by Lux Miller
I look up as Dante and Mike step through the doors to the Courthouse. Mike waits on the far side of the metal detector, while Dante passes off what I’m sure is half a dozen weapons before he steps through the contraptions that, thankfully, don’t make any buzzing noises. We’ve been waiting for almost two hours for Mike and Dante to return with the documents we need to get our license. He hands over an official-looking folder of documents, including a driver’s license for me, passports for both of us, and a surprisingly convincing state of Hawaii birth certificate. I say convincing because everything of mine is a complete forgery.
Pulling out the documents, I cast a sideways glance at Dante. “How did you get these so quickly?”
Dante shrugs, slicing a hand through his hair with a nervous grin on his face. It’s his tell. It means he’s full-on bullshitting right now, so I should take anything he says with a grain of salt. “We’ve, uh, had these...for a while now…”
I shake my head, murmuring, “How have you had them? We didn’t need them until a couple hours ago…”
Dante looks at Luca and shakes his head. “I think you need to handle this, Luca. I don’t like being dishonest with my best friend. This was your idea. You explain it.”
I whirl around to face Luca. “What does he mean your idea?”
Luca sighs and takes both of my hands in his. I start to jerk my hands free of his, but he shakes his head. “Hear me out. The documents are fake, okay? But that’s because I knew we’d never be able to find the real ones. Truthfully, the birth certificate and the social security card are actually legitimate. They’re just illegally obtained.”
I narrow my eyes at Luca. “It takes at least two weeks to get these kinds of documents. In order for you to already have them… and for a while… you would have had to request them when you got arrested.” Realization dawns on me, and I smack Luca’s arm. “You asshole!”
Luca nods, wincing as I smack him again. “I won’t deny the truth. I had Dante apply for them almost immediately. I um, I was given intel that they were considering upgrading the charges, and I got a bit skittish. I needed to have a contingency plan in place in case things went south. Sure enough, my sources were right. They’re trying to charge me with murder… and have you seal the deal.”
I cross my arms and huff. “Well, I won’t testify against you. This is ridiculous..” I motion around the Courthouse.
Luca shakes his head as he drops to his knees in front of me. “I won’t make you marry me, but if you don’t, you will have to testify. It’s absolutely their critical evidence. There’s no way they won’t force you to testify.”
I shrug and lean down over him, “Then I’ll lie…”
Luca rubs his face with a sigh and glances over at the Courthouse door as it opens, and an older man dressed in flowing black robes steps through the doorway. “Barresi wedding?”
Luca jumps to his feet and pleads with me silently. “That’s us, Emily.”
I point at the doorway, “He said wedding. I thought we’re just getting a license?”
Luca turns to the judge. “Can we get five minutes, Frank?”
The man nods and taps his wrist. “You have three, Barresi. And only three…”
Luca nods and turns back to me, words flying out of his mouth a mile a minute. “Emily, I arranged for a marriage license the night I was arrested. Kyle visited me in prison ,and he told they were going to make you testify against me… and then he suggested we get married to stop it from happening, because if you testify, they can charge you too. You’ll be putting yourself at the scene, and if anyone had a motive to want Andre dead, it was you. And you’re tied to the girls who’re showing up dead through Piacere. Somebody out there is murdering anyone who could exonerate you, because they want me...and you… to take the fall for Andre. Marry me and you protect us both. Plus…”
Luca glances over as the judge clears his throat and taps his wrist again, “One minute… or you’ll have to wait until Monday.”
Luca groans and looks at me, his eyes pleading. “I forged some stuff, okay? When this is all said and done, if you hate me for it, you can have our marriage annulled, but Emily… I love you… and that’s never going to change. I’ll have you as my wife someday, consequences be damned… now come on, let’s go get married to save our asses, mostly mine…”
I narrow my eyes at him, then roll them. “Fine… but you owe me a favor…”
Luca nods. “Deal, let’s go.” He grabs my hands and tugs me over to the judge, “We just needed to settle a couple things.”
The judge heaves a heavy sigh. “I’m only doing this as a favor that was owed to your father. As his heir, my debt has passed to you, but if I do this… my signature on this license will certify that you were legally married as of a month ago and officially married today. That’s all I can promise, and the only thing I can guarantee. There are checks and balances in place that negate anything else. Follow me.”
As Luca takes my hands and guides me through the short hallway to the judge’s chambers, I nudge him. “So the mob really does deal in favors? That’s not made for television bullshit?”
Luca chuckles and shakes his head. “Which is why you’ll fit in perfectly as a mafia wife. You’re already wheeling and dealing. You have me by the balls and know it, but you’re still willing to save my ass.”
I nod and look up at him, all hints of mirth stricken from my face. “Luca, I wasn’t bullshitting you when I said I love you. I can’t say I’d do anything for you, because anything is a dangerous word in your world. But I’ve already done so many questionable things in the course of our courtship that I couldn’t justify turning my back on you when I’ll never be able to exonerate myself. Truth be told, Luca… when you tried to make me go to Houston, I only went because I thought it’s what you wanted. I never wanted to leave, because my heart, maybe stupidly, already belonged to you by then.”
Luca squeezes my hand and turns to look at me seriously. “I will make sure you don’t regret this, Emily. You’ll be treated as my wife in every matter. This can be as real as you want it to be, or as fake as you want it to be, my love. But whatever you choose, you’ll be my queen.”
The middle-aged man who we followed to this room clears his throat and speaks clearly, “I am due home in thirty minutes for dinner. My wife has cooked pot roast, and I’m sure you understand why I can’t be late. I may have spent my entire life waiting on a woman, but I wouldn’t dare make her wait for me. A wise lesson for a young marriage.”
Luca shifts uncomfortably beside me, his hand gripping mine tightly like his very life depends on what’s about to happen and… in a way, it does. At the very least, his freedom rests on us avoiding me having to testify at his trial in a few weeks. The prosecution will have time still to collect evidence to attempt to paint him as guilty, but without my testimony, they won’t have a single unbiased account of what happened that night. Everyone who was there is either on Luca’s payroll, dead, or about to marry him. I must be freaking crazy.
The judge bows his head at me, then at Luca. “I trust you’ve brought rings, at least? Since you’re lacking in any other… proper wedding necessities?” I blush as the judge glances pointedly at my feet. My flip-flops are incredibly inappropriate, but to be fair, I didn’t even know I was getting married when I woke up this morning, so I wasn’t exactly prepared.
I frown slightly when I realize how heartbroken Royce is going to be that he didn’t get the chance to dress me for my own wedding. Then again, Luca is getting married with only his brother and Mike present as witnesses. I don’t have any family left to anger by leaving them out, but Luca is never going to hear the end of this from his mother. Oh God, Bianca is going to be furious! She’s going to want to wring Luca’s neck the minute she finds out, but are we telling anyone or is this going to be some kind of secret until the trial? Good grief, we really should have discussed this monumental undertaking a little more before I agreed to marry the man! What was I thinking? He wasn’t eve
n naked when he convinced me to do this...
Luca’s voice pulls my thoughts back to the present moment in time. He turns to Dante, who pulls two small boxes out of his pocket and lays them on his outstretched hand like items on a shelf. Luca carefully opens one of them and says, “I do, your honor.” I haven’t been listening as my thoughts wandered around, lost and discombobulated. Luca does what? The judge gives Luca a small nod, and he pulls out an intricately carved, rose gold wedding band.
He turns to me and takes my hands in his. He grips my left hand and gently slides the ring onto my finger, his eyes nervously watching mine. It’s highly likely he knows that my thoughts have been racing a marathon inside my head. I’ve never had a very good poker face, despite being a petty thief. As the ring comes to a rest around my finger, I can see that it isn’t a solid band at all, but rather three delicately thin strands of rose gold interwoven with one another.
My mouth falls open in surprise as I admire the incredibly gorgeous wedding band. I let the fingertips of my right hand brush carefully over the incredible details of the band and look up at Luca, unable to control the smile that lights up my face. He brings my hand up to his mouth and lightly kisses the finger where the ring now resides. The judge gives him a curt nod and turns to me. Suddenly, I’m very aware of what’s going on, and my thoughts come to a screeching halt as the judge speaks.
“Emily Kailani Clark, do you take this man, Lucario Anton Barresi, to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold? For richer, for poorer? In sickness and in health? Until death do you part?”
My mouth goes suddenly dry, and I’m unable to speak. My face freezes in fear as I feel everyone’s eyes on me. Despite the room being empty except for me, Luca, the judge, Dante, and Mike, I still feel like I’m standing in front of an audience and I’m naked. Anxiety bubbles just beneath the surface, and I have to open and close my mouth several times to moisten my lips enough for me to form words.
Luca looks panicked as I’m unable to speak. I’m standing here with my eyes wide and my mouth glued shut, but I know I need to push through this uncomfortable feeling and seal our commitment. I exhale slowly and nod, forcing out, “I do.”
I turn to Dante and open the box nearest me. Nestled inside is a thick band of titanium with a thin inlay of rose gold. I pull the metal band from its box and examine it, marveling at the delicate details engraved into the ring. I shiver slightly as my fingers slide along the engraving etched along the inside. The words make my heart leap into my chest as I read them aloud softly, “Always let the wind and the sea guide you.”
I look up at Luca in surprise, and he smiles as I take his hand in mine and gently slide the ring into place on his finger. My entire body shudders at the sight of a ring on his hand, especially when it dawns on me that the ring signifies that he’s mine.
Luca brings his left hand up to my face and rests it against my face, his fingers stroking along my cheek gently as the judges clears his throat. “Is there any man present who can say why these two should not be joined by the laws of the covenant of marriage?”
Neither Mike nor Dante dare make a move. The room is so quiet, I could hear a pin drop if it weren’t for the blood rushing through my head so loudly that it sounds like a waterfall is plunging over my head.
The judge bows his head to Luca and I and holds both hands up, “Then, by the power vested in me by the Parish of Orleans in our great state of Louisiana, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride…”
I gasp as Luca’s lips collide with mine. The kiss is desperate and possessive, and his arms wrap around me in a manner that’s most definitely not appropriate for the courthouse. He doesn’t seem to care, though, because he’s in no hurry to pull back from me. He does know that the first kiss is supposed to be a quick peck, right?
I press my hands against his chest and pat gently, hoping he’ll take the hint, but he doesn’t. He shakes his head and groans, pressing his body against mine. As he grinds his hips into me, I shudder. There’s no wondering, for anybody, what’s on Luca’s mind right now. I finally pull back from him, laughing softly. “Luca, save it for the honeymoon…”
He shakes his head, but doesn’t lean in again to kiss me. “Isn’t a man allowed to appreciate his wife? Especially when he hasn’t been able to enjoy certain things with her in nearly a month?”
I blush, my cheeks turning bright red as the judge shakes his head. Dante and Mike both twist their faces up into disgusted scowls, but Luca is undeterred. He scoops me up into his arms and turns to Dante, then nods over his his shoulder at the judge. “Pay the man. I have an appointment with a hot shower and a naked woman… and not necessarily in that order.”
FOUR
I don’t know what time it is when I finally peel my eyes open the next morning, but it’s a relief to not wake up alone. I blink my eyes against the harsh light filtering in through the window and realize with a start that the window is wide open with the curtains pulled back. A slight breeze swirls through the room, causing me to shiver. I push my arms up over my head and stretch my naked body like a cat waking up from a nap. The strong arms wrapped tightly around me protest my movement and pull me back against a wall of muscle.
I giggle softly and squirm around enough to roll over to face the hard body behind me. The embrace remains tightly wound around me. Looking up, I see that he still has his eyes closed. He looks almost peaceful, except for the sly smile twitching on his lips. “Good morning, wife,” he murmurs as he slides one of his hands down onto my ass, grabbing hold of the fleshiest part of my body with a chuckle.
I nudge my thigh against his semi-erection gently and smile. “Good morning to you too.. both of you.” His cock twitches against my skin, and he groans. I shake my head as I bring my hand up to his face and trail my fingertips along the scruffy facial hair that he didn’t bother to shave off last night in the shower. Can’t say I really complained when he buried his face between my thighs, though. The thicker hair brushing against the most sensitive part of my body sent me into a whole new orbit of pleasure with this man.
“I can’t help it,” he mumbles into my hand as he turns his face to kiss my palm. “He likes you… a lot. Almost as much as me…”
I roll my eyes and shake my head. “Almost? Luca, I think he likes me more than you do. Well, if the two hours of fucking last night are any indication at least.”
Luca nods and looks at me, his eyes still heavy with sleep. He attempts to blink away the drowsiness as he lets go of me and props himself up on his elbow. I sit up beside him and look at him, smiling stupidly as I remember what we did last night with wild abandon. I don’t think there’s a single surface in this room that we left untouched in our fuck-fest. Despite two showers, I still feel dirty, and the room is clouded with the unmistakable smell of sex.
He leans over and presses his lips to mine before I have the chance to consider what he’s thinking about. Judging by the fact that I can feel his dick and he’s no longer pressed up against me, I’d say there’s a good chance he’s thinking about the same exact thing I was.
He pushes his tongue against my lips, and I open them, moaning softly when his tongue collides with mine. Despite the fact that I probably have morning breath… and morning after breath at that… I relax and let the kiss happen organically. Luca scoots closer to me and pushes a hand into my hair, sliding his fingertips around to the back of my head and pulling me toward him.
I gasp into the kiss as he lays down, pulling me over halfway on top of him. I shrug and go with the flow, throwing one leg over his body to straddle him as I lean down over him and fight back against his tongue’s assault on my mouth.
He growls underneath me and digs his other hand into my hip, his fingertips biting into my skin. I pull back and sit up, looking down at him as I straddle his stomach. He groans and squirms under me, “I can feel that, Emily… we’re never going to make it out of this bed, much less this room, if you don’t stop turning me on…”
&nb
sp; I shrug nonchalantly. “I have nothing to do with that raging boner you’re sporting back there. That’s morning wood and totally not my fault.”
He shifts us again and pushes his hand between my legs. He smirks as he slides his middle finger inside of me, and I bite down on my bottom lip. There’s absolutely no resistance as he pumps his finger in and out of me. I lean my head back and rest my hand on the bed beside him.
“That’s why I’m so fucking horny right now. Your wet pussy rubbing all over me and begging to be fucked again. Three weeks on the inside without you was torture, Emily. I had so many wet dreams in prison, it’s not even funny…”
I shift against his hand, shuddering as his thumb brushes across my clit. A sharp zap of pleasure zings through my lower body as he repeats the motion. “Luca… we’ve gone that long before, and you seemed to be okay then.”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “I was far from fine. I was jerking off every damn opportunity I had, and sometimes when I shouldn’t have been. Thank God for big desks because I spanked it during more than one meeting. I can’t handle not being inside you for that long. And I’ve a lot of lost time to make up for…”