Page 35 of Cruelest Contract (Storm’s Eye Ranch)

Alice inspects me for a few more seconds and then brightens when she decides I’m sincere. “That girl is priceless and don’t you forget it, Mr. Julian, or I’ll have to bust out The Treatment.”

I don’t know what The Treatment is. I don’t particularly care.

Anyway, Alice is done with me. She flounces away to hug her best friend and admire Cecilia’s ring.

The thick tungsten carbide band on my left hand is black with a strip of rose gold to match Cecilia’s ring set. Aside from my pinky ring, engraved with the ranch brand and received by each of us boys on our eighteenth birthday, it’s the only jewelry I’ll ever agree to wear.

Getty steps up and I brace myself for some torment. Unfortunately, I can’t throttle him with my bride standing a few feet away. I’ll just have to settle for gritting my teeth and taking the abuse.

However, he’s nearly serious as he watches Cecilia laughing with her best friend. “You could have done a lot worse,” he finally says with a shrug.

“Just don’t make her life so miserable that she regrets marrying me.”

He snorts. “If that girl regrets marrying you, big brother, it won’t be my doing.”

Mel claps her hands to get our attention before she begins herding us all to the dining room. The house smells like garlic and baking bread. I’m told the kitchen has been working on the menu all week.

The wedding party is seated at a separate table at the front of the room. I’ve got Tye next to me on one side and Cecilia on the other. Alice keeps her busy, talking a mile a minute while Tye entertains himself by flipping his spoon into his wine glass.

For once, the banquet-sized dining room table is full.

My father, as always, presides at the head.

Mel should sit and enjoy the meal but instead she dashes in and out of the room, anxiously ensuring every dish is perfect before allowing it to be set on the table.

The cowboys remove their hats and all look slightly awed to be eating in here.

Only Miguel, who has been invited to sit down here to dinner plenty, appears to be relaxed as he gulps wine and talks to my cousin Nico.

Cecilia nods when I excuse myself from our table. After a few tries I catch Sonny’s eye and motion to him that I’d like a word in private. He hustles over to join me at the window. I glance at Cecilia and see she’s preoccupied, giggling with Alice.

“No issues?” I say to Sonny.

“Nah,” he says. “All quiet. Only that one uninvited guest and he settled down in a hurry.”

I look at the table and find Matthias Grimaldi’s glacial eyes are trying to bore a hole into my head.

His muscled arms are crossed, his food is untouched, and he never completely lost his scowl.

Beside him, Angelo is undeterred by his broken nose and shovels food into his mouth like a starving stray dog.

“Move both Grimaldi boys out of here tonight,” I say. “Get them a room in town on our dime. Fly them anywhere they want to go in the morning.”

“You got it,” he says.

“How’s the cabin looking?”

“Fully outfitted with all the bells and whistles. Sensors on every door and window. Exterior cameras. No blind spots. I checked it out myself. It’s on a separate system from the main house but an alert will be sent to the barracks if anything should get tripped up.

I sent you the app link with a temporary password.

Left a loaded shotgun under the bed. Pistol in the nightstand. Tye double checked everything.”

“Appreciate all you did,” I say. I like to think I’m less suspicious than my father. Maybe not. Maybe something essential broke in me the day my mother was murdered and it can’t be fixed.

Cecilia’s history is just as brutal. I won’t take chances. She needs to know she’s safe here with us. Storm’s Eye Ranch is her home now.

Sonny gets flagged down by my father and I return to my table in time to hear Tye trying to convince Alice that it’s tradition for the maid of honor to give the best man a ceremonial lap dance.

Cecilia rolls her eyes. “Don’t listen to him. Tiberius likes to run his mouth but he only pretends to be predatory. He’s as intimidating as a kitten.”

Tye leans way over and flashes a wicked grin. “But I’m ten times cuter. You should have married me instead.”

I shove him back into his own seat and drape my arm across the back of Cecilia’s chair. She rubs her palm over her bad knee. It’s a habit, something she does when she’s feeling anxious.

I move my arm and find her hand, lacing our fingers together. She turns her head and looks at me. Once again I’m rocked to the fucking core by the fact that this beautiful girl is now mine.

MY WIFE.

Those two words together conjure all the primal senses. I fucking need to be alone with her.

“You want to get out of here soon?” I ask her.

Her lips tilt up at the corners. “Yes. But Enzo worked hard on a cake. Cherry filling with buttercream frosting. Mel says it’s your favorite. We need to stay a little longer.”

I’m about to make a case for a counterargument when my father suddenly stands. His wine glass is in his hand and I assume he’s about to make a toast.

“Let’s all raise a glass to congratulate my son and his beautiful bride. And now they’ll give us the privilege of watching them share their first dance together.”

Shit. This is news to me. I don’t know what he’s up to. There wasn’t supposed to be any dancing today.

Judging by the wide-eyed expression on my wife’s face, she’s not in on the joke. She looks to me for an explanation but I have none.

Sonny waits until he receives a cue from my father and then he squints at his phone. The sound system was recently upgraded for the digital age and within seconds the first notes of music drift from the hidden speakers in all four corners of the room.

The hair stands up on the back of my neck. I recognize the song immediately.

How could I not?

It’s there in the grainy footage of my parents’ wedding three decades ago as they shared their first dance.

I knew the lyrics long before I knew the title.

When my mother was alive, she used to coax my father into dancing with her in the foyer late at night.

I’d watch them from the stairs, curious about why they thought dancing to some old song with goofy smiles was fun.

On instinct, I seek out my brothers, one by one. Tye frowns and stares down at his empty wine glass. Fort leans back in his chair with his brow furrowed. Getty watches our father with no trace of amusement.

They know this song as well as I do. We’ve heard it coming from our father’s study often enough. Lately, we’ve heard it more frequently.

My father’s eyes are on me. I don’t have the heart to refuse him. Cecilia, I hope, will forgive me for that after I’d promised this day would be entirely hers.

I squeeze her hand. Part apology, part request. She comes willingly when I pull her to her feet and lead her to the middle of the room.

Her eyes are full of questions. My hands drop to her waist and she allows me to hold her close. An uncanny sense of déjà vu makes no sense. I’ve never danced with anyone before.

“What song is this?” Cecilia whispers. “I’ve heard your father playing it in his office.”

“It’s called Lost In Your Eyes . It was their song.”

“Theirs? Your parents?”

“Yes.”

She lays her cheek on my chest and I hold her in my arms. We’re barely swaying as the music plays.

“I’m sorry I’ve been gone so much,” I tell her.

She lifts her head, already smiling. “Make it up to me later.”

Fuck yes. That goes without saying. I hope she got plenty of rest last night. I plan to be extremely demanding once the sun goes down.

She settles into my chest again. I rest my chin on top of her head.

“You’re not a brick in my empire,” I whisper into her hair.

But at the same time, yelling explodes at the table when Getty steals a slab of pork from Fort’s plate.

“What did you say?” Cecilia looks up at me.

The song is on its last notes. Instead of repeating my words, I seal the moment in both our memories with a kiss.