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He means it. If I marry him, I'll have his loyalty. But how loyal can he be when his loyalty is to my brothers, first and foremost? I may be able to trust him not to cheat on me, but can I trust him with the truth?
"I…"
Coda knocks again.
Mattia mutters a curse. "Give us a minute, Coda! We're on the way out."
"Will do, Boss."
Mattia glances back at me. "Did you have something to say, topolina?"
I quickly shake my head, remaining silent. For now, it's the best option. Because whether he knows it or not, my life is in danger right now. Once Rafe knows what Brio sent me here to do, he'll kill me. But if I'm Mattia's wife…maybe that'll change things. Maybe it'll spare me.
Or, at the very least, maybe it'll give me time to find a way out of this. One that doesn't end with me losing everything that matters.
Chapter Three
Mattia
Judge Abernathy rushes through the ceremony, binding Aurelia to me in my living room with Coda standing witness. None of us are dressed for a wedding, least of all Aurelia. She's in a fucking nightgown, for Christ's sake.
I don't hear a fucking word he says, either. My thoughts are tangled around the petite little goddess standing at my side, trembling.
This isn't what she wants—I know that. When Rafe finds out what I've done, he may very well kill me for it—I know that, too. But I'm doing it anyway. I can lie to Coda and say it's to protect the family—that I control her if she's bound to me—but I'm not foolish enough to lie to myself.
Forcing her into this marriage has nothing to do with protecting Rafe and his empire. It has nothing to do with the Valentino family or Brio Cascella at all. Frankly, there are a thousand easier ways to ensure her loyalty that don't require giving her my last name.
But she's had my fucking cock hard since the minute I set eyes on her. That's what this is really about. Want. Need. Desire.
I want her, so I'm taking her. It's that simple.
But now, I know her secrets, too.
She wants to hate me, but she doesn't.
She wants to fear me, but she can't.
This little mouse is dripping wet for me.
She doesn't tremble with fear or anxiety. She trembles because she wants me all over her, ruining her for any other man. I intend to give her exactly what she wants. But not yet.
I'm not fucking stupid. I may want her, but that doesn't mean I trust her. She was with Brio for a reason. The fact that she knows who her brothers are and still chose to live with their enemy isn't great news. Neither is the fact that we were allowed to carry her out of there with minimal conflict.
Brio wanted us to find her. The only real question is what the fuck he intends for her to do now that we have her. Whatever it is, I'm not convinced that she's on board with his plan. She was mad as hell that I forced her out of there. Either she's a damn good actress, or she's afraid of whatever he wants from her.
I'm guessing it's the latter.
I just need time to convince her that she doesn't want to go through with it. Whatever it is, it's not worth it. Tying her to me gives me that time. It also helps ensure her safety.
She's a pawn stuck in the middle of a game she doesn't understand, but if it goes bad, at least she'll have my name to defend her.
It's the least she deserves. God knows, Vincent didn't do right by her. He tossed her and her mom out like trash, refusing to even acknowledge that he'd gotten her mother pregnant. Tabitha Roscoe was good enough to mop his floors and share his bed, but not to carry a Valentino child. We wouldn't be here now if he'd done right by her, but that ship sailed over twenty years ago.
I very much doubt Rafe will see things my way when he finds out I forced his sister to marry me, but we'll cross that fucking bridge when we get to it. Like I told Coda, if the price I pay is my life, so be it.
At least I'll die with my debts repaid, my balls empty, and my conscience clear.
Abernathy clears his throat, demanding that I speak my vows.
