Page 9 of Ruthless God

There was an intensity in his eyes that I didn’t think anyone had ever looked at me with before. What was he thinking? Why was he looking at me like that? And did he… like what he saw?

What did I hope for the answer to be? For him to like what he saw or not?

I gulped, thinking about all the ways it could be bad for me, no matter what the answer might be.

“Shall we move to the dining room?” Andre asked.

I couldn’t help the small flinch when Andre wrapped his arm around me, trying to direct me away.

Massimo held out his hand, halting everything.

How I wished I had the same power.

Massimo looked over my head to Andre, and I swore his eyes hardened as he took in the smaller man. But that couldn’t be right. Why would Massimo harbor any animosity toward Andre?

“I wish to speak to my fiancée alone,” Massimo said.

No one said anything for a moment. Then my mom sputtered, drawing everyone’s attention. “Luna is unmarried. And has never been alone with another man…”

She trailed off when she found the dark look on Massimo’s face. I was just trying hard to avoid eye contact with everyone. A part of me hoped Mom would have been able to convince Massimo that his talking alone with me was a bad idea.

I knew Massimo wasn’t the kind of man to bend toward anyone, least of all my mom, who was nothing more than a woman in this world.

“Do you believe I don’t have enough self-control that I would tarnish her if left alone for a mere five minutes?”

Romeo laughed, startling me. “I know our reputation is impressive, but I hadn’t realized it would bethatimpressive.”

Mom blushed and looked away.

“Five minutes,” Massimo said, the tone of his voice leaving no room for arguments. “Then I will bring her back,fully intact.”

I looked down on the floor at my feet, then to Massimo’s feet while everyone moved out of the room.

My nude pumps looked small and delicate next to his shiny black Oxfords. The contrast was just so obvious.

I blinked.

For a full minute, we said nothing.

Then Massimo broke it by saying, “Won’t you look at me?”

I sucked in a sharp breath. I knew of his reputation. Everyone knew of his reputation. At least, most people in our world did.

But what was he like behind closed doors? Was he just as ruthless as everyone made him out to be in public?

I looked up and met his green eyes for five long seconds before I couldn’t take it anymore and stared at his nose instead. Even so, I could see the way his jaw tensed… perhaps in annoyance with me.

“Like it or not, we’re going to be married in three days’ time.”

I nodded when he didn’t say anything after a beat. He was obviously waiting for an answer from me.

“It would make things easier if you could get comfortable around me.”

I shot him a look. How did he expect me to just get “comfortable” around him? His lips tilted up in a small smirk. “To start, perhaps you should stop being so scared of me.”

My eyes widened. Had my fear been obvious? I thought I hid it well.

That smile of his widened, and despite looking so… rough andscary, he was something else when he smiled.