Page 31 of The Mafia's Bride

13

LEX

Well. That was certainly eventful.

Once the meal is concluded, it doesn’t take long for Sloane to escape the dining room in a huff of fury, a trail of flames laying in her wake. Ace lets her go, instead making polite conversation with Zia Maria.

They’re discussing which church to use. What colors the wedding will have. Who will be invited. Ace looks all too happy to let Zia Maria plan everything to the finest detail, grimacing at every suggestion.

I take the distraction to find my wayward fiancée, seeing her leaning against the wall for support. She’s so small and yet that dress is a beacon for me in the night.

Prowling over to her, I lean on my shoulder beside her, inhaling her delicious scent. I swear it torments me, lingering in my office even now a week later, of a reminder of the woman who has shattered my preconceptions and weaseled her way into my psyche.

“Plotting my death?”

She glares up at me. Those green eyes are full of hatred and fight. It draws me closer.

Ironic that she should hate me when I’m the one who was threatened upon entering this home. Twice.

Even now, with those blazing eyes, she’s working out something in her fascinating brain. She’s too spiteful to take this, too strong to allow it. My fiancée is planning something, I just don’t know what.

“Oh, I already know how to kill you. Just decidingwhen.”

I smirk at her candor. Not many people would feel so bold to speak to me in such a flippant way. “I prefer after our wedding. That way I’ll still get my wedding night.”

She shifts quickly, holding a serrated steak knife to my throat. I barely see her move. She must have taken it from the table.

She knew I’d corner her.Anticipatedit.

I can’t help but appreciate her foresight. Just like I thought, her mind is probably the most dangerous thing about Sloane O’Brien.

“You’ll never touch me,” she hisses, jaw clenched. “Call off the wedding, Alessio.”

I chuckle, ignoring how much I love hearing my name on her lips. It sounds right, her tongue rolling over the syllables. Have I ever been this gone before, over a stranger? “Not after this. You know the way straight to my black little heart.”

She presses the knife into my throat with a sharp sting, causing me to laugh. She’s drawn blood, the little devil. It rolls down my throat, blending into the wine stained into my collar.

I had been expecting a reaction, but throwing a wine glass at a leader of a criminal organization? Sloane does not disappoint.

“What would you do, if I did, little menace?” My words rumble over her face. “What would you give me to end this contract?”

I step closer, daring her to do something. In true Sloane fashion, she doesn’t back down but carves the knife in deeper. I smile, knowing I’ll have a scar from my bride.

“What do you want?”

I suck on my bottom lip, looking down at her but not seeing anything past those ruby lips.

The hopeful look on her face almost makes me feel guilty when I whisper, “Nothing. I’m keeping you, Sloane.”

Just to hurt me, her wrist flicks upward, sawing through my skin as the pain spikes. But it can’t hinder my draw to her, the arousal at her nearness. It’s becoming clear that I’m becoming infatuated with my bride.

“You might have me because of a contract, but I’ll never be yours.”

“No?” I tilt my head. “I can think of a few ways to change your mind.” I let the heat in my gaze linger, using my hand to tilt her chin up. “Open your legs, menace, and I can show exactly how good it’ll feel to be mine.”

Those eyes darken, a taunt on her lips. “You couldn’t get me off, with both hands and a map.”

I reach, frustration overpowering my control as one hand grips her throat, the other curling around her hip. I yank her into my chest, feeling the puff of wine-soaked air on my face as we collide.