesn’t scream, tell me about yourself, Nicolo.”
“It bothers me that you would think I don’t care enough to ask about you. I promise it isn’t the case. I assumed you were in a similar position as I am. Most men have a choice in who they marry, so I thought it had to do with loyalty to family.”
He nodded his head and began laughing again. It was a sound I was beginning to like very much. From observing him in the restaurant where we met, he seemed like a very serious type of dude, but whenever we interacted, he was always smiling or laughing. I think I liked him when he was with me better.
“You still haven’t asked.”
“Okay, it seems like you want me to know, so please tell me why you agreed to an arranged marriage.”
“When I was twelve years old, I was a bit of a brat. Always disobeying my father and mother. I felt like I should be able to do what I saw grownups doing. So, one night I was up past my bedtime, and I saw my father and uncles with a little black girl. It was an odd, so I decided to spy. I wanted to see what they were doing.