Page 10 of Always Mine
“Just follow my lead and do not let go of my hand. Do you understand, Kitten?” She sucks in a surprised breath, then slowly lifts her head up to look at me, her eyes full of questions. I hope her acting skills hold up now, because the alternative is to haul her over my shoulder and carry her out of here, fireman-style.
“Hey, baby, ready to go? We promised Sebastian we’d ring in the new year at Bella Donna,” I say as I affectionately tuck her hair behind her ear.
Arty’s eyes flare in confusion at the term of endearment before he fixes his fake polite mask in place.
“Marco, I didn’t realize you made the guest list. What a surprise.”
“Perks of being this exquisite woman’s plus one,” I drawl, the raw need to punch him in his stupid mouth clawing at me.
“Oh yes, look at the time. Sorry, I didn’t realize. Good catching up, Arty,” Sophia says, genuinely sounding apologetic, even though he doesn’t deserve any of the good this woman has to offer.
With Sophia’s hand clasped in mine, I guide us towards the double doors of the grand entertaining area in the Princi mansion. I’d prefer to make an exit before Patrick has a chance to try and stop me from leaving with his daughter. There’s absolutely no way I’m backing down this time, and I’d like not to cause a scene, both for my mom’s sake and Sophia’s.
Unfortunately, it’s too much to ask, because Patrick’s low growl brings us to a stop. “Marco, where the hell do you think you’re going with my daughter? This is an event in her honor. She needs to be here. I warned you about what would happen if you didn’tchoose your friends more wisely. And I sure as hell don’t want my daughter anywhere near that shit.” He’s referring to my friendship with AJ and his threats to pull his backing if I didn’t heed his warning.
Stepping into my personal space, he delivers his final blow with a lethal low snarl. “Samuel is like a brother to me, but unlike your father, you’ve proven you don’t heed good advice. Don’t think for one second, I won’t do whatever it takes to put a stop to whatever this game is you’re playing.”
I may have let Patrick use me as a pawn to get his way once before but there’s no way I’ll stand by and let him do the same to his daughter. He just met his match in this fucked-up game of chess.
I close what little space is left between us. Our shoes toe to toe. Our noses almost touching. I want to take him by the lapels of his jacket and shake some sense into him, but I refrain. “Threaten me all you want, but I am not leaving here without her,” I hiss so only he can hear. “You fooled me into helping you manipulate her decisions once before. I won’t make the same mistake twice. Sophia is intelligent, powerful and capable of making her own decisions. Give her the god damn respect she deserves.”
I don’t need to look around; I know we’ve suddenly become the source of entertainment. Patrick’s wife Sienna comes to stand at his side, putting a hand on his chest to encourage him to take a step back. I feel a hand on my shoulder, lightly pulling me back too, but I keep my eyes trained on Patrick.
I realize it’s my mother when I hear her calm voice. “Patrick, we’ve got everything we need from a media perspective. Let them go ring in the new year together with the other kids at Bella Donna.”
“Marco,” my dad’s sharper voice cuts through my fury. “Your mother and I are about to head out for that job in Mexico. Is everything good here?”
Turning to meet his eye, I give him a reassuring nod to alleviate his concern about what has led to this very public display of defiance. “Yes, all good. We were just leaving. Safe travels.”
“Talk soon, son. Be safe.”
All eyes are glued to us, but I couldn’t care less. I throw one final “don’t fuck with me” glare at Patrick before we make a very dramatic exit. Sophia might be the belle of the ball, but I’m the mother-fucking beast. Checkmate.
Chapter seven
Push My Buttons
Marco
“Marco,whatdidyoujust do? Why would you cause a scene like that?” Sophia huffs as I pull her through the house, heels clapping loudly along the marble floors in time to my wild heartbeat.
“My dad looked like he was going to tear you to shreds. He’s going to lose his ever-loving mind if I don’t go back in there.”
Stopping only to grab our coats, I drape hers—a big, soft fluffy gray designer—over her shoulders, and mine over the crook of the elbow of my free arm. It might be in the minus degrees outside, but inside I’m at boiling point. For an intelligent man, Patrick Princi is a fucking imbecile when it comes to what, or rather who, is best for his only daughter.
Pulling the front door open with more force than necessary, I hail the valet and ask him to fetch my car. Gritting my teeth to stop the vitriol aimed at her father from spilling out, I turn to Sophia. Our faces are so close our noses touch.
“I don’t give a shit, Soph. I refuse to let him treat you like some sort of prize that he thinks he has a right to award to someone of his choosing. It’s your fucking life. Your fucking choice.”
“You would say that. You don’t have to deal with him,” she snaps, the puff of air that leaves her lips dusting mine. If only she knew.
“Truth or dare?” I grit out.
“What are we, fucking thirteen again?” she snarks back, but the deep swallow she takes betrays her.
“More like eighteen and almost twenty-two again. Now, truth or fucking dare?” Still nose to nose, I zero in on her lips, thinking about how good it would feel to sink my teeth into her plush bottom lip, inflicting pain before sucking it into my mouth to soothe it. She breaks through my thoughts with her hushed but defiant response.
“Dare,” she whispers back with a glint in her eyes telling me she remembers. There she is. My sassy girl.