Page 362 of Under Her Skin

Christina had grinned and toasted her. “Hell, yes. Let’s drink tothat.”

God, thought Amalia. Their nights out drinking seemed so far away now. Would Jackson stop her from enjoying her freedom?Probably.

Amalia was nearly at the altar now, and she saw Macaulay Gallo smiling at her. Despite his weaknesses, she liked the old man …he just had no idea how to raise children and had left all the responsibility of the Gallo estate to Olivier. Amalia smiled back at him now. She could have worse as a father-in-law.

Then her eyes met the man standing next to Macaulay and her breath caught in her throat. Tall, athletic, with dark curls messy around his head, he glowered at her, his bright green eyes intensely fierce. His face was set grimly and he looked like the most dangerous man she’d everseen.

And the most devastatinglyhandsome…

Amalia stumbled a little and her father steadied her. The man, who she guessedhadto be Enda Gallo, stared at her.He hates me …he hates me …she thought, her heart sinking. There was no mistaking the man’s expression. Loathing. He looked like he wanted to killher…

Don’t be stupid. He doesn’t know you. And you don’t know him. Maybe that’s just how his face is; moody and dark, with a definite edge.His sensual mouth was set in a straight line, as if he were gritting his teeth, and Amalia felt as if she could feel the heat of anger coming from him. As she passed by him, she breathed in a wave of woodsy, clean cologne. It sent her senses reeling, and her body reacted, her nipples hardening and a pulse beating between her legs. He radiated pure animal, dangeroussex.

Even as she was saying her vows in a monotone, she could feel his eyes on her. As Jackson, his face set in the fakest smile she had ever seen, recited his own vows, Amalia chanced a glance at Enda Gallo. His eyes were fixed on her face, and briefly, Amalia entertained the fantasy that he would stop the wedding, grab her hand, and run away with her, intending to take her away and fuck hersenseless…

Woah …where did that come from?Ama struggled to pull her attention back to the present and realized, with a sinking heart, that she’d missed the moment. Her last moment of singlelife.

She wasmarried.

The greeting line,the dinner, and the speeches were all a blur. Ama didn’t bother to listen to the platitudes of her new husband. Even Macaulay seemed a little subdued. It was only when Olivier stood to speak that she took notice. He said all the things that were expected of him, and Ama could see he struggled with finding good things to say about his brother. When he turned to her, though, his eyessoftened.

“And to my new sister …I am very glad to have you in our lives, Amalia. We are privileged to have someone so brilliant, kind, and independent. I can assure you, sweetheart, that we will always care for you …and encourage you in your career andaspirations.”

His meaning was clear—don’t worry, we won’t let Jackson control you—and Ama smiled back at him warmly, mouthing ‘thank you’ to him. She had an ally. It made her feel more secure. She saw Enda Gallo at the back of the ballroom, propped against the bar. He met her gaze and Ama felt a flush creep up her face. Why did he have such a visceral, feral effect on her? It was a new feeling for her. She looked away, and when she looked back, he hadgone.

The reception seemedto go on for days, and by midnight, Amalia was drooping. She had changed from her wedding dress into a simple, dark burgundy slip dress, freeing her hair from the intricate bun she had worn for the ceremony and pulling it over oneshoulder.

She was tired of Jackson parading her around as if she were an object, and when she returned to the ballroom, she sought out her sister and Christina who were huddled in the corner, clearly making fun of the prissy societypeople.

“Ama!” Christina was already drunk, and Amalia grinned at her. Christina hugged her friend and looked her up and down. “That’s better. You look more like younow.”

“Agreed,” Ama laughed, but in the next moment, she felt Jackson’s hand on her upper arm pulling her away from herfriends.

“What the fuck are youwearing?”

Ama wrenched her arm out of his grip. “It’s called a dress,Jackson.”

“On your feet,” he said darkly and pointed down to her comfortable and admittedly well-worn flat pumps. “Go and change into heels, rightnow.”

Ama looked him in the eye. “I will not. I’ve had heels on all day and now I want to be comfortable. It’s after midnight, Jackson. I’ve played the part you wanted long enough for oneday.”

Jackson’s eyes were fierce on hers. “May I remind you, you are my wifenow?”

Ama’s smile was cold. “Wife. Notstaff, Jackson. Did you hear me say ‘obey’ in my vows? No, you did not. Now, some of your guests are looking at us, probably wondering why I look so pissed off. Want me to tell themwhy?”

Jackson’s jaw clenched. “We’ll talk about this later. Inbed.”

He stalked off and Ama saw him switch on the charm instantly as he spoke to the guests who had been watching them. Ama felt sick.No.No way would they doanythingin bed.Ever.

She returned to her friends, but soon excused herself. She needed to be alone for a few moments to get some air. She slipped out into the beautiful gardens surrounding the mansion and walked quickly down to the little Japanese garden that had been her go-to place for escaping Jackson since they’d becomeengaged.

There were a few lanterns giving the place a soft glow and she sat down on one of the stone seats and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in. Silence. Bliss. She only heard the tiny trickle of the waterfeature.

Then she caught a breath of cigarette smoke and opened her eyes. Enda Gallo stood on the other side of the garden, staring at her. Ama’s heart began to pound against her ribs and she stood. She didn’t know what to do. Running would seem rude, but the expression on Enda’s face was …what?

She turned to leave, and in a flash, he was beside her. Trapping her against a tree in the cage of his arms, he gazed down at her. Ama couldn’t look away. God, he wasbeautiful…those eyes, that craggy, yet boyish face. She noticed he had a half moon scar at the corner of his right eye, and without thinking, she traced the line of it with her finger. His eyes never left hers. Ama could barely breathe, such was the tension betweenthem.

Enda bent his head and brushed his lips against hers. Ama froze. What the hell was going on? Was he testingher?