Page 88

The sound of the fire crackling fills the silence in the room while we lay on the floor in front of the fireplace, still tangled while our bodies settle after such an intense climax.

My head is resting on Ares’ chest, listening to the way he breathes, soaking up the beat of his heart while his fingers idly comb through my hair.

I close my eyes, savouring this moment of peace and intimacy with him. The warmth from the fire seeps into my bones, contrasting with the cool touch of his fingertips on my skin. We are both still catching our breaths, our heartbeats slowly returning to a normal rhythm in sync with each other.

As I trace lazy patterns on his chest with my finger, I feel a sense of contentment wash over me.

The world outside may be chaotic and unpredictable, but right now, in this moment, everything feels right.

Ares plants a soft kiss on the top of my head, his lips lingering for a moment before he speaks.

“Are you okay?” he whispers, his voice barely above a breath. I nod against his chest before I lift my head to meet his gaze, seeing the raw emotion reflected in his eyes.

“I think,” I hum, holding his gaze while my fingers move up to brush through his stubble. “you might have ruined me for anyone else.”

His mouth twitches, somewhere between a smirk and something more vulnerable. He brushes a hand through my hair and pulls me closer possessively.

“Good,” he says finally. “Because you’re mine, bambina. And I’ll break the hands of anyone who forgets that.” His gaze never leaves mine. No exaggeration. Just a quiet promise soaked in something that chills and burns at the same time.

I lift my hand and brush my fingers along his cheek, slow and careful, like I’m taming something wild. His skin is warm under my touch, but tense.

“Ares…” I whisper, letting his name carry everything I can’t quite find the words to say yet.

He doesn’t look away. Doesn’t breathe. So, I lean in and press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. Gentle, unrushed, like I’m not afraid of what he’s capable of, because I know he’d never turn it on me.

“You don’t have to scare the world to keep me.” I murmur quietly. “You already have me... all of me .” My voice is soft, barely a breath and that’s when it happens.

I feel his chest rise on a shaky inhale, like the fight inside him falters just long enough to let something else in. Something softer...something real.

And then he leans into my touch, just a fraction, and I hold him there.

“What happens now?” I ask, pulling back just enough to meet his eyes.

“After what you did tonight, I’m assuming Luciano isn’t just going to swallow your defiance.

You disobeyed him in front of everyone, chewed up his order and spat it back in his face by choosing me.

So…” I hesitate, but not for long. “What’s it going to cost you, Ares? ”

His gaze doesn’t shift. Doesn’t waver.

But something in his expression hardens. A flicker. The faintest pull at the corner of his mouth. Like he’s bracing himself against something he’s not ready for me to see.

“More than I’ve paid before.” He says it quietly. Not to soften the truth, but because he’s not sugarcoating it either. His voice is steady, but I feel the weight beneath it.

“Luciano expected me to fall in line. Smile. Shake hands. Play the good soldier while he planned out a life I never agreed to.”

His hand finds mine and laces our fingers together. Warm. Firm. Protective.

“And instead… I reminded him very publicly that I’m not his puppet. That I never have been.”

I nod, my thumb brushes against his knuckles.

“And what does that mean for you? For us ?” His eyes darken just enough to answer me before his words do.

“It means the game changes.” A pause. His thumb rubs absently over mine.

“I’ll have to be sharper. Colder. They’ll test me now, poke at the edges to see how far I’ll go for you.”

My throat goes tight, but I keep my voice calm. “And how far will you go?”

He looks at me...impenitent. “As far as I have to.”

He doesn’t say I’ll protect you. He doesn’t need to. I already know he will.

The way he holds my hand. The way he keeps me close. The way he’s still between me and the rest of the world, even now, that says it all.

But then he adds, quieter this time. “Just… be smart, bambina.”

I blink and he lifts my hand and presses a kiss to my knuckles.

“You’re also in the line of fire now. Our list of enemies just got longer.

And that means the target on your back just got bigger.

So, you need to be careful. If someone says something strange, if anything feels off, you tell me.

Don’t brush it off. Don’t try to be brave. ”

A pause. “Just tell me.”

My heart kicks hard in my chest, but I nod. Because he’s not asking from fear. He’s asking from knowing. He’s already seen what happens when you wait too long to say something.

I nod at his warning; fingers curled around his like a lifeline. But there’s still a weight pressing against my chest. One last question I haven’t asked, because part of me doesn’t want to know.

But I need to.

I swallow hard and shift slightly in his lap, looking up at him.

“And what about Giana?” His expression doesn’t change at first. But I feel the way his muscles tense beneath me. The way his hand stills against my skin. “You humiliated her and her family in front of everyone tonight,” I say softly. “What happens now? Is the arrangement for your marriage over?”

Ares exhales through his nose, low and deliberate, like he’s been waiting for the question.

Ares exhales through his nose, low and deliberate, like he’s been waiting for the question. Maybe dreading it.

His hand slides from my hip to my lower back, grounding me there as he leans in slightly, his forehead nearly brushing mine.

“The arrangement was never mine to begin with,” he says quietly .

“It was a transaction. A move on the board. Luciano and the Mancini’s wanted a union that kept both families profitable, clean, and loyal.

” He exhales harshly. “But I never agreed to be part of that deal. I never agreed to marry her, never promised her anything beyond a polite nod and shared silence.”

“She expected it,” I murmur. “The way she walked into the manor like she already owned it, like marrying you was a foregone conclusion.”

Ares doesn’t deny it. He only nods once, demeanour rigid and dark eyes unreadable.

“Because that’s how women like Giana are raised, to expect power to fall into their lap, and to lash out when it doesn’t.”

I bite the inside of my cheek.

“So, what happens now?” He hesitates, and this time it’s not out of uncertainty it’s calculation.

“There’ll be backlash. A big one. From her family, maybe even from ours. Giana won’t take the insult quietly. Not after being publicly rejected.”

His thumb strokes absent circles against my skin. “But whatever she tries, whatever they try, my answer stays the same.” He looks at me then, eyes sharp but steady. “I’m not marrying anyone who isn’t you.”

My throat tightens. The words land with a kind of quiet finality I wasn’t ready for, but needed more than anything.

“But that doesn’t mean she’ll disappear,” he adds. “She’s not the kind of woman who fades into the background. She’ll come for what she thinks is hers. Not because of me, but because of what you took from her.”

He doesn’t say the word. But I feel it deep in my bones.

Me.

He’s telling me, in his own way, that this war isn’t even close to being over.

That being with him means stepping into the crosshairs of a life that doesn’t forgive weakness.

But then he adds, “I’ll protect you. Always.

But I need you to understand, bambina…” His fingers tighten.

“She’s not your only threat. This family…

this life… it never needed a reason to come for something beautiful. It only needs an opportunity.”

I nod, swallowing hard.

And when I lean forward to kiss him softly, it isn’t out of fear. It’s a vow.

“That’s why I need you to listen when I tell you to be careful. Not paranoid. Just… aware.”

I nod again, slower this time. The room feels still, heavy with the truth. But his hand is still on me. His breath still steady. And I believe him.

Because Ares doesn’t bluff. Not when it comes to me.

“Can I ask you something?” I whisper, pressing my forehead to his.

Ares nods.

“If I weren’t in the picture, would you have married her?”

The question barely leaves my mouth before I regret it. It hangs between us, delicate and loaded, like a thread pulled too tight.

Ares doesn’t answer right away. He stays still, forehead pressed to mine, his breath slow but heavy. I feel the tension ripple through his body, like something sharp and buried is trying to surface.

Then, finally, his voice cuts through the silence.

“Maybe.”

That one-word slices through me, but he doesn’t stop there. His hand cups the side of my face, thumb brushing along my cheek like he’s trying to ease the sting. “Hey, not because I wanted to.” His eyes bore into mine, unwavering. “Because it would’ve been expected. Strategic. Easier.”

Easier? It hurts to hear, but he does have a point.

If he marries her, he wouldn’t need to go to war with one of the most powerful families in Sicily.

He wouldn’t have worry about what threat is coming or how he’s going to protect me without getting himself killed.

“But I would’ve hated every second of it.

I could never have something this with someone like her.

I never would have been faithful to her. ”

I close my eyes. Breathe. Let it settle and he pulls me closer, his hand sliding around to the back of my neck, grounding me in his warmth.

“The moment you fell into my arms that night of the wedding, you changed the game, Jordyn.” A whisper now. “Because a man like me doesn’t plan for a future, but you, you make me want one. You make me want it all.”

Christ, what do you even say to that?