"Me," Yavin said, placing his hands against the wall and stepping into the fray. Matteo slid his eyes to Yavin hesitantly, and they shared a moment between them where neither of them said a word. I watched the interaction, bouncing back and forth between the two of them and Aoife's glare where she stared at Yavin in disgust.
Matteo's face split into a grin that Ryker and Lino echoed, and I felt my own lips tip up into a smile. For the first time, I understood what Matteo saw in Yavin’s eyes. That knowing that came the first time we laid eyes on our women. Most couldn't relate.
Most could never understand, but men like us knew what was ours.
And we took it.
"Liam, it seems Yavin will accommodate your request for an alliance through marriage." Matteo chuckled. "More power to him," he added, giving Aoife a cursory glance. Her lips twisted into a grimace.
"And who is Yavin to you?" Liam asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Yavin manages Tease," Lino inserted. "He primarily works in the legitimate sector of our business, but he's one of us. He is my wife's brother, so he is a Bellandi through marriage, though his connection to us goes back to childhood."
"He's Irish," Ryker said with a laugh. "It's kind of serendipitous."
"What the fuck do you know about serendipity?" Simon asked him with a laugh and a punch to the arm. "The lot of you are insane."
"Half Irish," Yavin corrected, never taking his eyes from Aoife once Matteo freed him from their stare down.
"The man who marries my Aoife will take over my family. I am afraid you will need to find yourself someone new to run Tease, if we agree to this match," Liam said, his lips curving up. "The business knowledge should come in handy with our legal enterprises. Is he capable of such an undertaking? If I teach him what I know?"
Matteo nodded. "He's a good man. A fast learner. He'll be capable of heading your organization, and he'll always have our help behind him." Studying Yavin's face, I watched as the kind words struck him in the chest. It was no secret Yavin had separated himself from the Bellandis to some extent after Lino married Samara. The betrayal had been personal for him, to touch and take his sister when they'd all grown up together.
I suspected he understood the inclination a little more now that he'd felt that instantaneous desire for himself. I'd never understood it until Sadie, either.
Liam’s man who had followed Aoife into the office chuckled, trailing doubtful eyes over Yavin. With his leaner build that resembled Lino’s more than the rest of ours, he was easy to question when enclosed in a room with men like Ryker and Matteo. “He couldn’t handle Aoife,” the guard said, turning smiling eyes back to Liam.
Yavin moved quickly, like I’d taught him. His knuckles connected with the guard’s throat, making him sputter for the breath Yavin stole from him as he backed a step away from Aoife. When his hand went for the gun in his holster, Yavin shot his other hand forward and grabbed the barrel. Twisting it out of his grip, he pressed it to the guard’s forehead. His face didn’t so much as twitch to betray any emotion as he cocked his head to the side. “You were saying?”
The man’s glare settled on Yavin, hatred like ice between the two men. There would be no love lost there when Yavin took over O’Connell’s syndicate. Softening his expression only slightly, Yavin spun the gun in his hand and held it out for the other man to snatch back.
"It sounds like a promising match," Liam said with a pleased grin, jotting down a note to himself. "The Irish heritage pleases me, even if it is only half."
"You cannot be serious! I've never even met him!" Aoife snarled, her fingers tightening around his desk.
"I'll not leave you unprotected if something happens to me. Girls like you need husbands to keep you safe, Aoife. Otherwise you end up a casualty of war."
She straightened to full height, her long legs tensing as she pulled herself together and shoved down the surge of emotion that made tears sting her eyes. Yavin moved to step toward her, and she spun on him. Their eyes clashed in a silent battle, her blue against his grey.
I'd thought Sadie was stubborn, but the fury in Aoife's eyes made me wonder if it was possible for her to be worse. Finally storming toward the door to Liam's office, she paused beside Yavin long enough to lean in and whisper something into his ear. He reached a hand up, gripping her chin in his hand harshly and running his thumb over her bottom lip. Aoife grabbed that thumb, yanking it backward until I knew the angle must have been painful for Yavin. Still, he only released her when he was ready, the quirk of a smile transforming his face as he held her eyes. When he finally let go, she strode out the open door, and the sound of breaking glass echoed through the foyer as she disappeared.
"What did she say?" I asked, trying to hold my chuckle down.
"She said I should plan to guard my cock while I sleep," Yavin answered. His face split into a smile that he quickly suppressed when his eyes met Liam's. I was sure talking about his cock in his first conversation with his future father-in-law was a no go for most people.
But Liam just shrugged his shoulders with a boisterous laugh. "We Irish are passionate. She's her father's daughter, so you should probably be prepared for an uphill battle where she's concerned. Are you certain you wish to commit to a lifetime with her? I'll not tolerate a divorce staining her soul."
"I'm certain," Yavin said simply, meeting Liam's eyes.
"Your funeral." Liam tapped his pen on the desk. "She'll be pure on your wedding night if that is your request. Tiernan was adamant, and I've made sure she's protected with a guard that understands explicit instructions for her to remain untouched. I know some of you youngsters don't want an inexperienced bride. If I loosened the reins a bit, I can assure you that Aoife would be spiteful enough to ensure she is not virginal." He winced as if the thought was appalling. "Should that be your wish."
Discomfort flashed over Yavin’s face, discussing his wedding night with his future father-in-law. For men like us who weren't born into the life, Liam's generation was a real mind fuck. "Nobody touches her," the younger man growled.
Liam's face split into a blinding smile in response. "Splendid."
"Good luck," Bryan hissed under his breath, making Ryker chuckle next to him. He'd have his work cut out for him, that was for sure.
"I'll have the contract drawn up and sent to Tease tomorrow to make it official. I promised she could finish school, so there is that minor delay to us celebrating your nuptials."
"When does she graduate?" Yavin asked, his voice going hoarse as he stared at the open door. Aoife yelled somewhere else in the house, her scream of annoyance echoing through the space. Liam's men only laughed as if it was a common occurrence.
"I assure you, as horrible of an impression as she's given with her behavior today, she's not spoiled. She takes her schoolwork seriously. She's a good girl. She just has this ridiculous notion that she should be able to fall in love. As if I did not love her mother simply because our marriage was arranged. Hopefully, you'll be able to change her opinion. I cannot blame her for being hesitant, given that Tiernan was not the right man for her."
"When, Liam?" Yavin asked again.
"Her graduation is May 8th. I originally had planned to combine her graduation party with her wedding, at Tiernan's insistence. She has begged for it to be held on a different day so she can say goodbye to the life she would have chosen for herself. So melodramatic, she is."
"May 9th," Yavin grunted. "I'll allow her to have that last day with her classmates, but I'll be accompanying her and showing my support. We'll marry the next day."
Liam's face softened for a moment, obviously pleased with the concession on his daughter's behalf. "I'm sure she will appreciate it, Son."
Yavin swallowed. Nerves. Emotion. All of it in that one action. With a father who'd abandoned him at a young age, I suspected it would take him some time before he adjusted to the term. To a male voice calling him his son.
He had less than three months before Aoife was his wife.
&nbs
p; I did not look forward to the conversation I needed to have with Matteo. If Sadie spending time with her friends and the risk of someone else telling him hadn't been enough, watching Yavin claim Aoife as his would have pushed me over the edge.
Sadie wasn't a dirty little secret that I wanted to hide away. She'd be my wife. She'd be the mother of my children one day.
All of that started with telling Matteo the truth and hoping he didn't kill me for it. Given his insistence that I not get involved with her in the first place, I didn't hold high hopes for surviving in one piece. Matteo didn't know Sadie, not really, despite all the time he'd spent with her because of Ivory's close relationship with her best friend. He hadn't bothered to see beneath the image she put forward and her admittedly over the top humor.
As Matteo shifted gears in the Aston and we made our way back to the estate, I drew in a deep breath. Did I tell him at the Estate? In the car where he could drive us off a cliff?
Choices, choices.
"How much trouble has she given you this far?" he asked, speeding around vehicles on the highway.
"Aside from trying to sneak out that first night, she's been fine. She puts up a front, but she's not stupid about it."
"Sadie's reckless. It's only a matter of time before she does something that puts herself in danger. Keep your guard up where she's concerned. I wouldn't be surprised if she was behaving well just to manipulate you into underestimating her," he grunted with a laugh. It was the first time I'd heard what came close to affection in his voice, as if Sadie had somehow wormed her way into his closed off soul.
"It doesn't matter much. Sadie knows I'm not going anywhere, and she's stuck with me," I answered. My finger tapped on the center console five times, taking comfort in knowing that the number brought Sadie solace. It made me feel oddly connected to her with such a simple action. "That's a permanent situation."
"War doesn't last forever, Enzo. Eventually she'll be able to go about her business without you in it," Matteo laughed. "I should think you know that better than anyone."
He pulled off the highway, approaching the turn he'd need to take to go toward the Estate. "Sadie isn't just a job for me. She's mine."
His grip tightened on the wheel. "I told you not to go there with her. She'll never be okay with being a Bellandi wife, and the whole thing will explode in my face when the two of you can't be in the same room. I won't have Ivory and Luna suffering because you couldn't keep your dick in your pants," he said through gritted teeth.
"And if Ivory had said no, would you have taken that at face value? Oh, wait," I murmured. "She said no, and you took her and married her, anyway. The same way I'll do with Sadie."
"It's one thing to take and push a woman you know wants you, but doing that to a woman who genuinely doesn't want to be with you goes against our code. She has to be willing, beneath all her hesitance to commit. She has to at least want you beneath that stubborn shit about us not being good for them."
I didn't think Matteo realized just how much like a predator he sounded. Most rapists brushed off the woman's response as being a game, as being something that she wanted but wouldn't admit.
The phrase "she begged me for it," automatically came to mind, but I'd also been there to see the results of his marriage with Ivory. The same for Lino and Samara and Ryker and Calla. There was something there. Something different, and we never raped our women.
"That's not a problem," I answered with a chuckle. "She's made it clear she wants me."
Matteo sighed, pissed off energy sparking within the car. "You already fucked her? When I specifically ordered you not to?"
"You don't get to determine where I put my dick, especially not when it comes to Sadie. There's not much that I'll fight you over, Matteo. But Sadie is it. I'll walk away for her."
Silence filled the car as he thought over my words, and eventually he pulled into the Estate. Anxiety pulled at me, making me feel desperate with the need to fill the silence. But I wouldn't be the one to crack. He shifted into park, turning a sly smile my way. “Fine,” he growled, dissatisfaction in his voice. “Maybe it's punishment enough that I'll get to sit back and enjoy watching you try to tame that," he said pointedly. Sadie stood in the front door, blocked by Scar's body as he kept her within the house. With a hand on her hips, she stared him down and poked him in the chest.
Matteo and I got out of the car, and I sighed as Scar turned his eyes our way and stepped out of Sadie's path. As soon as her eyes found mine, they narrowed into a glare before she turned on her heel and went back into the house. "Escaping?" Matteo called.
"She phoned a friend when I took a piss. Seemed to think she could just slip out and climb the gate or some shit. Who the fuck knows with Sadie?" Scar's words were harsh, but there was an indulgent smile on his face as he turned and followed her back inside. Matteo and I followed, listening to Scar mumble to himself about stubborn ass women.
Sadie sat at the kitchen island, nursing a drink that Ivory’d slid in front of her. She eyed Matteo, and I watched the gears turn in her head. The internal debate about whether she should try to inform Matteo of our relationship. I suspected that wasn't the word Sadie would use to describe us, but I didn't care one bit as I strode up behind her. Burying my hand in her hair, I pulled back sharply until her honey eyes met mine, wide with shock. "Hey, Baby Girl," I murmured, leaning forward and capturing her mouth with mine in a brutal claim.
Samara and Calla catcalled beside us, but the only thing that mattered was the feel of her lips moving against mine. While Sadie's words and stubbornness might protest her attraction to me, her body couldn't deny that the same irrational desire claimed her the moment we were together. She was breathless by the time I pulled back.
“Did you know about this?” Matteo growled, and I turned to watch him glare at Ivory.
She fiddled with her hands, brushing him off as he stepped up to her side and swept her chestnut hair over her shoulder slowly. “I don’t have to tell you everything,” she said with a hollow laugh.
“Oh yes you do, Angel,” Matteo said, his voice dropping low as Ivory swallowed from the look he gave her. “Lino and Ryker will be here soon,” he said. “I want you in my office as soon as they’re gone.”
Sadie bit her lip, smart enough to stay out of the marital situation unfolding before her eyes. What Matteo and Ivory had might not work for most people, but it was them to the core.
Taking that as my cue to get Sadie out of there before she got involved, I wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her until I draped her body over my shoulder. She didn't bother to fight the motion, just hung there limply with a groan. "Fucking twat waffle. Would you put me down? If I hadn't seen your dick, I'd think you’re compensating for being an epic disappointment." I chuckled, content in the size of my cock.
"Come on, Rebel," I called, patting my leg. The dog rose from her sleeping place in the living room, rushing to nudge her face into my hand. "Oh, might want to call your brother," I said to Samara with a grin.
Matteo turned back from Ivory and whatever warning I felt certain he’d given her to dissuade her from disobeying his order, her focus entirely on the scene of her best friend being carted toward the foyer.
"Why?" Samara asked, her brow furrowed despite the smile on her face.
"Because he just got engaged," Matteo said with a grin, chuckling as he made his way toward his office with a shake of his head.
"He what?!" Samara shouted, throwing her body off her stool and moving to the purse sitting on the coffee table so that she could snatch up her phone. I suspected both Yavin and Lino were in for an ear full.
It almost made me sorry I had to miss it.
I carried Rebel’s new deluxe doggy bed into my house through the garage after turning off the security system. “That thing sounds like a robotic sex doll,” Sadie said. “Welcome home, Enzo,” she added, dropping her voice lower and enhancing the raspy quality to it.
I chuckled to myself. “Maybe that’s why I like it.�
�
“Touche,” Sadie admitted. “If I was a man who lived alone, I’d probably want my own virtual porn star too.” Rebel’s pretty collar that Sadie had just had to have sparkled against her grey fur, her white toes looking delicate against the dark hardwood floors of my main floor as they followed me into the house.
I dropped the bed in the corner closest the fireplace, hauling her bag of specialized dry food the vet had suggested to the walk-in pantry. The bag crinkled as I slung it off my shoulder, but Sadie’s attention was demanded entirely by adjusting the bed in the corner and making sure the lines matched up with the walls as perfectly as possible.
I’d washed Rebel’s new bowls and filled them with food and water to put on the floor next to the island before Sadie emerged from her compulsion. The dog dug in immediately, devouring the little bit of food I put down to help her stomach adjust to having regular meals slowly as I stroked her head gently.
“Hungry?” I asked, moving to the fridge and throwing it open to see what I had inside.
“I just came from being with Ivory. If I look at more food, I’ll explode.” I laughed, nodding my head and knowing she had a point. If I’d been able to spend more than two seconds in Ivory’s presence, I might have felt the same.
“Even chocolate cheesecake?” I asked, pulling a container from the fridge. I lifted the lid off, revealing one of my mom’s famous chocolate cheesecakes. Sadie looked at it, biting her bottom lip thoughtfully and I filed the knowledge away for later.
My girl liked chocolate.
Smirking, I grabbed two round plates from the cupboard. Folding and setting a napkin next to her plate, I positioned it the way I’d seen her do the night before. The bottom lined up with the counter in front of her as I set the fork directly in the center.
Sadie automatically moved to adjust it before she even looked down, her hand stilling over her plate suddenly when she realized she didn’t need to fix it.
Shielded Wrongs: A Dark Mafia Romance (Bellandi Crime Syndicate Book 4) Page 12