Page 21 of Cruelest Contract (Storm’s Eye Ranch)

CECILIA

“ I ’ve got it,” Alice says. “This is an elaborate practical joke. They’re old family friends, right? Your brothers must have put them up to this.”

“They are completely serious. Trust me.”

“Of course I trust you. It’s these Torino men I don’t trust.”

“Tempesta. Not Torino.”

“Whatever. I’ll fly out there and have a chat with them.”

That would be a spectacularly bad idea.

On Sunday night I had to level with Alice and explain that I am staying with a very powerful Mafia family because the only way I can save my twin brother is to marry one of their four sons.

Alice did not receive this news well. In between all the “WHAAAAAT?” squeals of horror and the threats to drop everything and come here to confront the men of Storm’s Eye Ranch with the flamethrower she keeps in her garage, I finally impressed upon her that I was not in any danger.

There’s still the question about why exactly Alice owns a flamethrower but that’s a topic best reserved for another time.

It’s now been forty-eight hours since Alice learned that I’ve agreed to marry one of the Tempesta brothers. She is calmer but still in disbelief that this situation is real.

“Alice, listen to me. You cannot fly out here to yell at the Tempesta men. You cannot give them The Treatment. You cannot speak to them at all while I get this figured out and even then you really ought to keep your distance because they’re kind of scary.”

She lets out a cry of anguish. “Cecilia! You’re telling me a menacing posse of Mafia gangsters are forcing you into marriage and I’m just supposed to keep quiet about it. Where are your brothers? Where is Gabe? How can he let this happen?”

“Gabe is just trying to stay alive. Matthias is unreachable and Angelo would cheerfully throw me into a lake filled with piranha if my grandfather decreed it.”

She sniffs. “I hate your family. Sorry, I didn’t mean that. I know how much Gabe means to you. But I can’t stand seeing you used as a sacrificial lamb. What about what you want?”

My thumb absently clicks the top button of the gel pen in my hand. Another gift from Julian.

Two days ago, my first full day here, I visited the adorable town of Vigilance with Julian and Tye.

We stopped at the Vigilance Drugstore and I briefly paused to look at a display of some cute pen and notepad sets.

I touched a pink one, dotted with strawberries.

Then I forgot all about it until later, when I returned to my room and found a brown paper bag waiting in front of my door.

The pen and notepad set were inside. I still have no clue how Julian managed to pull this off without my knowledge but I’m sure it was him.

Julian notices details that skate right past other people. I’m still perplexed that I’m such an object of interest to him but if his goal is to win me over, he’s rapidly succeeding.

I look forward to seeing him. My heartbeat quickens whenever our eyes meet.

Last night when I pushed my hand into my own panties to give myself some essential relief after a confusing couple of days, I thought of Julian while I moved my fingers. The orgasm came quick and it was intense.

Afterwards, I was mortified to realize I’d moaned out loud.

By now I’ve learned my way around the house and I know Julian’s room is just down the hall. If he’d been walking by, he might have heard me getting myself off.

The prospect should feel embarrassing and it does. But it also feels exhilarating. Decadent. Every one of my sexual encounters has been tame. Pleasant, but unsurprising.

Something tells me Julian is far from tame between the sheets.

I release the clicker one final time and set the pen down beside my journal. “I’m not being forced into anything. I have a choice. And they won’t hurt me. I’m sure of that. Like I told you, I’ve known the Tempestas since I was a kid.”

Alice sighs on the other end of the line. But I take this as a sign that she and her flamethrower are willing to remain in Arizona for now.

“You like them,” she says. “Don’t you?”

“Not all of them,” I reply, thinking of Getty. The third Tempesta brother is the most unpredictable and he doesn’t seem at all interested in being liked. He’s the only member of the family I try to avoid.

But Tye, for all his irrepressible flirting, is funny and irreverent. I don’t mind his company.

Fort is devoted to the ranch and while he has his moments, he also shows shades of his eldest brother’s intelligence. We get along fine.

As for Julian…

“Tell me more about Julian,” says Alice, the mind reader. “He’s the oldest, right?”

“Yes. For starters, Julian has better manners than his brothers. He’s second only to their father and keeps everyone in line, whether they like it or not. He saved my life once.”

“How hot is he?”

My groan is automatic. “Scorching.”

She laughs. “Pics required.”

“I’ll try.”

Her laughter fades. “I’m worried about you.”

“I know what I’m doing,” I tell her, although I’m unsure if this is completely true.

Cass Tempesta is returning in three days. I’m expected to announce my decision then. I’ve been putting off a serious examination of my options by keeping busy.

The ranch is constantly active and there’s no shortage of things to see and do. Yesterday I got to bottle feed the orphaned twin calves in the big barn. I haven’t been inside the stables yet but I enjoy admiring the horses from a distance.

And the nearby small town of Vigilance is delightful.

I think of it as a western version of Lorelei Gilmore’s beloved Stars Hollow.

The Tempesta brothers are recognized everywhere we go.

Some of the greetings they receive are cautious.

Almost apprehensive. Even if their Mafia reputation was unknown, they’d still be men to reckon with.

“I really wish I knew him better,” I say to Alice.

“Hmph,” she replies. A disapproving noise.

Julian Tempesta is too clever to lay all his cards on the table. He allows me to see only what he wants me to see while he constantly calculates my reaction. It’s unnerving. And unfair.

“I feel like I’m out of my depth when I’m with him,” I admit. “Julian pulls all the strings. He has every situation under control.”

“Well,” says Alice with a huff, “then the great and powerful Julian needs to be in a situation he can’t control. If he wants you, and it sounds like he does, then he’ll play along. Make him jump through a few hoops. It’s the least he can do. What’s that noise?”

“My phone alarm.” I switch off the urgent sound of an old fashioned phone bell. “Dinner is in fifteen minutes and they take the dinner hour seriously around here.”

“Who do they think they are?” Alice grumbles. “Royalty?”

“More like high end cowboy Mafia scions.”

She snorts. “I’ve got a ton of grades to update as we hurtle toward the end of the school year so I’ll be awake late. Call me if you want to talk.”

“I will.”

“And do me a favor.”

“What’s that?”

“Remember that you are far better than all of them put together.”

The sudden sting behind my eyes warns that tears aren’t far behind. I haven’t been lucky in many areas of my life but whatever power of the universe gave me Alice as a best friend has my undying gratitude.

She blows me a kiss before hanging up.

With Alice’s supportive words fresh in my mind, I conduct a quick mirror check.

I look fine. I’m wearing a short sleeve white buttoned blouse with one of my favorite skirts; a summery, flowing maxi festooned with large peonies. Simple pink flats are on my feet.

I really do look fine. It’s a very typical, pretty outfit that I’d wear anywhere. To work. To the bookstore. To a bar. Alice would call it Cecilia Couture.

My eyes dart to the pen on the desk. Pink with pictures of strawberries along the shaft.

The reason Julian can read me so effortlessly is because I make it easy for him.

I’m already unbuttoning the blouse as I walk to the closet where I hung most of my clothes to smooth out the suitcase wrinkles. The dress I’m looking for is in the middle of the rack and it stands out because it’s so different from the rest of my wardrobe.

A moment later, I’ve hastily changed and returned to the mirror.

The new ankle-length dress is sapphire blue, an impulse purchase when I was shopping with Alice.

The chiffon fabric flows with seductive ease and the slit up the right side shows off some leg while still hiding the scars on the left.

The ribbed elastic bodice flatters my figure and the ruffled sleeves can be worn on the shoulder or off.

Feeling daring, I slide the sleeves down, revealing bare shoulders and a noticeable amount of cleavage, which isn’t my usual style.

A brief flicker of hesitation is dismissed. A moment ago I looked satisfactory. Now I look sexy.

After running a brush through my long hair and adding small diamond stud earrings, my Gemini necklace and a dash of lip gloss and mascara, I’m ready with a couple of minutes to spare. The last thing I do is slide my boots on.

Naturally, the person I enjoy running into the least is trotting up the stairs while I’m heading down.

Getty Tempesta pauses as we pass each other. A spark of hungry interest flares in his eyes as he looks me over. For a second I think he’s about to say something nice.

Just as quickly, his appreciative stare turns cynical. “Tell the boys I’ll be down shortly,” he says. “And try not to miss me too much.”

“No chance of that,” I mutter and lift my foot to take the next step down.

The long hem of my dress catches on the toe of my boot. I make a flailing grab for the railing, instantly sure that I’m about to take a wild tumble.

Luckily, Getty’s reflexes are virtually supernatural. A muscular arm shoots in front of me and I find myself hanging onto him like he’s a life preserver.

Getty leans in until I can feel the vibration of his dark chuckle on my neck. “You’ve got to be more careful around here,” he says.

I cringe away from him and grip the railing.