by Bella J.
“I’m not afraid of you.”
“That’s your first mistake, then.”
“Maybe. But I won’t cower away, Gian. I won’t be treated like shit by the likes of you. I’m stronger than you give me credit for.”
His full lips pulled into an amused grin, like the devil who knew the heat was about to go up in this hell. “Good. Then you’ll have no problem sharing a bedroom with me.”
I recoiled. “Excuse me?”
“Gabriela is moving your stuff to my room as we speak.”
A wash of cold swept down my back. “But you said—”
“Things changed.” The smirk remained on his face as he placed his hands in his pants pocket. “My brother decided to pay us a little visit. And while he’s staying here, you and I will be playing our parts as husband and wife perfectly.”
“Why? He knows of our arrangement.”
“He does. But since I don’t trust my little brother, I’m assuming he’s only here to find a reason to discredit me. And I’ll be damned if my new wife gives him one.”
“I’m not playing along with whatever the hell it is between you and your brother.” I tried brushing past him, when he grabbed my elbow, pulling me back.
“You will do whatever the fuck I tell you to do.” He leaned closer, his warm breath touching the skin of my neck. “Or I’ll have to put your theory of being unbreakable to the test.”
I jerked my arm from his hold, and the urge to spit in his face overwhelmed me. “Fine. But just know, if you touch me again—”
“Then what? Huh?” He turned to face me, broad shoulders towering over me, his presence infiltrating all my senses. “Here’s a piece of advice, wife. Pick your battles wisely. And make sure you can win the ones you pick.” His amber stare slithered shamelessly down my body, a silent warning that when it came to him taking what he wanted, I had no chance of winning.
Without speaking another word, I walked out. The only sign of the nerves that turned in my stomach was the sweat in my palms. Sharing a bedroom with Gian was a daunting thought, but I had to keep my shit together. Besides, I had expected to share a bedroom with him once we were married. The fact that he offered me the reprieve of having my own space in the first place was a blessing. I shouldn’t be bothered by how short-lived the arrangement was.
Just as I was about to make my way up the stairs, Darion appeared on the top step, wearing a pair of swim shorts, a towel thrown over his shoulder.
“Daniela Faye.” He rushed down, a welcoming smile curving at the edges of his lips. “I don’t think we’ve officially met. Darion Silvestro.” He held out his hand, and I only had a second to pull together the most polite response.
I placed my hand in his. “You’re my husband’s brother.”
“I am.” His earthy-brown eyes had a spark of mischief as he leaned closer. “I’m also the one who will have to kick my brother’s ass if he doesn’t treat you right.” He winked playfully, his palm still clutching mine.
“I’ll be sure to remember that.” I smiled and inconspicuously removed my hand from his. “I hear you’ll be staying with us for a while?”
“Well, I hope I’m not intruding with you being newlyweds and all. But I know,” he paused, his eyes softening with what seemed like an edge of sympathy, “I know your marriage to my brother is quite unorthodox.”
I glanced to the side and clutched my hands in front of me, warmth spreading to my cheeks.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“No, you didn’t. It’s just all quite…new.”
“Understatement of the century.” He shot me a warm smile, his eyes filled with compassion as he stared at me. The color of his irises was a few shades darker than Gian’s, but it was easy to see the resemblance between the Silvestro brothers. The same ink-black hair and olive skin. Same full lips and dimples that appeared when they smiled. But there was something lighter about Darion. Something warmer. Perhaps it was the few years of youth he had on Gian. Or the lack of the firstborn’s burden—the one thing Gian and I had in common.
“Well,” Darion broke the sudden heavy silence with his casual tone, “I’m about to take a swim. You’re welcome to join me. We can have Gabriela whip up some of her tasty cocktails.”
My mouth dried instantly thinking about swimming, the pool house, the black bikini I had wrapped around my knees.
“Um,” I tucked a wisp of hair behind my ear, “maybe I’ll join you later.”
“I’m going to keep you to that.” He winked and bounced past me with an energy I was sure would be infectious sooner rather than later. “Oh, and I know we don’t know each other, well…at all.” He shrugged. “But I know all about the pressures of being part of this family, so if you need someone to talk to, bitch about what an asshole my brother is,” he smiled, and I let out a laugh, “I have lots of space on these broad shoulders.” The way he stretched out his arms drew my attention to his naked chest for just a moment, roped muscles and smooth skin.
“Thank you,” I replied politely.
“Don’t mention it.”
Still carrying that charming grin, Darion turned and walked in the other direction. “Gabriela,” he called, “it’s time for a cocktail, sweetheart.”
With a smile, I watched as he sauntered off with a cool swagger and shoulders that carried no responsibility. A weightlessness I was sure his older brother envied. God knew I did. Made me wish I wasn’t born first.
Then this would be Alessa’s fate.
I pushed the thought from my mind, reminding myself how thankful I was that my sister had been spared from a future like mine.
Reaching the top of the stairs, I was just in time to spot Gabriela walk into the bedroom at the end of the hall and immediately assumed that was the room I’d be sharing with Gian. My heart crept up my throat, and my insides twisted into a thousand knots from the mere thought of sleeping in the same room as him.
“Mrs. Silvestro.” Gabriela was stepping out when I stopped by the door. “I’m just moving a few basic items from your room. Anything particular you’d like me to bring for you?”
“No. Thank you, Gabriela. I’m sure I have everything I need here.” I tried my best to smile even though the weight of my circumstances suffocated me.
“If you need anything, please let me know.” Her gaze remained fixed on mine, and I saw the softness of her sympathy. “Anyway, Mrs. Silvestro, I’ll help however I can. I’m no longer just Mr. Silvestro’s housekeeper, but yours as well.”
“I appreciate that, Gabriela. I really do.”
With a smile and a nod, she left me alone in Gian’s bedroom. Our bedroom. The dark parquet flooring was different than the room I had stayed in the night before. Textured stucco walls were accentuated with warm and neutral colors. Ochre, tan, and faded apricot hues decorated the room with Mediterranean styled furniture. Cream silk sheets draped the bed, the bedroom entirely different than I imagined it. It was light and open…unlike Gian. His wild spice scent lingered in the air. I wrapped my arms around myself as the smell of him reminded me of what had happened in the pool house.
“I trust you’ve made yourself at home?”
I jolted and brought my palm up to my throat, taking a deep breath before turning to face Gian. “Thanks to Gabriela.”
He stepped into the room, and I had to stop myself from moving back, refusing to show even the slightest bit of fear. Gian had an unassailable confidence in his eye, his strong presence large enough to fill every space in the room. I wasn’t blind to his attractive features. Oval-shaped eyes framed with straight eyebrows curved at the ends, square chin, and tanned skin with the faint scar at the corner of his top lip. Gian Silvestro was no stranger to the attention of women. I’d bet he was used to the sudden pause in the expression of women once they looked his way, followed by nonchalant smiles and blushing cheeks. From what I’d experienced so far, he probably never gave them the time of day, his arrogance far too dominant to entertain a female he had
no interest in. Except the one he entertained last night.
The sleeves of his shirt had been rolled up to his elbows, the veins in his arms thick as they stretched all the way down to the tops of his hands. I touched my left wrist, thinking of his cruel fingers digging into my flesh, a drop of sweat slipping down my spine. I wasn’t sure whether it was the mid-day summer heat, or the weight of Gian’s presence being so close. Maybe a combination of both.
“My brother,” he started, rubbing a finger at his temple, “stay away from him.”
“That will prove quite difficult since he’ll be staying with us.”
“Avoid him as much as possible.”
“Why?’
His brows knitted together. “Just do as you are told. I’ll make sure he doesn’t stay long.”
“It seems like you don’t like your brother very much.”
“We have our differences.”
“So much so that you’d want to keep your wife away from him?”
Gian bit his lower lip and narrowed his eyes. “You have a sister.” It wasn’t a question. “Alessa.”
The hairs in the back of my neck raised with alarm.
He took a few steps toward me and came closer than I had expected, his six-feet-four frame crowding me. Yet I still refused to move an inch even though my instincts screamed at me to. I squared my shoulders and craned my neck to look him in the eye, making sure I had nothing but steel in my bones.
His gaze slipped to the side of my face, and he reached out, taking a curl between two fingers. “You two look nothing alike.”
I swallowed hard and watched him stare at the hair he twirled around his fingers.
“Alessa is the picture-perfect American sweetheart. Blonde hair, blue eyes, pretty face. Remarkably ordinary.”
“Stop,” I warned with a voice that barely passed a whisper.
“But you with your red curls and unique green eyes that beam with a foolish strength. You’re different.” He slipped his fingers from my hair. “Two sisters. The same blood. But different molds, it seems. I wonder,” his lips curved at the edges, “do you resent the fact that you’re here and she’s out there living her life, free to marry whoever she chooses?”
Anger surged. “Do not talk about my sister.”
He smirked and rubbed his chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Sensitive subject?”
“My sister is none of your business.”
The grin remained on his face, yet he stared at me as if he had just caught a glimpse inside my mind.
He placed a hand inside his pants pocket and turned halfway before pausing. “Stay away from Darion.” It was his final warning before he walked out of the bedroom.
My legs trembled, my skin running hot and cold at the same damn time. I didn’t like Gian mentioning my sister’s name in any kind of conversation. I wasn’t sure whether it was amusement or menace that resonated from his words while he spoke of her.
After what happened between us in the pool house, I was inclined to assume the latter.
Chapter Ten
Dinner was excruciating.
Darion kept making small talk while Gabriela had to fill his glass every ten minutes. It was like the man went out of his way to make conversation with Daniela. My fucking wife.
Wait until you see our family vineyard in Italy.
Have you ever been to Italy?
Why don’t you eat meat, Daniela? Who gave a crap about why she didn’t eat meat—whether it was a noble cause against animal cruelty, or a mere aversion to the taste?
My brother just kept feeding the conversation as if silence would mean death. Daniela simply nodded more than she participated. And the way she picked at her food, it was clear as fucking daylight the woman had no interest in dinner, or whatever my brother had to say.
Daniela retired to our room the second Gabriela removed our plates from the dinner table. As I watched her walk away, the wide legs of her black halter-neck jumpsuit fanned around her ankles, the open-back design showcasing her perfectly smooth skin. I had to admit it to myself silently—Daniela had a certain kind of elegance to her, whether she wore a jumpsuit or a wedding gown.
“Careful, brother.” Darion reined in my attention. “If you keep looking at your wife like that, I’ll be forced to think you actually like her.”
I ignored his remark and stood before making my way to the bar. “How long do you intend to stay?”
“Oh, I don’t know. A few days. A week. Maybe more.”
I poured myself some scotch and didn’t bother offering Darion any as he joined me at the bar.
He leaned against the edge of the counter, eyeing me with curiosity. “What about Irina?”
“What about her?” I took a sip of my drink.
“Daniela is here now. How is that going work?”
I shrugged and rounded the bar. “Like it always has.”
“Are you serious?”
“There’s no reason anything has to change.” I walked out onto the deck, needing the fresh air after the suffocating hour I spent at the dinner table.
Darion followed. “Is Irina still coming around here?”
“She was here last night.”
His eyes widened in disbelief. “Gian, you can’t do that. You have a wife living here now.”
I tossed back the last of my drink. “Like I said, I don’t see any need for things to change simply because Daniela is now living under my roof.”
“Jesus Christ.” Darion pulled his hand through his hair. “Do you have idea how reckless that is?”
“You’re one to talk when it comes to reckless behavior.” I turned to face him, annoyed to no end with his meddling. “Your moral compass is fucked beyond repair, which means you are the last person on Earth to even think about lecturing me.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not the crown prince of this family, am I?” Resentment flashed in his hardened eyes. “I don’t have to keep up appearances to please Father.”
“Is that not why you’re here?” I stepped right up to him. “To see if you can find something worth reporting back to Father so you can step in under the spotlight for two seconds?” I slanted my head. “Or is it something else?”
His eyes were filled with unspoken insults, his top lip curled in a snarl. “You say my moral compass is fucked. At least I didn’t marry a woman I knew was forced to do so.”
“Like you wouldn’t have done it.” He frowned, and I stepped closer, lowering my voice. “I’ve seen the way you’ve looked at her whenever she was around. The redhead Moretti girl, demanding the attention of every man.” I glowered at him. “Including yours.”
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. You think I’m a fool? That I don’t know the real reason you sided with me against Father, objecting to this marriage?”
“I took your side because I knew you didn’t want this.”
“Bullshit. You have never sided with me on anything.” I took a step back, keeping my eyes pinned on his. “You’ve had your eyes on Daniela for the last five years.”
“If that were true, I would have made a move a long time ago. If that were true, I would have had her by now, and not you.”
I let out a mocking laugh. “No, you wouldn’t. Emilio has kept her so heavily guarded, you had no way of getting to her. Just admit it, little brother. You have a thing for my wife.”
His lips pulled in a straight line, a silent acknowledgment that I had just spoken the truth. Even if he tried to deny it, it would have been an unconvincing effort. No one knew Darion as well as I did, and I could spot his lies from a mile away.
I drew a breath through my teeth and wiped the palm of my hand across my chin. “Heed my warning, little brother.” I stepped in next to him, leaning my head to the side so he could hear me loud and clear. “If I so much as suspect that you are trying to seduce my wife…I will kill you.”
I stomped off toward the house when he called after me. �
�You don’t even care for the woman, yet you threaten your own brother?”
I glanced over my shoulder. “What I feel for my wife is none of your fucking business.”
“You’re a fucking hypocrite.”
I came to an abrupt stop and stormed back to him, bringing my face in inch from his. “I dare you to say that to my face.”
Darion pressed his lips into a thin line, eyes hard and angry.
“That’s what I thought. Just stay the fuck away from my wife.” I turned and walked in the other direction. “Oh, and you’re leaving first thing in the morning.”
“Sorry, can’t do, Gian. Father wants me to attend to some business while I’m here.”
“Then you do your fucking business and leave.”
I didn’t stay long enough to give him a chance to object when I walked through the open sliding doors into the house. My brother had always made the mistake of underestimating me, thinking he could hide his intentions from me. When he arrived this morning, I knew he was here for a reason, but it wasn’t until I overheard his conversation with Daniela earlier that I realized what that reason was. The way he spoke to her, so soft and caring, pretending to have sympathy for her—it was all just an act, and it took a fuck load of control not to storm out into the foyer and kick his ass.
But it was the way Daniela spoke to him that got under my skin. Her voice lacked the hostility it had whenever she talked to me. The loathing—it wasn’t there in her tone. Instead, she sounded polite, gentle, even slightly amused…and it pissed me the fuck off.
Chapter Eleven
My heart stopped the second I heard the door open. I was in the bathroom, just sitting on the edge of the bathtub feeling like I had concrete shoved down my throat. Sharing a bedroom with Gian was far more daunting today than it was two days ago. I wasn’t a naïve woman. I knew I’d have to share a bed with him eventually—in more ways than one. Not knowing what his intentions were was nerve-wracking. Only now did I realize how comforting his disdain for me was, as he made it clear he hated me too much to even touch me. But after what happened in the pool house, feeling his hard cock stroke up and down my ass, I was no longer convinced.