Suddenly feeling slightly awkward about this whole encounter, I nod and brush my hands over my dress, hoping like hell no one out there will notice anything amiss.
“Look at me.” He sounds exasperated, like he’s already regretting what we just did.
I mean, for fuck’s sake, I just let him finger me to the first orgasm I’ve ever had with another person. In the break room. At my family’s bar.
How did I go from accepting to be married off to appease my family to having this stranger please me in a way that’s so forbidden? I’m not sure I’d survive if it came out. And let’s not forget that he’s also the guy who might have killed my husband. He told me he was there for Luigi, and a short while after he disappeared, my new husband was shot and killed. If I wasn’t so relieved about not being married anymore, I’d probably be more freaked out.
When I don’t react to his demand, one of his fingers goes under my chin, tilting it up to meet his gaze. His pupils are big, the brown of his irises so smoldering, it resembles a fire blazing behind them. “No one can know about this.”
I’m officially a dirty little secret.
Figures.
My back straightens and I pull out of his grasp.
Even though I know I can’t tell anyone anyway, his words still sting.
It also makes me want to punch him in his beautiful face, and I’m really not a violent person. That’s for the men in the family. So, instead, I clench my fists so hard that my nails dig into my palms.
Since obedience has been drilled into my head for as long as I remember, I nod. “I understand.”
He brushes his hand over his stubbled jaw and stares at me. “You do?”
I nod again but avert my gaze. “Yes, of course.”
I turn around quickly to check my reflection in the mirror, just so I have something to do that doesn’t involve staring at him. My fingers fly over my brown hair, finger-combing it as best as I can before I get started on fixing my makeup.
I completely ignore Matteo, and when I’m done and turn back to him, he’s gone.
For the second time.
Both times, he slipped out before any more could happen. If it wasn’t for the fact that he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before and that he made me come so hard I saw stars today, I’d get a complex. Or maybe I already have one.
I stop in the bathroom on the way back to pee then walk back to the bar. Thank goodness the lights are dimmed enough to allow me to hide some of my shame and embarrassment. For the first time, I wish I would have let Papà talk me into wearing one of those stupid veil hats after all.
Ally’s eyes widen when I walk up to her. “Where the hell have you been? I was about to send a search party for you.”
“Sorry, I needed a break.” I don’t dare look at her, afraid she’ll see straight through my bullshit.
She tries to burn a hole in my head, then huffs because I don’t take the bait.
“Yeah, I don’t think so, Gem. You can tell me later once this snoozefest is over. Apparently, my dad has some announcement to make, and then we can get out of here.” She bumps her hip against mine, her new drink almost sloshing over the rim. “Deal?”
I finally glance at her. “Deal.”
Uncle Antonio—who goes by Toni—whistles loudly, and all conversation ceases. Both he and my dad are big guys, but Uncle Toni has gained some weight around his middle over the years. He stands near the stage with my dad and clasps his hands together.
“After our recent tragedy with Gemma”—all eyes turn to me, thanks so much for that—“we wanted to give her the appropriate time to grieve her loss, but at the same time, we were also ready to welcome a new member to our family.”
A sour taste forms in my mouth at his words, and I don’t like where this is going at all. Especially considering Matteo just joined the two of them.
This better not be what I think it is.
Ally leans close to me. “I swear, if they sell you off again, I’m going to have a word with both of them.”
Although her words are whispered, they’re sharp as a whip.
I nod, focusing back on the three men, just as Matteo gazes at me and winks.