Standing over me, he’s all heat and muscle, a powerfully potent male presence in a black Armani suit.
“Don’t know how many times I’ll have to repeat this, but I’m not your dead husband.”
I glance up at him. His expression is serious. His hazel eyes are soft and warm.
My mouth goes dry. My mind goes blank. I can’t think of a single thing to say to him.
He picks up the wine and hands it to me. “Here. Drink this. It’ll give you something to do with your mouth other than spit venom at me.”
He glances at my mouth and licks his lips.
This is when I realize I’m at eye level with his crotch.
And that enormous bulge straining the seam of his trousers.
Dear God. I’m going to have to let Lili borrow my Greedy Girl XL dildo. That pool boy she’s been fooling around with is no match for this monster.
Breaking out in a sweat, I grab the wine from him and drink the entire glass in one go.
He drawls, “Do I make you nervous, wee viper?”
I cough violently, my eyes watering. “You make me wish for a stroke.”
“Why do you dislike me so much?”
“Because you have the personality of a festering wound.”
His lashes lower. He considers me in blistering silence for a moment, then leans down and murmurs into my ear, “Liar.”
He inhales deeply against my neck, raising goose bumps all along my arms.
I stiffen. He exhales, making a low sound of pleasure deep in his throat.
Then he straightens and stares down at me.
“Tell Lili I’ll be back tomorrow at five o’clock. Or would you like me to go up to her bedroom and tell her myself?”
Startled, I glance up at him to find his smirk back in place and his hazel eyes mocking.
He knows she’s here. He’s known the entire time.
Without another word, he turns on his heel and walks out of the kitchen, leaving me sitting alone at the table with my heartbeat throbbing and a million questions swimming in my head.
The most important one being that if he knew Lili was in the house all along, why did he stay and eat supper with me?
“Oh my God,” I say aloud, horrified. “Does that son of a bitch think he’s getting a two-for-one special?”
7
Spider
She’s smart, she’s sexy, and she’s got an arse on her I’d like to bite, spank, and fuck.
Even worse, every time I look at her too long, my dick gets hard as a rock and my mouth starts watering.
That settles it.
I’m never speaking to Reyna fucking Caruso again.
8
Rey
I wait until morning to tell Lili the bad news that her lecherous pig of a fiancé will be paying her a visit.
She takes it like any rational female should and starts crying.
“Zia, please!” she wails, clinging to my arm. “Can’t you do something? Can’t you get Papa to call it off?”
“If I could, I already would have. Now dry your eyes. We’ve got to talk, and I need you to pay attention.”
I shake her off and start to pace the length of her bedroom, over to the dresser and back to the door, wringing my hands in anxiety.
I didn’t sleep at all last night. I lay wide awake in bed, staring at the ceiling, remembering the way that beast Quinn sniffed my neck like I was a candy bar.
And that noise he made.
That low, rumbling, masculine sound of pleasure that came from deep in his throat.
I’m shivering right now just thinking about it.
In disgust, of course. The man is absolutely revolting.
“Okay, here’s the thing.” I pause to gather my chaotic thoughts. “Quinn is a man. Right? A very masculine sort of man. He’s very…manly.”
What the hell are you saying? Pull yourself together!
Sniffling, Lili sits on the edge of her bed and chews on her thumbnail as she watches me pace.
“He’s going to be difficult to handle. Impossible, really. He’s obviously extremely stubborn. And used to getting his own way.”
And arrogant. And gorgeous. And hung like a damn horse.
I turn and pace the other way, dragging my hands through my hair in aggravation.
“And unfortunately tesoro…you should prepare yourself for the reality that he won’t be faithful to you.”
“Who cares if he’s faithful? I’m going to stab him to death in his sleep!”
I pull up short and stare at her in horror. “Don’t ever let me hear you speak such nonsense again.”
“Why not? You killed Uncle Enzo!”
I close my eyes, draw a breath, count to ten, then open my eyes again. I say calmly, “Do you want to die in prison?”
“Did you?”
I was willing to, if it meant I’d never be whipped bloody again.
Instead of saying that, I say, “I didn’t kill my husband.”
“Quit lying, zia! Everybody knows! Why do you think they’re all so scared of you?”
“People are scared of any woman who speaks her mind and doesn’t put up with their bullshit. Now, listen. You said Quinn was kind to you when you spoke. He took an interest in your life. And I think we may be able to convince him to allow you to go to college. So though he has the charm of a rotting carcass, he might prove to be endurable.”
Who am I kidding? Her life’s going to be one long nightmare Groundhog Day.
Lili leaps to her feet and cries passionately, “I can’t marry him, zia!”
My heart goes out to her, but I can’t waver on this. I make my voice firm. “I completely understand your feelings, but the contract is inescapable. If you don’t marry him, it will ruin the family. Your father’s life will be over. Literally, I mean. The Mob will put a bullet in his head for the disrespect.”
I pause, hesitating to tell her this and upset her even more. But she needs to know exactly what’s at stake.
“They’ll do something terrible to you, too. Something worse than death, especially if Quinn discovers you’re not a virgin. We’ll talk about how you can fake that later, but the bottom line is that you’ll marry the Irishman.”
“No, I won’t! I’m in love with Juan Pablo!”
This is when I notice the small dark bruise on the side of her throat.
Except it’s not a bruise. I know a love bite when I see one.
Feeling sick, I stride over to the wardrobe and throw open the doors.
It’s empty.
Lili is sobbing behind me. “I’m in love with him. I don’t care about the stupid contract or what anybody thinks. I’d rather die than marry anyone else. I’d rather die!”
I turn and look at her tearstained face. At the agony in her eyes. At all her shaking, frenzied fervor, and feel a twinge of jealousy.
At least she had this. At least she loved once. The memory of what she shares with Juan Pablo will help sustain her through all the dark and lonely years to come.
The only thing I had to sustain me was the hope that one of Enzo’s violent rages would end in my death.
They never did, though. He beat me near to it many times, but death never came to rescue me.
I had to rescue myself instead.
I cross to Lili and take her in my arms. She clings to me and sobs against my chest, her shoulders shaking. Smoothing a hand over hair, I hold her and make soothing noises until she’s calmed down a little and is only hiccuping.