by Cora Reilly
“I have to say I’m a bit offended that they didn’t consider me the most sought-after bachelor in New York. I mean, look at me.” Matteo stepped back so I could admire him in his outfit. Fucking biker boots, leather jacket and ripped jeans.
“You don’t have to worry about it anymore. According to this, I’m now off the market,” I said dryly.
“Did you know the news would be leaked to the press?”
I shook my head. Father hadn’t told me when exactly the announcement would go out. I scanned the article to see what they’d written about Aria.
Luca Vitiello’s long row of conquests will certainly shed a couple of tears finding out that the heir with an estimated net worth of 600 million dollars is no longer up for grabs.
“They even disinherited you in their article,” I said to my brother. He and I would both inherit Father’s fortunes, and it was closer to 700 million dollars, but what were one hundred million give or take for the press? They kept their fact-checking to a minimum as usual.
His future wife, Aria Scuderi, Italian-American as expected, is the oldest daughter of restaurant chain owner Rocco Scuderi.
I almost snorted. Rocco definitely had his hands in several restaurant chains, but that was definitely not his job description.
His connections to the Chicago underworld have been rumored but never confirmed. The same can be said for the Vitiellos, which leads to the question of how the connection came to be. Salvatore Vitiello and Rocco Scuderi declined any comment. One can’t help but wonder how Aria Scuderi convinced the Vitiello heir to give up his bachelor ways.
I closed the newspaper. What bullshit.
My phone rang and Grace’s name flashed across the screen. She usually knew better than to call me. I was the one who asked for a meeting, not the other way around.
“It’s an angry ring,” Matteo said with glee.
I picked up but, before I could say a word, Grace’s voice shrilled in my ear.
“When were you intending on telling me?” Her voice was pissed and whiny.
Matteo chuckled and emptied the rest of my coffee.
“Telling you what?”
“That you’re going to marry, of course!”
“It’s none of your business.”
“What?” she screeched. “We’ve been fucking each other for three years. I think I deserve—”
“You don’t deserve shit, Grace. It’s like you said. We fucked, and if I remember correctly, we both fucked others in that time as well.”
Silence. “I would have agreed to being exclusive if you’d asked me.”
“I didn’t want to. I don’t care whom you fuck.”
Matteo was laughing quietly, making me want to chuck my phone at his pretty head.
“So you think I’ll just let you keep fucking me when you’re married as if nothing’s changed?”
“First of all, I’m not married yet. Second, you’ve fucked married guys before. And third, you aren’t anything special, so I don’t give a fuck if you let me fuck you or not.”
“Luca,” her voice became even whinier. “You don’t mean it. Why don’t we meet later and have some fun?”
I hung up. That woman had no pride.
Matteo grinned. “Your Grace drama brightens my day once again.”
“Let’s head to the dojo. I want to rearrange your pretty face with my fists.”
Matteo clapped his hands. “All right.”
I shook my head and followed him toward the elevator. There were several reasons why I needed a good fight, and Grace was only a minor one. The major one was that I needed to release the pent-up desire stirring in my body since I’d seen Aria.
There were still six months until I could finally touch that body. Six fucking long months.
SIX MONTHS LATER
“So, are you nervous, Luca?” Matteo grinned.
“No. I’m never nervous.”
“But you haven’t seen Aria in three years. What if she doesn’t look hot in person? Photos can be deceiving. Then you’ll be stuck fucking an ugly woman for the rest of your life.”
As usual, Matteo’s favorite pastime was to annoy the crap out of me. “You’re full of shit.” She’d been pretty three years ago. I could only imagine how beautiful she’d be now. The photos of her had been the worst kind of torture I could imagine. When she’d been underage, I’d managed to stop myself from imagining fucking her but, for a while now, every look at the photo of her had turned my cock rock-hard.
We arrived at the door to Aria’s suite. I paused, looking around for her bodyguard who was supposed to keep watch. He wasn’t there. “I should have sent you to guard Aria years ago,” I told Romero, then I knocked.
Light steps rushed toward us and the door was ripped open by a girl with dark blond hair. She was dressed like a cheap rocker girl. She was obviously trying to impress me with her barely-there hips and moderate chest. I had trouble remembering her name; she had to be the kid sister.
“Hi Luca,” she said, actually smiling in a flirty way. I had to stifle a chuckle. Did she really think I didn’t see how young she was? Then it finally clicked. “You’re Liliana, the youngest sister.”
“I’m not that young.”
“Yes, you are,” a familiar soft voice said. “Go to Gianna.”
And there she was. Damn it. Three years ago she’d shown promise, but today she looked like a fucking wet dream come true. Long blond hair, smooth skin, lean legs and firm tits. I couldn’t wait to see every fucking inch of her body.
“I didn’t know we’d meet in my suite,” she said with a hint of disapproval. What a warm welcome.
“Are you going to let me in?”
She stepped aside. I gave Cesare a sign to wait outside before the rest of us walked into the suite. Matteo headed straight toward the redhead. As usual, he was attracted to the troublemaker. My eyes were once again drawn to Aria’s fucking hot body. Only a few more days and she’d be mine. I couldn’t wait.
“You shouldn’t be here alone with us. It’s not appropriate,” Gianna muttered.
Of course it wasn’t. That’s why there was supposed to be a guard in front of their door. “Where’s Umberto?”
Aria shrugged. “He’s probably on a toilet or cigarette break.”
“Does he often leave you without protection?”
“Oh, all the time,” Gianna said mockingly. “You see, Lily, Aria and I sneak out every weekend because we have a bet on who can pick up more guys.”
Matteo shot me a grin. I wasn’t sure how he could be in such a disgustingly good mood. If I had to spend any more time with the big-mouthed redhead, I’d lose my shit. “I want to have a word with you, Aria,” I said.
Gianna had to butt in again, of course. “I was joking, for god’s sake!” The brat actually tried to step between Aria and me. Thankfully, Matteo dragged her away. I really hoped the glint of fascination in his eyes was only that.
“Let go of me, or I’ll break your fingers,” Gianna growled. Matteo raised his hands with a wide grin. Those two were more than even the most patient saint could handle.
“Come on.” I turned to Aria and barely touched her lower back. She swallowed and tensed. Had she still not gotten over her fear of me? “Where’s your bedroom?”
No, she definitely hadn’t. I usually only saw that kind of look on the faces of my enemies after I got my hands on them. Aria pointed toward a door to our right and I nudged her in that direction, trying to ignore the way she trembled under my touch. It was starting to seriously annoy me.
Of course the bigmouth had the last word. “I’ll call our father! You can’t do that.” As if Scuderi would care.
We stepped into the bedroom and I closed the door before facing Aria, who was staring up at me with fear-widened eyes. “Gianna was joking. I haven’t even kissed anyone yet, I swear.” She blushed deliciously as she said it. That’s why she was so scared? I had to admit that hearing her confirm what I’d known made a possessive beast in my chest rear its head.
“I know.”
Her fucking kissable lips parted in surprise. Damn it. I wanted to push her against the door and kiss her. “Oh. Then why are you angry?”
“Do I look angry to you?”
Her expression was like an open book. It would make things easier for me.
“You don’t know me very well.”
She shot me an indignant look. “That’s not my fault.” This was the first real sign of defiance from her, and I was fucking glad about it. I really couldn’t live with a terror-stricken wife. I wasn’t the most sensitive guy and would lose my patience pretty quickly if I had to tiptoe around Aria like she was breakable.
I took her chin between my thumb and forefinger. She stiffened, and defiance was replaced by worry. “You’re like a skittish doe in the clutches of a wolf. I’m not going to maul you.” I’d do many other things to her, but she’d enjoy them all.
She pressed her lips together, obviously not believing me. She looked fucking beautiful, and her skin was like velvet under my fingertips. Would every inch of her feel so soft? I leaned down to kiss her, wanting to know if she’d let me. Women had rarely refused me, but Aria wasn’t like them.
Her eyes grew wide. “What are you doing?”
Man, did she have to act as if I were a creep who’d trapped her in a dark alley? “I’m not going to take you, if that’s what you’re worried about. I can wait a few more days. I’ve waited three years, after all.”
Fury flickered across her pretty face, and I fucking loved the sight of it. “You called me a child last time.”
She remembered that? I let my eyes trail over her amazing body, then smirked. “But you aren’t a child anymore.” Damn it, I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted a woman, but the horrified glint in her eyes stopped my cock from getting any ideas. I moved even closer. “You’re making this really hard. I can’t kiss you if you look at me like that.”
“Then maybe I should give you that look on our wedding night,” the little vixen actually said. Two could play that game.
“Then maybe I’ll have to take you from behind so I don’t have to see it.”
It was meant as a joke, even if the idea of having her perfect butt propped up in front of me was too good. Aria paled and flinched away from me before bumping into the fucking wall. For fuck’s sake, did she really think I’d throw her on the bed and mount her from behind in our first night together? Not that I didn’t have the intention to have her braced on all fours in front of me while I slammed into her, but that would have to wait until later. From her fearful expression, she really thought I’d take her virginity like a beast.
Stifling my annoyance, I said in as calm a voice as I was capable of, “Relax. I was joking. I’m not a monster.”
“Aren’t you?”
What the fuck? I hadn’t come here to let her insult me. If she wanted to see me as a monster, then I could gladly act like one. I glared down at her. “I wanted to discuss the matter of your protection with you. Once you move into my penthouse after the wedding, Cesare and Romero will be responsible for your safety. But I want Romero at your side until then.”
“I have Umberto,” she said with a frown.
Right. That’s why I could walk into their suite without anyone trying to stop me. “Apparently, he’s taking too many toilet breaks. Romero won’t leave your side from now on.”
“Will he watch me when I shower, too?”
Not in a million years. “If I want him to.”
Defiance returned with full force. “You would let another man see me naked? You must really trust Romero not to take advantage of the situation.” She tried to make herself taller, which was still more than a head smaller than me.
“Romero is loyal,” I said, then bent down until we were at eye level. “Don’t worry, I’ll be the only man to ever see you naked. I can’t wait.” I made a show of undressing her with my eyes, and of course she wrapped her arms around herself, looking as if she were about to cry. I couldn’t deal with crying women.
“What about Lily?” she asked quietly. If she didn’t stop looking so damn vulnerable, I might feel the need to console her, and that would be a fucking premiere for me. I wasn’t the consoling type. “She and Gianna share this suite with me. You saw how Lily can be. She’ll flirt with Romero. She’ll do anything to get a rise out of him. She doesn’t realize what she could get herself into. I need to know that she’s safe.”
“Romero won’t touch your sister. Liliana is playing around. She’s a little girl. Romero likes his women of age and willing,” I told her. I trusted Romero. He took his job seriously, and no matter how much Aria’s little sister flirted, it wouldn’t change the fact that she was a kid. I knew there were Made Men that wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of a girl that age, and even some who preferred them that young, but those pieces of shit would never be in my inner circle.
Aria’s eyes found the bed, and I wondered what she was thinking. Before my own dirty mind could start imagining all the things I wanted to do with her, I said, “There’s something else. Are you taking the pill?”
“Of course not.” It was almost cute how offended she was by my question.
“Your mother could have made you start it in preparation for the wedding.” I had absolutely no intention of using a fucking condom with my wife. I wanted to bury my cock in Aria’s pussy without anything between us. I was the only man who’d ever have her, and I had always made sure to use a condom with the women I’d fucked in the past.
Aria’s lower lip trembled. “My mother would never do that. She won’t even talk to me about these things.”
I loved that Aria was only mine, but I wasn’t used to this level of inexperience. Only half-joking, I asked, “But you do know what happens between a man and a woman on a wedding night?” If I had to give her the sex talk, I’d have to fucking kill someone, or I’d seriously lose my shit.
“I do know what happens between normal couples. In our case, I think the word you’re looking for is rape.”
Fury burst through my body, making me want to lash out at anything and anyone. I’d gotten better at controlling myself over the years, but I still had to wait a moment before I was sure I wouldn’t snarl at her. “I want you to start taking the pill.” I handed her the packet the Doc had given me.
“Don’t I need to see a doctor before I start taking birth control?”
“We have a doctor who’s been working for the Famiglia for decades. This is from him. You need to start taking the pill immediately. It takes 48 hours for them to start working.”
“And what if I don’t?” she challenged. Anger was still simmering under my skin, but when wasn’t it? “Then I’ll use a condom. Either way, on our wedding night, you’re mine.” I opened the door. Aria staggered out. I hadn’t meant to terrify her, but she’d better get used to it. I wasn’t a kind man.
CHAPTER 5
Father sat with a self-righteous expression in the pew at the front as if this wedding was his ultimate triumph. I didn’t think a marriage to Aria would lead to indefinite peace with the Outfit. Maybe the euphoria of the union would carry us through a few more years, but that was it.
Matteo leaned closer when the string quartet and piano started to play, announcing Aria’s entry.
“Nervous? These are your last moments as a free man.”
I rolled my eyes at him. A marriage wouldn’t bind me the same way it would bind Aria. And free? That’s not something I’d ever been. From birth, I’d been bound to the Famiglia, and that wouldn’t change until my death. The Famiglia was the only thing that mattered in my life.
Matteo let out a low whistle and I followed his gaze toward the back.
Aria stood at the end of the aisle, white and golden. My eyes drank in every inch of her body, but a veil covered her face. My stomach did tighten for only a moment before I reined myself in.
When she and her father arrived in the front, he finally lifted her veil and, for the briefest moment, before Aria could mask it, I could see
utter fear in her eyes. Damn it. Damn them all for forcing her into a marriage with me. But most of all, damn myself, because nothing in the world would have stopped me from making her mine, not anymore, not ever.
I held out my hand and Scuderi gave her to me with almost the same self-righteous smile my father wore on his face. Aria didn’t look at me. She was fighting for composure. Her hand was cold in mine, and a tremor went through her body.
I wasn’t sure what she expected of me.
The priest in his white frock greeted us, then the guests, before he began his opening prayer. It was tradition to get the church’s blessing, but I didn’t believe in a god. I doubted we’d all be here if there was one.
“Luca and Aria,” the priest addressed us. “Have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage? Will you love and honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?”
Love. As if this marriage was about love. I didn’t love anyone and never would. Love was a weakness. Aria’s hand stiffened, and I wondered if she was stupid enough to hope for something like that. I would treat her with respect and perhaps even come to tolerate her as a partner, but love her? I almost laughed. The Famiglia, that was the only love I had. “Yes,” I said, because it was expected. Aria’s own yes held no hesitation.
The priest nodded, satisfied. “Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, join your right hands and declare your consent before God and his Church.”
I took Aria’s hands in mine and turned toward her. For the first time since she’d lifted the veil, she met my eyes. Her face didn’t betray anything, but her eyes couldn’t hide her emotions. Fear. Despair. Hopelessness.
Anger filled my bones. “I, Luca Vitiello, take you, Aria Scuderi, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”