Chapter 15

CHAPTER

FIFTEEN

Anya

S averio spoons me from behind in his bed with one hand resting on my belly and his forearm serving as a cushion for my head. We’re both breathing hard, each of us coming down from an intense climax. What was supposed to be an afternoon nap turned into a marathon sex session. He’s still hard inside me, but I don’t have the energy to go for round four.

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” he asks, kissing my shoulder.

“Wait until I’m nine months and I can’t see my toes any longer.”

He brushes his lips over the arch of my neck. “You’ll be even more beautiful then.”

“My stomach will get in the way when we have sex. We’ll be forced to do it like this all the time.”

“I’ll want you even more,” he says in a husky voice. “ Trust me, treasure, I’ll be inside you at every chance I get.”

That makes me smile.

I glance at my phone on the nightstand to check the hour. It’s four o’clock, time to get ready. Instead, I close my eyes and enjoy the warmth of Saverio’s body and the comfortable cocoon of his arms. I know why he’s been extra attentive today. In less than two hours, we’re having our engagement party at After Dark. The whole family will be there to witness him put a ring on my finger.

“Come on,” he says with a hint of regret in his tone before kissing my temple. “We can’t be late.”

I pinch my eyes closed harder until I see red dots behind my eyelids, preparing myself for the inevitable, but when he pulls out, I still feel empty. I still don’t want to go to the party. I always thought when I got engaged it would be private and intimate, not a business transaction we announce to a group of people who either hate me or want me dead.

The bed dips, and then Saverio’s weight is gone.

“Are you sure about Livy and Tersia?” he asks.

“Yes.” I turn on my back to face him where he stands naked next to the bed, his muscles hard and unyielding while I’m getting bigger and softer.

It’s so unfair—not only his physical perfection but also this party and the whole damn situation.

He looks down at me with a wary light in those otherworldly, luminescent eyes. “You can do with a friend or two tonight.”

I stretch and fold my arms above my head. “It’s safer if they don’t get involved in that part of my life.”

He studies me for a moment before saying, “Livy knows. ”

“Livy is both worldly and na?ve. I prefer to let her stay na?ve.”

“She’s not as na?ve as you think.”

“She hasn’t mentioned anything.”

“She’s too clever.”

“She thinks you’re an accomplished businessman.”

He grins. “I am.”

I make a face. “You know what I mean.”

“You can give Tersia more credit too. Richard isn’t stupid. If she didn’t catch on, he would’ve enlightened her by now.”

“You can’t be so sure. You keep a low profile.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I did a search on you after that first day.”

He raises a brow. “Of course you did.”

“I found a lot about Luigi and Giorgio, but not so much about you.”

His smile is stilted. “I’ll run us a shower. Join me when you’re ready?”

Not waiting for my answer, he turns for the bathroom.

Despite the happy hormones coursing through my body thanks to the multiple orgasms Saverio gave me, an all too familiar bruise spreads through my chest.

He offered me a choice, and I could wait for him to finish his shower before having mine if I wanted to be spiteful, but I don’t want to be so petty. Besides, he’s right. I can do with a little moral support. So I get up and walk to the bathroom.

Steam billows from behind the shower cubicle. When I open the door, Saverio smiles. He takes my hand and draws me in before closing the door, reversing our positions so that I’m under the warm spray of the water. He hugs me close under the cascade that runs down my back and kisses my lips that are still swollen from his stubble and his teeth. The embrace is gentle, and the kiss is tender. Both are meant to prepare me with a measure of comfort for what lies ahead.

He pulls away to look at me, regret sparking in his eyes. Taking my hair in a ponytail at my nape, he pulls down to tilt my face up until I’m forced to hold his gaze.

An apology carries on his words. “I’ll make it good, tesoro .”

My smile is tremulous. “I know.”

We reached a kind of a ceasefire where we both accepted our fates. He’s marrying me for protection to ultimately benefit himself, and I’m becoming his wife because his house is the safest place to raise my child. We’re using each other, but when I wrap my arms around his neck, I know deep in my heart there’s so much more to my reasons for not running. I can’t walk away from him even if I wanted to. I care too much. I want too much. But even though he didn’t say it in so many words, Saverio made it clear he’d never trust or love a woman again, so I bottle up those feelings before they grow into something deeper.

He presses a chaste kiss on my lips before detangling my arms from around his neck and taking the shower gel from the rack. For the next few minutes, he washes my body and massages my shoulders. When he’s shampooed and rinsed my hair, he cleans himself.

Ten minutes later, he’s dressed in a silver three-piece suit with a charcoal gray tie, looking hot and civilized but with that discerning dangerous edge that’s so much part of him. I’m still wrapped up in a robe, drying my hair in the bathroom mirror.

He brushes the robe off my shoulder and plants a trail of kisses along the curve. “I’m going to check in with security. We’ll leave in an hour. ”

I follow his exit with my gaze. He’s put a ton of security measures in place for tonight, making sure nothing will happen to me.

Swallowing away the knot that formed in my throat, I go to the dressing room and pull on the sky-blue, figure-hugging dress I bought for the occasion at a boutique that Tersia recommended. Everyone is going to notice I’m pregnant, so I may as well give them something to look at. The dress reaches all the way to my ankles. A slit runs up to mid-thigh, making it easier to walk. The cut is simple with diamanté spaghetti straps that run over the shoulders and crisscross at the back.

I take extra care with my make-up and hair, knowing all eyes will be on me tonight. I don’t want to embarrass Saverio by looking anything less than the part I’m playing. Besides, Rachele and Elena will be there, and I won’t give them a reason to fault me, not that I give a damn about what they think, but Saverio may care.

After fitting turquoise stud earrings, I step back to inspect my reflection in the mirror. The blue of the dress brings out the color of my hair. It goes well with the complexion of my skin. The red lipstick makes my lips look fuller. I pinned my hair up and left a few strands down to frame my face.

Saverio appears in the door frame. He opens his mouth to say something but stops dead on the threshold while cutting a path over me with his eyes.

“Anya, you look… I don’t even have words. I want to say beautiful, but it doesn’t do you justice.”

“Thank you.” I take a shaky breath. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

He drops his gaze to my feet and raises a brow. “Going barefoot?” Teasing me with a soft smile, he continues, “I know barefoot and pregnant is an expression, but I didn’t know you wanted to turn it into a style.”

I laugh at his humor, which is no doubt aimed at putting me at ease. “Sadly, no.” Pointing at the new shoebox on the shelf, I say, “I got a pair of stunning heels that are as uncomfortable as they’re pretty. It’s the price I’m paying for my vanity. I was just going to put them on.”

He chuckles. “Maybe you should go barefoot. It’ll give me an excuse to carry you around all night.”

“Ha.” I roll my eyes. “With this weight on my belly?”

“You only picked up thirteen pounds. You’re still as light as my pillow.”

That makes me laugh again.

“Sit,” he says, going to the closet.

He snatches up the box and carries it to me. I take a seat on the bench while he goes down on one knee in front of me and opens the box. I watch as he carefully pushes the blue satin shoe over my heel and fastens the strap around my ankle. Lingering longer than necessary, he smooths a palm up my calf and caresses the underside of my knee before fitting the other shoe.

By the time he’s done, my breathing has turned shallow.

“There,” he says in a heated voice, carefully lowering my foot.

We hold each other’s gazes for a moment, the atmosphere thick with desire, and then he straightens and offers me a hand.

I stare into his eyes as he pulls me to my feet. I know him well enough by now to recognize the tension he tries to hide. Sometimes, I think he’s permanently tense. It’s a condition that comes with his job and his business, and it rubs off on me. I worry about him constantly. Whenever he’s out somewhere, I lie awake, terrified that he won’t come back. I suppose that’s the price a woman who’s with a crime boss pays.

As soon as I’ve grabbed my clutch bag, Saverio takes my elbow and leads me downstairs. He’s careful with his steps, making them small so that I can keep up. In the entrance, he helps me to fit a coat and winds the matching cashmere scarf around my neck.

“Ready?” he asks.

When I nod, he kisses my cheek and sweeps me into his arms to carry me to the waiting car. He’s pedantic about me slipping on the wet snow even though his men sweep the porch and steps every day.

The car is warm inside, the engine already running. I’m grateful for the blanket he folds around my legs after he’s seated me.

On the way, he calls Dante to go through the security checks again. It’s a regular night, so there will be general public in the club. The party will be held upstairs on the gallery. Saverio is leaving nothing to chance. He’s having everyone searched and their bags scanned before they can enter. Men are stationed around the building as well as on all the floors inside. Extra reinforcements are already in place outside.

“Do you expect trouble?” I ask when he finally puts away his phone.

He takes my hand and pulls it into his lap. “No, but I don’t mess with your and our baby’s safety.”

Our baby.

Lately, he’s been using that possessive pronoun a lot when he talks about my child. It both warms my chest and frightens me. He’s been pushing me to choose a name, but I haven’t found one that’s right yet. Evan signed the legal documents that confirm the termination of his parental responsibilities and rights. The adoption papers are lying on Saverio’s desk. He’s eager to fill out the name field and to sign on the dotted line. Maybe that’s why I’ve been subconsciously holding back. I’m still not sure it’s the right thing to do even though it means my child won’t want for anything. It will give Saverio the same parental rights I have. He’ll have a say in everything that concerns my child. My baby will be just as much his as she’ll be mine, and she’ll be lawfully tied to him under his guardianship until she turns eighteen.

“We’re here,” he says, squeezing my hand and dipping his head to scan the street through the windshield.

A guard opens his door when the car comes to a stop. He gets out, straightens his jacket, and looks up and down the street before coming around the car. Two men flank him on either side. He speaks a few words with one of them before helping me from the car. The area outside the club has been cleared. Bouncers form a double line to the door. It’s only six o’clock. The queue for the nightclub won’t start until eight, and the doors won’t open for the public before ten.

Saverio takes my arm and escorts me inside. There are more guards in the lobby searching the party guests. They stand aside for us to enter. Dante waits in front of the elevator.

“Anya,” he says, offering me a bright smile. “You look lovely.”

“Thanks.” I tilt my head. “No date tonight?”

He exchanges a look with Saverio. “Not tonight.”

“Is everything in place?” Saverio asks as he helps me to remove my coat and scarf.

Dante nods. “I swept the place twice myself.”

“I’ll be right back, treasure,” Saverio whispers in my ear, sealing the promise with a kiss on my neck before he takes my coat and scarf to the cloak room .

I watch him as he hands over my garments and waits for a number. He didn’t even take a coat for himself. I swear he’s never cold.

Dante clears his throat. “Just a word of caution.”

I turn my face in his direction and wait for him to continue.

“Your pregnancy made a lot of noise in these circles. You can imagine why. When you go in there, people are going to stare. Some will talk. Just keep your back straight and walk like you own the floor. Don’t give them a weakness to exploit. And whatever you do, don’t let your guard down.”

Great. It sounds as if I’m going to have fun. “Thanks for the heads up.”

Saverio returns, pinning Dante with a look. “What were you talking to Anya about?”

Dante grins. “I just gave her a few pointers for the night.”

“Anya can handle herself,” Saverio says, taking my hand and placing it on the crook of his arm.

He smiles at me, a gesture meant to soothe me, but the lines around his eyes are strained. Brushing a thumb over my knuckles, he leads me inside the elevator.

Dante follows and hits the button for the top floor.

“If you’re so worried about security, why are we having the party here?” I ask Saverio.

His reply is curt. “Security will be an issue anywhere. We’re doing it here because it makes a statement.”

Of course. This is his territory. It wouldn’t be right to have the party in a club that doesn’t belong to the family .

“Don’t worry,” he says as the elevator comes to a stop and the doors open. “We’ll have the wedding somewhere appropriate.”

The statement ties my insides into a knot, but I don’t have time to ponder it, because he’s guiding me onto the floor that’s already packed with people.

A line of bouncers forms a human tunnel, letting us through. I count them as we pass, and then I count the people. A quick calculation shows there’s one bouncer for every four guests. It’s a meaningless exercise, but it helps to settle my nerves. As Dante predicted, people stop talking and drinking to stare. I walk next to Saverio with my head held high, doing my best to ignore the whispering.

The regular crowd is gathered on the gallery. My stomach sinks when I spot Elena and Raphael with Luigi and Giorgio.

Saverio tenses next to me, but when I look at him, his features are schooled.

Dante comes up behind us. “I’m getting drinks.” He pats Saverio on the shoulder. “You’re going to need one.”

Saverio pulls me under his arm and leads me to the small group of people who turn their heads in our direction. Like one man, their gazes drop to my stomach.

I push out my chin and let them look. I have nothing to be ashamed about. Something like pity flashes in Elena’s eyes when she finally lifts her face with a sour smile.

“Ah, here’s the happy couple,” Luigi says.

His raspy voice grates on my ears.

“Congratulations,” he says, taking my hand and kissing the back.

Revulsion ripples through me. It takes every bit of willpower I possess not to yank my hand from his clammy clasp. Thankfully, he sets me free quickly.

“Cheers.” Raphael raises the glass of champagne in his hand. “Another wedding to look forward to.” Lifting the glass to his lips, he says, “Aren’t they so much fun?”

Elena’s back goes stiff.

“Can we see the ring?” Giorgio asks .

“Not before it’s on Anya’s finger,” Saverio says with a flat smile.

“I’ll return your wrap with Raphael,” Elena says sweetly. “I haven’t had time yet.” She bats her eyelashes at Raphael. “I’m still on honeymoon. Of course, the real honeymoon will be in the Maldives this summer.”

A muscle ticks under Raphael’s eye when he smiles at her.

Dear God. How many hours of this must we suffer?

Dante returns with a brandy for Saverio and a mocktail for me.

“Strawberry daiquiri,” he says. “Sav told me you like strawberries.”

He told Dante that? “Thank you, Dante.” I shoot Saverio a surprised look.

The conversation turns to honeymoon destinations, but I only listen with half an ear. There won’t be a honeymoon for us. First of all, our relationship isn’t romantic. Secondly, it may be difficult to be on honeymoon with a newborn baby. Saverio made it clear he wanted to get married before the birth, and if I don’t give him a date soon, he’ll pick one for me.

I lean on the balustrade to take my weight off my feet and look at the floor below. Waiters carrying trays of champagne and finger food weave around the people. The music is soft enough to allow for conversation. The elevator doors open, and then a tall woman with black hair hanging sleekly down her back enters. It’s impossible not to notice her with the golden dress that clings to her body. Shifting a matching clutch bag under her arm, she makes her way upstairs with swaying hips and heads straight for our party.

Like everyone else, she sweeps a gaze over me, pausing on my stomach. I glance at Saverio, but he doesn’t bat an eye .

When she reaches the group, she kisses Luigi on the cheek. “Hello, Papa.” She takes a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. “The traffic was a bitch.”

“Where’s Archie?” Elena asks.

Dante looks at Saverio, but he stands stoically next to me.

“He couldn’t make it.” She waves a manicured hand. “He’s got a cold or something.”

“Want to go for a walk?” Saverio whispers in my ear.

I shoot him a grateful smile.

Intertwining our fingers, he says, “Anya and I are going to say hello to our guests.”

He pulls me behind him to the other side of the gallery, but instead of taking the stairs, he slips down the corridor that leads to the offices.

“What are you doing?” I whisper when he goes into the lounge where the staff take their breaks.

He pushes me inside and locks the door.

“Saverio,” I exclaim when he takes my clutch bag from my hand and chucks it on a chair. “You have guests waiting.”

“I don’t care about those people. I have no desire to spend time with them.” He advances, forcing me deeper into the room. “The only person I want to spend time with is you.”

My backside hits the sofa.

He unbuckles his belt and pops the button of his pants.

“You can’t be serious,” I say with a nervous laugh.

He takes a cushion from the sofa and throws it on the floor at his feet. “Come here.”

My mouth goes dry when he pulls down his zipper and takes out his cock.

“This is all yours, tesoro .” He pumps his length in a fist. “Come and take it. ”

Just like that, liquid heat gathers between my thighs. The party and why we’re here are forgotten as I watch him stroke himself. The sight is so erotic that an ache blooms at the center of my legs, my clit pulsing with need.

I straighten and go over on shaky legs, holding his gaze as he offers me a hand. When I put my palm in his, he helps me to kneel. I lock my fingers around his thick length, reveling in how hard he is and how velvety and hot his skin feels. He grips the root and brushes the crest over my bottom lip, wetting it with the precum that leaks from the tip. I flick out my tongue to taste him. He watches, the cold blue of his eyes heating with desire and need.

When I part my lips, he lets go, giving me full control. I don’t hesitate to take it. I suck him into my mouth, curling my tongue around the bulbous head before flattening it on the underside to trace the embossed veins under his skin. The groan that falls from his lips urges me on. I take him deeper and suck harder, covering what I can’t fit into my mouth with my hands. Instead of pumping his hips, he keeps perfectly still. He weaves his fingers through my hair, cupping my head, but it’s not to set the pace. He holds me gently while encouraging me to carry on.

From the way his neck muscles strain as he studies the work of my mouth, I gather it’s difficult for him to maintain his control, but he doesn’t cave. He grits his teeth and bears it, taking whatever I’m comfortable to give. It only makes me want to give him more, so I swallow him deeper, taking him to the back of my throat.

My gag reflex kicks in. I ease up a little, teasing him with my tongue, and then I go deeper again until he grows impossibly thick in my mouth. My throat aches from the effort, but every drop of precum that spurts onto my tongue drives me to take it further .

“Anya,” he groans, sliding through my lips. “I’m going to come down your throat. Do you want me to pull out?”

I shake my head and lightly drag my teeth over his length. He utters a curse and clenches his jaw, but when I start moving in all earnest, he snaps. Framing my head between his large palms, he tilts his hips and hits the back of my throat.

“Jesus,” he says, his body going so taut it looks as if he may snap in two.

He bites off a groan as he comes, his seed shooting down my throat.

I tighten one hand around his cock and slip the other lower to cup the heavy sack between his legs, milking him dry with my fingers and my tongue.

“Anya,” he says again, stumbling back a step and ripping his cock from my mouth. “You need to breathe.”

Since my dizzy spells, he’s always worried I won’t take in enough oxygen for both the baby and me.

I swallow down everything, loving how he tastes like earth and musk and man.

“Goddamn,” he says, reaching out and cupping my cheek. “Stop licking your lips like that or I’ll throw you down right here on the floor and fuck you like an animal.”

“So do it,” I say, needing relief for the ache in my core.

“You’re a dangerous addiction,” he declares in a low, deep voice, almost making it sound like a protest, but he’s already gripping my arms to pull me to my feet. “No one has ever made me come more than once in the short span of a few minutes.” He turns me toward the sofa and places my hands on the backrest so that I’m bent over with my ass in the air. “Only you can do this to me, tesoro .”

He flips my dress up over my hips. When my lower body is exposed, he curses under his breath. I’m not wearing underwear. I wanted to surprise him when we got home tonight. It’s a small step in a big direction, showing that I’m slowly but surely coming to terms with my fate. I can’t change it, and like he said, he’s making it good for me. If I have to accept it, I may as well try to make it work. I’m not blind to or ungrateful for his efforts.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Anya.”

Well, it seems the surprise is effective, albeit a bit early.

He pushes a thigh between my legs, spreading them, and cups my pussy. “You’re walking around naked under your clothes when this is mine ?”

I glance over my shoulder and give him a sultry smile. “You’re the one who taught me.”

Tightening his fingers on my sensitive flesh, he clicks his tongue. “I’m a bad influence on you, my perfect, good girl.”

I moan, wanting him to fill me.

“But you like it when I corrupt you, don’t you, treasure?” he asks, keeping the pressure between my legs while brushing a palm over my globe.

The sight of him in his formal suit with his naked cock jutting out is so hot that I can’t look away.

He catches my clit between his forefinger and thumb, pinching before rolling the sting away.

Another moan tears from my chest.

“My good girl has been very naughty.” He swats my backside playfully. “You’re only to walk around naked under your clothes when I tell you to do so.” Another swat falls on my ass. “Is that clear?”

“Yes,” I cry out when he spanks the other globe hard enough to heat my skin.

And then he’s done playing. He grips my hips, bends his legs, and enters me slowly. I dig my nails into the leather of the sofa, holding on as he starts moving. His rhythm is unrushed. He’s taking his time to fill me with deep, careful strokes.

“Sav,” I whisper, biting my lip.

He rolls his hips, hitting a spot that makes my eyes roll back in my head. “Tell me what you want, tesoro .”

The truth slips easily from my lips. “You.”

He accentuates each word with a thrust. “Only me.”

Yes, only him. Just like Livy’s Harvey, Saverio ruined me for other men. Nobody compares to him. This, here, right now, with him pounding into me and my body turning boneless with unbearable pleasure, is home. It feels as if he belongs inside me. I’ll never be able to touch anyone else again, not without closing my eyes and pretending the hands on my body belong to Saverio.

When he finally picks up his pace, I shove a fist against my mouth to prevent a scream from escaping. He holds me in place with one hand on my hip and slips the other down the front of my body and between my legs to rub the heel of his palm over my clit.

I come in seconds, my vision splintering into blackness that fragments around the edges. Warmth bathes me inside, and somehow, it completes me. I’m wholly satisfied. I know without a doubt if he doesn’t come inside me, I’ll feel as if something is missing.

“All right?” he asks, rubbing a palm over my back.

Unable to speak just yet, I nod.

“Stay,” he says, fumbling behind me.

I manage enough energy to turn my face. He adjusted his clothes and is buckling his belt. Catching my gaze on him, he gives me the most beautiful, unguarded smile. It’s so unusual for him that my chest squeezes.

He goes to the wet bar and grabs a stash of paper napkins that he uses to clean me before discarding the lot in the trashcan. Then he carefully helps me to stand and turns me to face him.

The light in his shockingly blue eyes is soft and mischievous but also approving. Chuckling, he cups my face and wipes back strands of my hair that came loose from my updo. “We made a mess of you.”

“That bad, huh?”

He studies me with affection. “Worse.”

“Shit.”

After handing me my bag, he clasps my hand in his and pulls me to the door. “You can slip into the bathroom before anyone sees you.” A possessive grin stretches his lips. “You’ll want to fix your make-up. Otherwise, everyone will know what you’ve been doing with that sexy mouth of yours.”

My cheeks heat. “It’s unfair that not a single hair on your head is out of place.”

He drags me closer, making me brush up against him, and lowers his head to whisper in a wicked tone in my ear, “But my dick is still wet from your pussy, and I’ll remember how deep inside you I’ve been every time I think about it tonight.”

I shove him away. “You’re not helping. You know how hard it is for me to keep a poker face.”

“I don’t care if everyone in the club know you sucked me off before I fucked you right here in this room. In fact, it will be a good thing.”

Something pinches in my chest. “For our public image.”

“No.” He traces my bottom lip with his thumb. “So that every man here knows you’re mine.”

That uncomfortable pinch lets up, the air in my lungs expanding with a warm, fuzzy feeling. “You know what Livy would say. ”

“That a gentleman should always think about a lady’s honor.” He pecks me on the lips. “Come on, tesoro . Let’s go protect your honor.”

He unlocks the door and opens it a crack. After glancing around it, he tugs me behind him into the corridor.

At the corner, he looks left and right. “The coast is clear.”

He walks me to the bathroom and opens the door for me. “I’ll wait here.”

“It will look less suspicious if you go ahead. Besides, I may be a minute.”

“Fine,” he says, kissing my forehead. “Do you have your phone?”

I show him my clutch bag.

“Call if you need me.”

I smile. “I think I can manage to freshen up on my own.”

His expression turns serious. “Call me.”

Sighing, I go on tiptoes and kiss his cheek. “I’ll call if I need you.”

“Okay,” he says, but he doesn’t let go of my hand.

I raise a brow and say pointedly, “Okay,” which is his cue to let me go.

After a moment, he brings my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “See you in a bit, beautiful. Don’t make me wait too long.”

Then he drops my hand and leaves.

I hurry inside and let the door swing shut behind me. It feels as if I’m floating to the line of basins under the make-up lights. I’ve been so apprehensive about this night, and Saverio turned it around like only he can. Instead of dreading what’s to come, my chest is still warm and fuzzy inside, filled with a new kind of lightness. The secret we share connects me to him in a special way that goes deeper than just physical. We’re accomplices—in this at least—and it binds me to him like a meaningless ring never can.

God, I do look a mess. My hair is disheveled, and my lipstick is smeared around my lips. Mascara runs under my eyes.

A grin splits my face. I like this look on me. I wear it proudly. It reminds me of what we did, and that sends a fresh pang of desire straight to my core. My belly flutters when I recall how he tasted and how good he felt inside me. Nevertheless, the sharks are gathered outside, watching and judging. It wouldn’t be wise to face them without my armor in place.

I wet a paper towel and wipe away the mascara and lipstick before applying a dusting of face powder and eye shadow. I’m reapplying my lipstick when the door opens and Rachele walks in.

My hand stills in the middle of my action. I watch her approach in the reflection of the mirror, our gazes locking. Tearing mine away, I finish dabbing the lipstick onto my lips before capping the tube.

She stops next to me and takes a tube of lipstick from her bag. I fix my hair, doing my best to ignore her, but it’s not easy when her exotic perfume, something powdery with notes of ylang-ylang, seems to have crept into every corner of the room. The whole bathroom smells like her. She leans toward the mirror and applies more lipstick over the bright layer of red on her lips.

I step away to inspect my reflection.

There.

That will do.

“You know why he’s with you, right?” she asks, rubbing her lips together and wiping away a smudge of lipstick in the corner of her mouth with her pinky .

“As a matter of fact, I do.” I turn to face her squarely. “Do you?”

Snickering, she drops her lipstick in her bag and clips the clutch closed. “I don’t think you do.”

“What is your problem? You don’t want him, but nobody else can have him?”

She leans a hip on the counter and crosses her arms with a fluent, elegant motion. “Did he tell you why I divorced him?”

“You never loved him.”

“Love.” She scoffs. “Do you think my father cared if I loved Saverio when he arranged our marriage? Why would he allow me to leave the man he values most in his organization because I never loved him ?”

My stomach draws tight with a nasty foreboding. I have an inkling I’m not going to like what she has to say.

She drags a gaze over me, pausing on my bump. “Saverio is only marrying you because he’s desperate to have a child.”

I frown, not connecting the dots, but then she steps closer and says, “And he can’t have any of his own.”

The blow is so vicious it feels as if the roof collapsed on my head. I go cold. The first sentiment that assaults me is pain. I hurt for Saverio. An ache spreads through my chest, eating away the elation of not a moment ago and leaving a heavy and bitter darkness in the place of the light.

Oh no, Saverio.

Then the meaning of Rachele’s words sinks in, and betrayal burns a path through my body. That’s why Saverio wants to adopt my child so badly. He’ll never have one of his own. He never wanted to raise this baby with me. It’s never been about being a good father. It hasn’t even been about me. Yes, protecting me is detrimental to keeping him out of jail. But then he discovered I came with added benefits—sex on demand and something he wanted but couldn’t have.

Shit.

I almost sway as the truth slams into me with the force of a sledgehammer.

It’s always been about my child.

“We had tests done,” Rachele says. “I didn’t fall pregnant after trying for five years, so…” She untangles her arms and waves a hand. “It turned out the problem was Saverio.”

So many things suddenly make sense—how frantic he was that I saw a doctor after he attacked me, how diligently he attended every ob-gyn visit and prenatal class with me, how proud he was of satisfying my cravings, how much effort he put into the nursery… He does everything concerning my baby in the extreme because this is the one and only chance he has at being a father.

Fuck.

How am I supposed to feel about that?

I understand his behavior when I look at it from his point of view, but what I can’t ignore is that he hid this very important fact from me.

Why would he omit the truth?

There’s only one explanation.

Because his intentions are less than noble.

Because from the moment he found out I was pregnant, he was scheming to take my child for himself. Marrying me is just a way of putting invisible handcuffs on me. Who’s to say he won’t organize a fatal accident to get rid of me once he has what he wants?

“Ask him,” Rachele says. “He kept the test results in his desk drawer. I guess it was so that he could read it again and again to convince himself it was true. That desk is the only piece of furniture he took with him when he moved out of our house. I wonder why. It’s curious, don’t you think? I bet my life it’s still there, right on top of the gold pen engraved with his name that my father gave him as a wedding present.”

I stare at her, instinctively placing a hand on my belly as I hurt for Saverio while battling to process the facts.

“That’s why my father agreed to the divorce.” Her smile is rueful. “Us women aren’t allowed to study or work. We’re showpieces for our husbands. Our sole duty is to carry forward the family name. All we have are our babies. The only purpose of our life is the heritage we leave behind for our men. That’s the one thing no man will take away from us.”

“So Saverio let you go.”

“Let me go?” She chuckles. “No, Saverio would never let me go. When I left him, my father didn’t give him a choice.”

“Is that why you had an affair?” I ask with no small measure of blame, knowing it must’ve devastated Saverio when he found out.

She shrugs. “I will soon marry Archie. We’re already trying for a baby. At least, this time round, I get to do it with a man of my choice.”

“I hope you’ll fall pregnant soon,” I say, meaning it, because I don’t wish Saverio’s pain on anyone.

“We’ll see.” Her smile is smug. “I’m not in such a hurry, but my father is eager to have an heir. Someone has to take over the business when Giorgio will no longer be there. That’s how it works in our families.”

I take my clutch bag and walk with leaden feet to the door, everything inside me breaking apart and falling to pieces. Because Saverio deceived me. Again. Because inside, I’m bleeding for the man who tried to trick me by hiding the truth .

Life dealt him a cruel hand. Fate deprived him not only of the child he craved so badly but also of the only woman he wanted since he was fourteen. All because he couldn’t produce the heir that was expected of him.

All because he’s infertile.

“I’m sorry you had to find out like this,” Rachele says to my back. “If you’re going to marry him, you deserve to know the truth.”

I stop with my hand on the door handle. She’s not sorry about anything.

“He doesn’t love you, Anya.”

I turn on the threshold. Rachele is watching me with victory burning in her dark eyes. Telling me has nothing to do with paying me any favors. She just wants to make sure she’s still the invincible mafia princess, the most powerful woman when it comes to men’s hearts.

“I know he doesn’t love me,” I say in a level voice, meeting her gaze head-on. “Who says that’s what I want? Did you consider that maybe I’m the one using him ? You know nothing about the dynamic between Saverio and me.” My mother didn’t give me much, but if there’s one valuable lesson she taught me, it’s this. “The problem is that you’re not happy, Rachele, and you’d hate for anyone else to be.”

Her gaze flares, her large eyes widening slightly because I’m right.

I don’t even care enough about her to experience triumph. All I feel for her is pity.

As for the rest, desolation rips through me when I push the door open and walk through it. Every step I take is like walking on a bed of glowing red coals.

Saverio stands on the gallery, talking to Dante. His smile slips when he sees me .

“What’s wrong?” he asks, wrapping an arm around my waist.

I plaster a smile on my face. “Nothing.”

The way his eyes tighten in the corners says he doesn’t believe me, but he doesn’t push the issue.

I stand like a statue at his side while people file past in a steady row to prematurely congratulate us and to make mindless conversation.

A short while later, Luigi asks the DJ to kill the music. He makes an announcement, but everything is like white noise in my ears.

Saverio takes my hand and pushes a ring with a huge oval diamond over my finger. I can’t stop staring at the monstrosity that shines under the lights, the huge stone weighing down my hand. Saverio holds my gaze as he lifts my fingers to his lips and kisses the ring, something dark and deviant sparking in those eyes that resemble the color of an iced-over lake. Clapping follows and then cheers.

Lowering his head, he claims my lips in a kiss that lasts too long to be appropriate for the occasion. This time, wolf whistling sounds.

It all happens in a blur. The one moment I’m Anya Brennan, and in the next, I’m to become Ms. De Luca.

“Soon,” Saverio whispers in my ear, sealing that frightening promise with a tender kiss on my neck.