MATTEO Even without a wedding dress, Gianna was a sight to behold. The dress hugged her curves; curves I would quietly explore when we returned to New York. I couldn’t wait to claim every inch of her body. I would make her forget everything before me.
Gianna met my gaze as if she knew what I was thinking. And I really didn’t bother to hide my desire for her.
I would fuck her tonight, no matter how tired and jet lagged I was. I had waited too long for this. Gianna stopped beside me, and I took her hand. The priest looked down at her . I couldn’t wait to leave Chicago behind . Not that people in New York would have considered Gianna kinder, but at least they were too afraid of me to openly show their contempt.
Gianna’s hand was cold in mine and she avoided my gaze as the priest pronounced the wedding vows. When it was her turn to say “yes,” I almost expected her to say “no,” and I wasn’t really sure what I would do at that moment, but she didn’t.
Gianna was a smart girl; she would hide her hatred for our bond until she was at a safe distance from Chicago and her bastard father.
When it finally came time to slip on the wedding ring, she really shuddered. Somehow this annoyed me to no end . She should be grateful that I wanted her as much as I wanted her.
Her stupid actions could have cost her everything. She could at least pretend to be grateful.
“You may kiss the bride,” intoned the priest.
I did not hesitate. I cupped her face and pressed my lips against hers. Gianna stiffened, making my blood boil even more. When I pulled back, she met my gaze frontally.
She was really intent on provoking me. If she liked playing with fire, fine. I didn’t mind burning myself. I would walk through the flames for her.
*** Less than sixty minutes later we were back in the air headed for New York. My body vibrated with desire as I watched Gianna in her sexy dress. She and Aria were huddled together in the last row on the plane.
Luca dropped down beside me and handed me a glass of scotch. I swallowed it in one gulp. “An espresso would be better. I need to be awake.
Luca followed my gaze to the girls. “You plan to celebrate your wedding night once you get home.”
“Damn right.”
“From what I know of Gianna, she probably won’t make it easy for you. What will you do if she clashes with you?” I hadn’t considered that. In every fantasy I had about Gianna, she was a willing participant. I wanted her to scream my name from pleasure, I wanted to make her wet.
Would she really refuse me? “She won’t,” I said with more conviction than I felt.
Luca’s eyes were practically x-raying me. “No one would blame you for taking what you wanted against her will. It’s not like he hasn’t already done the deed.
I clenched my hands into fists but instead of following my first impulse and punching Luca, I mentally counted to ten.
Luca often said things like that to gauge someone’s reaction. I didn’t think he was serious. Maybe before Aria I would have doubted him more.
His eyes observed my closed fists, then scanned my face before smiling. “You’re like an open book to me.”
“Shut up,” I murmured. My eyes found Aria and Gianna once again. They seemed to be arguing, an unusual sight. I had never seen the two not getting along.
“What’s this about?” I asked after a moment.
“How should I know?”
“You and Aria are practically soul mates, haven’t you learned the art of reading each other’s minds yet?”
Luca gave me the middle finger. “I know your wife will make your life hell, so I’ll cut you some slack.”
“How thoughtful of you.” I wondered what life would be like with Gianna. She had been mostly subdued today, except for a few occasions, but I had a feeling she would recover quickly and return to her old sarcastic self. I hated seeing her quiet side, especially when it meant she was sad about that asshole Sid. I tried to forget that bastard but somehow he had anchored himself in my brain. Besides, I couldn’t stop thinking about him with Gianna. How many other guys had seen her naked? Had he been in her? I really needed to find out their names and kill them all. When we finally landed in New York, I was really pissed off again. I barely glanced at Gianna as we drove my Porsche Cayenne back to our apartment building.
Every time I caught a glimpse of her long leg through the slit in her dress, I almost lost my mind. I needed to pull myself together . It didn’t matter what Gianna had done before today. She was mine now, and if I had not curbed my rising anger, I would only have done something I would have regretted later.
Gianna Matteo had a strange expression whenever she looked in my direction. I couldn’t quite understand it, but somehow it made me nervous. Of course, I pretended not to notice.
Aria had been trying to convince me to tell Matthew the truth throughout our flight, and even now that we were entering the underground garage of the apartment building, she kept giving me meaningful looks. I was afraid that she would make the decision to share my secret with Matteo, but she knew I would see it as a violation of my trust and so I hoped she would hold back .
Matteo took my hand when I got out of the car and practically dragged me toward the elevator. Aria and Luca had a hard time keeping up. I had a feeling I knew why Matteo was so eager to get to his apartment. We all piled into the elevator. It began to move and Matteo’s dark eyes watched me in the mirror, something hungry and furious shining in their depths. Hunger was inexplicable to me. I looked disastrous. Shadows under my eyes, fat lip, pale skin.
Maybe I should have felt more anxious, but I just wanted to get it over with. Maybe Matthew would even lose interest in me once he had me, although part of me wondered if I would really be happy if Matthew suddenly started ignoring me.
The elevator stopped with a jingle and the elegant doors opened. Without adding anything else Matteo dragged me into his apartment. I cast a glance over my shoulder and saw Aria’s worried expression moments before the elevator doors closing hid her from my view. Matteo led me toward a door to our right. I barely had time to admire the modern furniture and the beautiful view of New York before we rushed into the bedroom and Matteo closed the door.
The longing in his eyes made it clear that tonight he would not take no for an answer.