"Getting married."
"A moment of what I thought was clarity, but which was, in reality, me walking into that old bat’s trap," I grumble as I rub the back of my neck.
Michael’s lips twitch.
"You laughing at me?" I scowl.
Massimo chuckles, then turns it into a cough when I turn my glare on him.
"What’s so funny?"
"I think it best come from you, Don." Massimo raises his hands.Coward.
"Afraid you’ve walked into the same trap the rest of us did. The one that Massimo has avoided... So far," he adds under his breath.
It’s Massimo’s turn to knit his eyebrows. Good. He’s so smug, watching each of us fall and acting as if he’s above such things. He deserves to experience what I’m going through—the confusion, the turmoil, this bottomed-out feeling in my stomach that tells me something has shifted, even as the rest of me tries to ignore it.Maledizione!
I dig my fingers in my hair and tug. How could I have been such a fool? Why had I thought I’d be smarter than my brothers? Which, to be clear, I am. Except when it came to dodging the bullet of marriage, and feelings, and all of the emo shit that goes with it. Worst of all, it’s not half as bad as I thought it’d be. I’m trapped, no doubt about it, but it’s not something I don’t want. I’m no longer as cut off from my emotions and guess what? It’s not terrible. It’s painful, it’s eye-opening, gut-clenching, hair-raising, as adrenaline rushing as being in the crosshairs of my enemy’s target... Only this time, I’m a willing victim. This time, at the end of the gunshot fire, there’s only one inevitable conclusion. Life. Living. Loving. Fucking like my heart depends on it. Caring like my own future is not the only one at stake. Protecting—the one thing I was born to do. Cherishing, ensuring she comes to no harm. What this plan is about.
I square my shoulders, lower my chin, and narrow my gaze on Michael. "So, you with me on this?"
His jaw tightens. "I can’t talk you out of this, can I?"
I shake my head.
"I understand why you’re doing it. I’d do the same if I were in your place and it was my wife’s life at stake. Doesn’t mean I can’t warn you to be careful."
"Oh, I will be. I have no desire to die. I have too much to live for," I say in a hard voice.
The tension in Michael’s stance fades somewhat. He closes the distance between us and grips my shoulder. "We’ve had our differences, but when it comes down to the wire, I know I can count on you."
50
Jeanne
I come awake with a start. The sunshine streaming in through the gap in the curtain fills the space with a golden glow. I yawn, stretch. My core protests in that deliciously-used-by-a-hard-dick way. The other forbidden hole… throbs. A slight pain thuds up my tailbone and serves as a reminder to never underestimate that part of my body again. Who knew it could bring me such pleasure? Such forbidden, dirty, erotic pleasure. I rotate my shoulders and my scalp tingles. My bones are so mellow, I'm surprised I didn’t melt into the bed while I slept. I lengthen my spine, rib by rib, then reach out with my toes. A sense of wellbeing fills me. So, this is what it feels like to be fucked to within an inch of my life by my husband. I still.
Myhusband. He is myhusband. And he didn’t panic when I asked what he'd do if I got pregnant. Luca surprised me again. He’s not the mean, grumpy, alphahole he projects himself to be. There’s more to him than meets the eye. The way he fucked me… It was more than sex. He put his entire body and soul and emotions into it. He told me how he felt about me with his actions. He didn't use the words ‘I love you,’ but he did tell me how he feels. It was surprisingly honest and raw and so very real. It touched my soul. I wish it were enough, that I didn't need to hear him also say those three words, but I do.
I sense a presence behind me, turn and gasp. "You..." I draw in a breath. "How long have you been watching me?"
Luca sits in a chair near the nightstand. His legs are kicked out in front, and he stares at me from under those thick eyelashes. Those stunning blue eyes of his glitter in the sunlight. They seem almost colorless this morning. Fascinating. His eyes definitely do change with his mood. More than Elle Woods's choice of footwear all throughLegally Blonde 2.
"Her middle name was Jeanne."
"Eh?" A crease demarcates his forehead.
"Reese Witherspoon, she played Elle Woods inLegally Blonde, and her middle name was Jeanne. My mother named me after her."
"Did she?" He tilts his head.
"I suppose I should be grateful that she didn’t call me Elle. I am so not an Elle. Can you see me as an Elle?" I pull the cover all the way up under my chin. I’m deflecting and vacillating... and delaying getting out of bed. Why am I suddenly shy about my body? That’s not like me. But hey, it’s not every morning you wake up from consummating your marriage to find your hotter-than-Lucifer husband watching you with something like intent in his eyes.
"Get up," he says in a hard voice and my pussy clenches. Jesus, Mary and Joseph.Help.Don’t do this. Don’t make me melt into a splatter of goo, or should I say, cum—my cum—all over again.
How can he look so dashing, so hot, so everything in that black suit he’s wearing? He’s wearing a black silk shirt, and his tattoo peeks out from the open collar. That black-on-black combination should be overkill, or look pretentious, but really, on Luca it only adds an air of menace that ripples in the air between us and curls around me.
"Don’t ignore my order," he growls. That voice. Oh, god, that mean edge to his tone promises all kinds of evil punishments for not doing as he says. I should move before I make it worse for myself. I try to move, but my arms and legs refuse to obey my brain’s commands. I’m trapped in the tractor beam that is his gaze.