Blood & Marriage (Dark Mafia Romance) Read Free Page B

cool. This
was nothing I hadn’t expected anyway. Everything I’d ever pictured for myself
when my life was still carefree has been a mirage, a luxury I could never have.
“So? I’m marrying him even though I don’t know him. Do you think I expect
things to go like in a regular relationship? I’m not stupid.”
    He slicked back his slightly longish hair and leaned against
the wall next to the bench. “What do you expect, then?”
    He was so close now I could sense the heat of his body. Or
was it just my imagination? “I expect to be respected by my husband’s family,
but I already see I was mistaken.”
    Santo bit down on his bottom lip with a long exhale through
his nose. “Give me a chance, and I will respect you all night long.”
    My eyes grew wider, and heat trailed up my neck when I
imagined him crawling on top of me in bed. No matter how much I didn’t want to
think about it, my brain still suggested that all his sturdy muscles would be
heavy and pleasant.
    I shot to my feet and rushed past him on my way to the door,
only to be stopped by a warm hand closing around my wrist. I froze on the spot,
afraid to even look back at him.
    He was touching me. Would anyone hear me if I screamed?
    I heard him clearly despite his words being only a whisper.
“All I’m saying is that if you want to try something real before you
marry, I’m your man. No guilt, no strings, no one would know.”
    It was a temptation.
    But I knew exactly how following your passions ended for
women like me, and I yanked my hand back so hard it hurt for a moment after
slipping from between his fingers.
    I ran away but he didn’t follow me.

Chapter 3
    I didn’t really want a bachelorette party, since I didn’t
even know if I wanted to celebrate. But Mona insisted that she booked a VIP
room for us in a club in Cosenza. She seemed anxious to treat me, so a part of
me was instantly suspicious, but on the other hand, I was her only sister. It
made sense that she’d want to party with me. That, or it was an excuse to get
her underage ass into a club. Father didn’t let her go out to nightclubs unless
she was with me.
    Either way, there I was, sitting in a small room with violet
plush sofas and tacky red lights, drinking away my fears to the muted rhythm of
techno music outside.
    Mona had an odd look in her eyes when she poured me more of
the cocktail we’d ordered in a pitcher. Our girlfriends all gravitated to the
dancefloor as soon as they heard a summer smash hit from the early 2000s,
leaving the two of us alone with one of Father’s men tucked away in the corner
with his eyes glued to his smartphone. I knew he was there for protection, but
I hardly believed anything could happen to us in a private room.
    “Are you having fun?” Mona asked, massaging my hand on the
table top.
    I put on a smile, to not disappoint her. I knew how much
care she put into organizing all this, and I wanted to make her feel appreciated.
“It’s lovely. If you want to dance too, I don’t mind. My feet are hurting in
those new shoes, and—”
    “I can’t bring your dress to the wedding,” whimpered Mona,
casting her eyes down and squeezing my fingers.
    I froze, sure that I was making an ugly scowl without even seeing
myself in a mirror. “No…why?” I was somewhere between the urge to drink the
whole pitcher and throwing up what I’ve already had. “It’s the one thing I
want. Can’t my life at least look the way I want it to on Instagram? Is
that too much to ask?”
    “I tried, okay?” Mona chewed on her lips and let go of me,
flushing dark red. “I’m still trying, but I need to tell you so that you don’t
end up disappointed. Father’s suspicious, and he suggested my luggage will be
inspected before we leave for your wedding. Apparently, he doesn’t trust me not
to do anything ‘aggravating’,” she said, making air quotes with her fingers.
The exasperation with which she spoke made me feel ill about the way I reacted.
How much could I