Page 52

Chapter 52

Massimo

All Nova wants is a peaceful life free of monsters.

I can't give her that, but I will give her everything else.

I reach beneath the middle shelf, my fingers brushing against the hidden lever embedded in its underside. With a quick pull, a section of the bookshelf swings open.

"What the hell?" Vito eyes widen. "Do you have a secret underground passageway, too?"

I look at him in question; Vito lives in a penthouse.

He shakes his head with a grin. "Long story." Then inclines his chin. "What's behind the mystery door?"

In answer, I pull the door open, revealing the safe room. Stepping inside, my eyes immediately lock on Nova, as if I instinctively know where to find her. An apology is on my lips for how long it took to get rid of Vincenzo, but it dies.

Her eyes are huge, looking exactly like a doe caught in the crosshairs of the hunter's gun, knowing it's about to be shot through the heart. Fear ripples off her.

I frown. "Princess. This is my brother, Vito. He won't hurt you."

Vito has that apex lethal predator vibe that rolls off him, but with our family, it's tempered by his easy humor.

"Hi, Nova," Vito says with a welcoming smile.

She shrinks back.

What's going on ?

Where's my princess? The one with the hellcat inside her. The one who has been walking through the fires of hell to step out on the other side forged into my queen.

"Nova."

She shrinks further at my voice.

Which pisses me the fuck off; she is never to bow to anyone, not even me. I want her fire and fight.

The sound of Gemma's voice comes from two places—behind me, in the office, where she just entered, and from the computer monitor on the desk.

Suddenly, understanding hits me: from the safe room, Nova saw and overheard everything in my office. Both tonight and that night of Vito's surprise visit when I hid her in here. When I said, " Why would I want that snake's spawn? "

Regret coils with my angst that she heard those false words, but this newfound understanding explains a lot. It helps me better understand her and her actions.

Nova thinks I'm still using her for my own gain. And yet, she has been using me, too. Because when I came back into the safe room that night, that's when she told me she wanted me to take her virginity. My little hellcat wanted to use me, so she could remove her virginity—that power piece—off the chessboard so her father couldn't use it for his gain.

I smile as happiness and joy fill me.

My little princess, my little hellcat, my queen, has been standing up for herself right under my nose.

But right now, her reaction isn’t standing up for herself.

So what happened to cause her to react this way?

It hits me then: I never responded to Vito’s statement in my office.

And without any context—combined with Nova’s belief that I’m using her and the psychological warfare she's endure under Mancini's control—she likely thinks some punishment or twisted lesson is coming.

For the thousandth time, I curse Mancini for what he did to this beautiful creature. How he tried to break and mold her into what he wanted. I will cut the head off that snake, and spend my entire life, if that's what it takes, helping Nova heal and become the woman she's always hid from her monstrous father.

Vito looks at me, concerned about Nova's reaction, and I motion to the door. He turns on his heel and leaves.

I walk to the computer monitor and turn the volume down so Nova doesn't hear the quick plans Vito is making with Gemma. I want to tell her myself.

I want nothing more than to give this stunning woman the wedding of her dreams. And I wanted her to truly trust me when she said her vows. But I can't delay any longer.

I step toward Nova. She watches me warily but doesn’t step back.

"We're going to do something that will keep you safe from your father and Julien Moreau, princess. Will you trust me?"

The uncertainty that flashes across her features nearly guts me, and I renew my vow to redeem myself in her eyes and earn her trust.

She studies me as if trying to see inside my mind, then she finally nods.

I extend my hand to her. She hesitates for a moment, then slips her small hand into mine. The touch grounds me, enveloping me in a sense of peace.

Unable to resist, I pull her to me, tilting her chin up. Bending down, I kiss her gently, my heart beating faster as I feel the warmth of her against me.

Her response is tentative at first but quickly turns more confident. I wrap my arms around her, feeling her fit so perfectly with my body. Kissing her more deeply, I fight the urge to smile as her hands begin to explore my body, and she becomes more sure of herself, more demanding of what she wants.

Vito clears his throat behind me. "Ready when you two are, brother."

"Give us a minute."

As I hold Nova against my chest, she looks up at me, her lips pink and swollen from our kiss. I run a knuckle gently down her cheek.

"We're going to do something to protect you," I repeat and wait to continue until she nods, "That something will take place in my office with Vito. Gabe, Gemma, and Jerome will be our witnesses."

Her brow furrows. "What do you mean? "

I gently cup her face. "We're going to get married."

The bombshell I dropped leaves her stunned and shell-shocked, and I give her time to process. As emotions flicker across her face, it's clear she's caught in an internal battle, torn between doubt and hope.

Doubt because, in her mind, why would I want the 'snake's spawn'? And hope that she can trust me to eliminate the threat that looms over her. And maybe, just maybe, part of that hope is that she can trust the feelings I've caught glimpses of during those brief moments when she wasn’t trying to hide herself from me.

"I would love nothing more than to give you the wedding of your dreams, but right now—"

"Your family," she blurts and tries to step back from me, but I hold her close. "They'll never accept a Mancini." She shakes her head. "You'd never align the Santoros with the filth of the Mancini empire."

"You're right." Hurt flashes over her face before she hides it, and I press on, "But you're nothing like them, Nova. And soon, the Mancini empire—your father, your brothers, all their vile men—will be destroyed." My grip tightens on her. "You are nothing like them. You're so much fucking more, and you will be my queen."

Her eyes fill with tears; tears of yearning.

I see you, Nova.

My thumb drifts up to press under her lashes to gather her tears, then I suck them from my thumb. "No more tears. No more lessons to learn. Never again. Please say you'll be my wife."

My entire body reacts to saying that phrase— my wife— out loud, and she reacts as well.

But even if she tells me no right now, we'll still marry because I need her safe. However, it will be so much better if she's willing.

"Yes." Her voice shakes, but she smiles.

Suddenly, I need this quick ceremony over with. Then I very much need my new wife in our bed and for me to rut into her like a wild beast to fill her to the brim with my cum.

Taking her hand in mine, I walk us out of the safe room and into my office .

Vito grabs some papers out of my printer that have just finished printing and grins. "We're all set with everything at the county clerk's office, and Guido sent over the license."

Gabe flashes Nova a smile as he stands beside Gemma, who’s beaming and holding out a handful of flowers from one of the vases around the house. Nova takes them with a stunned expression.

Jerome approaches Nova, looking at her like she's his beloved granddaughter, and offers her a silk blue scarf. "Something new and blue."

He discreetly hands me the ring box containing the ring I had made for Nova, which he retrieved from my bedroom.

Gemma unclasps her necklace with a gold horn Italian charm. "It's something old and borrowed, and it emulates good luck." She puts the necklace on Nova and steps back.

Vito steps forth with a smile. If someone would've asked me to guess the most crazy and unhinged thing my brother would do, going and getting ordained is the last thing ever that would've popped into my mind. "Ready?"

I gaze down at my soon-to-be wife, my tiny and fierce queen. Her eyes sweep up to mine, and her lashes are dewy with moisture. The doubt is still there, but she nods.

Vito's grin grows. "We are gathered here today for Massimo Salvatore Santoro and Nova Elena Mancini…"

I don't look away from Nova the entire time Vito recites the necessary, legally required pieces, along with his ad lib comments that make Nova smile. After I slip the custom-made ring on her dainty finger, and he pronounces us husband and wife, I growl, " My wife," and haul Nova into my arms.

In for a penny, in for a fucking pound.