Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 43928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
"This belonged to my mother," I murmur, sliding it onto her finger, our eyes tangled. It's slightly too big for her. "We'll get it resized."
"You…don't have to do that, Mattia."
"We'll get it resized."
She huffs quietly and then nods. "Thank you."
"May this ring be a constant reminder of the promises you have made today," Abernathy says. "By the power vested in me by the State of Illinois and by the power of your own commitment, I now pronounce you married. Mattia, you may kiss your bride."
I tug her toward me and lean down, touching my lips to hers in a soft kiss. I intend it to be short and sweet, but my cock throbs as soon as I feel her against me.
Fucking hell. I've never wanted anything the way I want this girl.
I deepen the kiss without meaning to do it, devouring her like a man starving for another taste of heaven. Maybe I am. It's all I can think about since she let me touch her—claiming her, consuming her, ruining her.
I don't give a fuck about the bigger picture here. My mother's ring is on her finger because I wanted it there. It was pure selfishness. And goddamn, I should regret that. I should feel bad about it. My loyalty has always been to Rafe and his brothers. But for the first time in my life, I feel it shifting.
She'll own me if I let her. Destroy me if I'm not careful. And right now, I don't fucking care. I want it. Whatever destruction she brings, whatever madness this is, I want to feel every second of it.
She whimpers softly before I wrench my mouth from hers, panting for breath. Her eyes flutter open, locking with mine.
I groan, burying my face in her hair. "You're mine now, cara mia."
"Mattia," she whispers as if in a dream.
Dio. I'm fucked every which way one can be fucked. And I don't care.
We sign the license and then I show Abernathy and Coda out, leaving Aurelia in the living room.
"I'll deal with Rafe," I remind Coda.
"This is your bullshit to clean up, not mine," he says with a shake of his head. "I'm keeping my fucking mouth shut."
Can't say I blame him for that. He's had more than enough of his own shit lately. His wife was kidnapped because her father, the former Police Commissioner, was a corrupt prick. He murdered Coda's parents a long time ago. The bastard had the sense to save his daughter before Coda forced him out of Chicago, but they'll never forgive him for what he did.
Frankly, I would have killed him. But Coda didn't want her to live with his death on her conscience. He put her through enough. So at least Karina will have one decent memory of the motherfucker.
It'll never make up for the years of awful shit he did, but when she thinks about him, she shouldn't have to only remember the terrible shit for the rest of her life. Coda was smart enough to give her that measure of peace.
"Keep an eye on Brio," I mutter to him. "I want to know what the fuck he's doing."
"Will do." He ducks outside, glancing over his shoulder at Aurelia. "Keep an eye on her. She may shiv you in your sleep."
"Vaffanculo."
His laughter floats back to me as he jogs down the steps. I lock the door before turning back to Aurelia to find her examining the marriage license.
"Thinking about tearing it up, topolina?"
She lowers it an inch to scowl at me over the top. "Thought about it. Decided you'd probably just drag him back here and make him redo the whole thing."
"Accurate assessment." I stroll toward her. "We can't file it if it doesn't exist."
"You're making ripping it up sound better and better," she says sweetly. And then she frowns. "Seriously, though. How did he get a license so fast?" Her brows furrow. "Did you threaten him?"
I pause midstep, eyeing her. "You think I threaten people to get what I want?"
She shrugs. "You threatened me."
Fuck. Is that what she thinks?
"I didn't threaten him, Aurelia."
"Then how'd he get a license and show up here so fast? There's a waiting period, isn't there?"
I stride the rest of the way toward her, carefully taking the document and folding it up before putting it in my breast pocket for safekeeping. "I'm a powerful man with powerful friends," I say, holding her gaze. "And he has habits he'd rather no one knows about. He owed me a favor for keeping quiet about what I know. He waived the waiting period for us. Judges are able to do that."
"Oh."
"When I said your life was in danger, I wasn't threatening you either, cara mia. I told you before I ever brought you here that I won't hurt you. I meant that."
"You said I might not survive if I didn't marry you, Mattia. How is that not a threat?"