Page 70 of Savage Vows

In instant surrender, she does, and I capture her mouth in a passionate, demanding kiss. She melts into me, her body pressed against mine, and I know she can feel how much I already desire her.

My tongue sweeps against hers, and I taste her sweetness, explore her responses. I want her to understand that this may have started as a decree from my father, but it has quickly become so much more.

I reach my hand beneath her sweater to cup her breast and abrade her nipple with my thumbnail.

She lifts onto her tiptoes and wraps her arms around my neck, seeking more, offering me everything.

Like the greedy man I am, I take it.

When we finally step apart, her gaze is still on mine. “I have another update for you.”

“Do you?”

“I made sure all of my belongings were moved into your room.”

Fuck.Even though she was a brat this morning, one who earned a spanking before I left and turned my thoughts upside down, I couldn’t be happier with her. She took charge of the Chiara situation, and now this.

I traced her slightly swollen lower lip. “Shall I show you how I reward good girls, Alessia?”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Alessia

“How are you holding up?”

Bella’s question catches me off guard, making me pause with my water glass halfway to my lips. The crystal sparkles in the afternoon sunlight streaming through La Fontana’s floor-to-ceiling windows, and I use the moment of replacing it on the crisp white tablecloth to gather my thoughts.

“I’m…” The word “fine” dies on my tongue. After all, how do you tell someone you’re planning to run away from their family? Especially when that someone is not just the consigliere’s wife but also the family’s head of communications.

She waits patiently, her hazel eyes kind but knowing. Unlike me in my simple black sheath dress, Bella looks every inch the Mafia bride in a tailored pink power suit that no doubt cost the same as a month’s stay at Elysian Hall. But there’s nothing pretentious about her manner.

The restaurant hums with quiet conversation and the gentle clink of silverware against fine china. A server passes us,carrying a tray of perfectly seared scallops, and the aroma makes my mouth water despite my churning stomach.

“It’s complicated,” I finally admit.

“It usually is,” she agrees. “I remember.”

“But did you hate Nico at first?” The question slips out before I can stop it.

“Our relationship was a little different from yours.”

Oh?

“When I first met him, I didn’t know who he was at all.” She pauses. “In fact, he used a fake name.”

Her admission stuns me. “Really?”

“He turned on all the charm, made me fall in love with him, and he proposed. I was never happier.”

“So what happened?”

“We were having dinner with my brother, and he demanded to know if Nico had told me who he was.” She shrugs. “I was confused.”

In the course of a couple of minutes, she tells me that Nico blamed Bella’s brother for the death of his beloved younger sister. And he set about exacting revenge on her family.

He maneuvered finances and made strategic plans for years to own her family, culminating in breaking Bella’s heart.

“Oh my God.” I’m stunned. “How did you react when you found out who he really was?”