Page 20 of Sev’s Blackmailed Bride (The Dante Dynasty #1)

He’d said the wrong thing. Instantly, she ripped free of his embrace. “There’s only one way that’s possible. Ican work for you or I can sleep with you. But I refuse to do both. It’s your choice, Sev.”

She gazed at him and he could see the burgeoning hope in the inky darkness, ahope he had no option but to crush. “I believe we’ve already had this conversation. You work for Dantes.”

He forced himself not to flinch at the acrid disillusionment that shattered the last of her hope. Her chin shot up and she embraced her fury. God, she was even more gorgeous, if that were possible, filled with righteous indignation and feminine power .

“You’re the consummate businessman to the bitter end, aren’t you, Sev?” she said bitterly. “No matter who gets in your way or how many get hurt.”

He opened the door a crack so she could see inside. “There’s never been any other choice for me. My family has always depended on me to be the ruthless one.”

“I’m not in your way, Sev.”

He inclined his head. “Not anymore. You need to understand, sweetheart, that my family still depends on me to make the hard decisions. If I don’t make them, if I’m too weak to make them, Iput Dantes at risk again.”

“Fine. Now you’ve made one more hard decision. You’ve chosen Dantes over our relationship.” She stepped back. “Just don’t expect me to reward you for that decision.”

He dared to touch her a final time. He scraped his knuckles along the curve of her cheek and pretended not to see her flinch. “I’m sure that’s your intention now. But you will be back in my bed. There won’t be any other choice.” He smiled, apainful pull of his mouth. “For either of us.”

F rancesca twisted the engagement ring she’d worn for the past ten days, the fire diamond flashing fiercely up at her. It still surprised to discover it decorating her finger. “Who all will be at your grandparents’ house for dinner?” she askedSev.

He shot her a quick glance of reassurance, which dashed any hopes that he hadn’t picked up on her nervousness. “Just Nonna, Primo, and my brothers this time around. I’ll save the rest of the family for another occasion.”

“Oh.” She started to twist her hands together again, but the fire diamond stopped her, flashing an additional message of reassurance. To her amusement, it worked and she found herself relaxing despite herself. “Does your family get together often?” she asked, honestly curious.

“Once a month without fail.”

“Do they know our engagement isn’t real?”

“It is real. For now. As far as my family’s concerned, you and I are engaged,” he warned. “I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t disabuse them of that notion.”

Her brows pulled together. “And how did you explain the suddenness of it? Or the fact that I used to work at TH and now work for you? ”

“Easy. Itold them we had no choice. It was The Inferno.” He shrugged. “I didn’t need any other explanation after that.”

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth.

So much for relaxing. Whenever she’d been sent to a new foster home, that first meeting always proved the most difficult for her.

Most of the time she walked into situations where the other foster children, or her foster parents’ natural children, had already formed tight family units.

Sure, they always welcomed her. At first. But she dreaded those early days of adjustment, hovering on the outside of their too jovial camaraderie as she tried to figure out how to best fit in.

What hole she could fill, regardless of whether the fit felt comfortable.

This time around they all believed her madly in love with Sev. How could she possibly convince them of that? “I don’t think I can pull this off.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he told her softly. “We won’t stay long if you’re not enjoying yourself.”

“I’ll be fine.” And she would. She could handle the situation. After all, she wasn’t a lost child any longer. And if she’d learned nothing else during those formative years, she’d learned how to fakeit.

To her delight, she discovered she didn’t have to fake anything. From the moment she and Sev walked in the door, the Dantes welcomed her with open arms. Primo and Nonna both gave her exuberant hugs, exclaiming in pleasure over her choice of engagementring.

“It’s a stunning design,” Francesca complimented Primo with utter sincerity. “I told Sev how envious I am that it isn’t my own creation.”

“I am honored,” he said, clearly moved. “And I am even more honored that you have chosen this particular ring to wear for as many years as God blesses your marriage.”

The breath caught in her lungs, the weight of his words pressing down on her. “Thank you,” she managed to answer, shooting Sev a look of clear desperation.

He responded by lifting her left hand to his mouth in a move that should have come across as hackneyed. Instead it struck her as unbelievably endearing. Her throat closed as his gaze linked with hers. And just like that, in front of all the Dantes, The Inferno struck and she totally melted.

Nonna dabbed at her eyes and smiled at Primo reminiscently. Then she clapped her hands together, scolding in Italian. As one, the Dante men shuffled toward the kitchen, where they switched from English to Italian. Sev leftlast .

He ran his thumb along the curve of her bottom lip. “You okay?” he asked quietly.

She blew out her breath in a sigh, murmuring in an undertone, “Well, Idon’t think we have to worry about whether or not they believe our engagement is real.”

He bent and captured her mouth, no doubt because he knew she didn’t dare protest. Not that protesting occurred to her until long after he’d released her. “No, we don’t.”

Nonna grinned as she watched their parting. “It is good, what you have. Special.”

“I think complicated might be a more accurate description.”

Nonna nodded in agreement. “With Dante men, it can be nothing less.” She gathered Francesca’s hand in hers.

“He needs you, that one. Oh, you may look at him and wonder. He is so strong. So hard-nosed. He is quite capable of standing on his own. But he has had to be. He has had no choice but to take the one path open to him. Anything else would have meant disaster for his family.”

“Because—” Francesca broke off, realizing it might not be politic to mention her son’s poor business skills had almost destroyed the business her husband built.

Nonna nodded. “You are tactful. Iappreciate that. But what you are thinking is true. Dominic almost destroyed Dantes.” Lines of grief couldn’t detract from a face still handsome despite the weight of her years. “If not for Severo, Dantes would be no more.”

“It couldn’t have been easy for him.”

“It was more than difficult. The decisions he has made...” Nonna shook her head. “Any man would find them near to impossible. But at so young an age, so soon after the death of his mother and father?” She clicked her tongue in distress.

“You’re saying he had to be ruthless.” As he’d proven to her on more than one occasion these past weeks.

“Yes.” Nonna closed her eyes and whispered a silent prayer.

Then she looked at Francesca, joy replacing her sorrow.

“But then he found you. He needs you, ciccina . You soften him. And after all that has been forced on him, all the horrible choices, you give him peace. Best of all, you give him The Inferno.”

With a grateful smile, she linked arms with Francesca and urged her toward the kitchen. It troubled Francesca to see the situation from Sev’s side of the fence. She didn’t want to sympathize with all he’d been through.

Worse, rather than fading, her physical and emotional response toward him grew progressively stronger with each passing day.

Considering all that stood between them, it would make life easier if it would just go away.

She entered the kitchen and spared him a swift look, confirming those feelings weren’t going anywhere anytimesoon.

To her surprise, she spotted Primo at the stove, commandeering the burners like an admiral overseeing his fleet, while the Dante men moved in practiced synchronicity, taking care of all the domestic chores in preparation for themeal.

Her surprise must have shown because Nonna grinned. “This is my night off. It is a Dante tradition,” she explained, gesturing toward her grandchildren. “They take care of me on family day.”

“I like that.” Francesca’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “They do dishes, too, right? You don’t get stuck with those?”

“No, no.” She gave a broad wink. “I am too clever for that. Here. You take Gianna’s seat next to me. She’s in L’Italia . Visiting famiglia with her parents and brothers. You will meet them next time.”

Assuming there was a next time, Francesca almost said, before catching back the words at the last second.

Fortunately, dinner came together just then and the Dante men descended on the table like they hadn’t eaten in a month.

After grace, conversation exploded, for the most part in English, occasionally in Italian, as a bewildering array of dishes passed back and forth.

The choices were endless. Marinated calamari vied with panzanella . Cannellini beans cooked with garlic, olive oil and sage competed with stuffed tomatoes. Then the main dishes marched around the table. Chicken Marsala with red peppers, tortellini, pasta with a variety of sauces.

“Save room for dessert,” Sev warned as he piled her foodhigh.

She shook her head at the overloaded plate. “I can serve myself, you know.”

He gave her a look a shade too innocent. “I just wanted to make sure you try a bit of everything.”

She knew him too well to buy into that one. “I think you want to stuff me full of carbs so my brain goes to sleep.”

“Now why would I want to do that?” But his mouth twitched, giving himaway.

“So I can’t think fast enough to argue with you.”

He grinned. “But, cara , Ilove arguing with you.”