Chapter Three

Mattia

Judge Abernathy rushes through the ceremony, binding Aurelia to me in my living room with Coda standing witness. None of us are dressed for a wedding, least of all Aurelia. She's in a fucking nightgown, for Christ's sake.

I don't hear a fucking word he says, either. My thoughts are tangled around the petite little goddess standing at my side, trembling.

This isn't what she wants—I know that. When Rafe finds out what I've done, he may very well kill me for it—I know that, too. But I'm doing it anyway. I can lie to Coda and say it's to protect the family—that I control her if she's bound to me—but I'm not foolish enough to lie to myself.

Forcing her into this marriage has nothing to do with protecting Rafe and his empire. It has nothing to do with the Valentino family or Brio Cascella at all. Frankly, there are a thousand easier ways to ensure her loyalty that don't require giving her my last name.

But she's had my fucking cock hard since the minute I set eyes on her. That's what this is really about. Want. Need. Desire.

I want her, so I'm taking her. It's that simple.

But now, I know her secrets, too.

She wants to hate me, but she doesn't.

She wants to fear me, but she can't.

This little mouse is dripping wet for me.

She doesn't tremble with fear or anxiety. She trembles because she wants me all over her, ruining her for any other man. I intend to give her exactly what she wants. But not yet.

I'm not fucking stupid. I may want her, but that doesn't mean I trust her. She was with Brio for a reason. The fact that she knows who her brothers are and still chose to live with their enemy isn't great news. Neither is the fact that we were allowed to carry her out of there with minimal conflict.

Brio wanted us to find her. The only real question is what the fuck he intends for her to do now that we have her. Whatever it is, I'm not convinced that she's on board with his plan. She was mad as hell that I forced her out of there. Either she's a damn good actress, or she's afraid of whatever he wants from her.

I'm guessing it's the latter.

I just need time to convince her that she doesn't want to go through with it. Whatever it is, it's not worth it. Tying her to me gives me that time. It also helps ensure her safety.

She's a pawn stuck in the middle of a game she doesn't understand, but if it goes bad, at least she'll have my name to defend her.

It's the least she deserves. God knows, Vincent didn't do right by her. He tossed her and her mom out like trash, refusing to even acknowledge that he'd gotten her mother pregnant. Tabitha Roscoe was good enough to mop his floors and share his bed, but not to carry a Valentino child. We wouldn't be here now if he'd done right by her, but that ship sailed over twenty years ago.

I very much doubt Rafe will see things my way when he finds out I forced his sister to marry me, but we'll cross that fucking bridge when we get to it. Like I told Coda, if the price I pay is my life, so be it.

At least I'll die with my debts repaid, my balls empty, and my conscience clear.

Abernathy clears his throat, demanding that I speak my vows.

"I, Mattia Lucian Agostino, take you, Aurelia Roscoe, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part." I tip her chin up, forcing her to meet my gaze. Her eyes are still wide and dilated. From the drug? From fear? From desire? I don't know. "This I vow."

She exhales a shaking breath.

"Very good," Abernathy says. "Now, you, Aurelia."

"I…" She hesitates, her gaze flitting across my face. Her eyes are so fucking blue. Cristo. I could drown in them and not regret a second of it. "I, Aurelia Joelle Roscoe, take you, Mattia Agostino, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part." She licks her lips, her voice shaking. "This I vow."

Abernathy nods his approval before flicking his gaze at me. "Do you have a ring for your bride, Mattia?"

"I don't need a ring," Aurelia mumbles, but I'm already slipping the chain from around my neck, removing the ring that's been there for as long as I can remember.

It's the only thing I have left of my parents. I don't even know why the fuck I still wear it. Perhaps to remind myself that my mother ever existed at all. That, once upon a time, I had a family, and somewhere I belonged. I don't know. But I slip the ring from the chain as Aurelia stares at me with wide eyes, and then I reach for her hand.

"This belonged to my mother," I murmur, sliding it onto her finger, our eyes tangled. It's slightly too big for her. "We'll get it resized."

"You…don't have to do that, Mattia."

"We'll get it resized."

She huffs quietly and then nods. "Thank you."

"May this ring be a constant reminder of the promises you have made today," Abernathy says. "By the power vested in me by the State of Illinois and by the power of your own commitment, I now pronounce you married. Mattia, you may kiss your bride."

I tug her toward me and lean down, touching my lips to hers in a soft kiss. I intend it to be short and sweet, but my cock throbs as soon as I feel her against me.

Fucking hell. I've never wanted anything the way I want this girl.

I deepen the kiss without meaning to do it, devouring her like a man starving for another taste of heaven. Maybe I am. It's all I can think about since she let me touch her—claiming her, consuming her, ruining her.

I don't give a fuck about the bigger picture here. My mother's ring is on her finger because I wanted it there. It was pure selfishness. And goddamn, I should regret that. I should feel bad about it. My loyalty has always been to Rafe and his brothers. But for the first time in my life, I feel it shifting.

She'll own me if I let her. Destroy me if I'm not careful. And right now, I don't fucking care. I want it. Whatever destruction she brings, whatever madness this is, I want to feel every second of it.

She whimpers softly before I wrench my mouth from hers, panting for breath. Her eyes flutter open, locking with mine.

I groan, burying my face in her hair. "You're mine now, cara mia."

"Mattia," she whispers as if in a dream.

Dio. I'm fucked every which way one can be fucked. And I don't care.

We sign the license and then I show Abernathy and Coda out, leaving Aurelia in the living room.

"I'll deal with Rafe," I remind Coda.

"This is your bullshit to clean up, not mine," he says with a shake of his head. "I'm keeping my fucking mouth shut."

Can't say I blame him for that. He's had more than enough of his own shit lately. His wife was kidnapped because her father, the former Police Commissioner, was a corrupt prick. He murdered Coda's parents a long time ago. The bastard had the sense to save his daughter before Coda forced him out of Chicago, but they'll never forgive him for what he did.

Frankly, I would have killed him. But Coda didn't want her to live with his death on her conscience. He put her through enough. So at least Karina will have one decent memory of the motherfucker.

It'll never make up for the years of awful shit he did, but when she thinks about him, she shouldn't have to only remember the terrible shit for the rest of her life. Coda was smart enough to give her that measure of peace.

"Keep an eye on Brio," I mutter to him. "I want to know what the fuck he's doing."

"Will do." He ducks outside, glancing over his shoulder at Aurelia. "Keep an eye on her. She may shiv you in your sleep."

"Vaffanculo."

His laughter floats back to me as he jogs down the steps. I lock the door before turning back to Aurelia to find her examining the marriage license.

"Thinking about tearing it up, topolina?"

She lowers it an inch to scowl at me over the top. "Thought about it. Decided you'd probably just drag him back here and make him redo the whole thing."

"Accurate assessment." I stroll toward her. "We can't file it if it doesn't exist."

"You're making ripping it up sound better and better," she says sweetly. And then she frowns. "Seriously, though. How did he get a license so fast?" Her brows furrow. "Did you threaten him?"

I pause midstep, eyeing her. "You think I threaten people to get what I want?"

She shrugs. "You threatened me."

Fuck. Is that what she thinks?

"I didn't threaten him, Aurelia."

"Then how'd he get a license and show up here so fast? There's a waiting period, isn't there?"

I stride the rest of the way toward her, carefully taking the document and folding it up before putting it in my breast pocket for safekeeping. "I'm a powerful man with powerful friends," I say, holding her gaze. "And he has habits he'd rather no one knows about. He owed me a favor for keeping quiet about what I know. He waived the waiting period for us. Judges are able to do that."

"Oh."

"When I said your life was in danger, I wasn't threatening you either, cara mia. I told you before I ever brought you here that I won't hurt you. I meant that."

"You said I might not survive if I didn't marry you, Mattia. How is that not a threat?"

"Brio Cascella is a dangerous man, Aurelia. You think you can trust him, but you're wrong. Whatever lies and false promises he sold you are exactly that." I tip her chin up when she tries to look away from me. "You're a pawn in whatever game he's playing with your brothers, and pawns are expendable to men like Brio. If he thinks you plan to betray him, he'll kill you. If you don't do whatever he sent you here to do, he'll kill you. You need me."

Her gaze flits across my face, searching for something. "H-he didn't send me here, Mattia. You kidnapped me."

My lips lift into a sardonic smile. "You're a terrible fucking liar, topolina. What does he want?"

"How should I know?" She jerks away from me, trying to put distance between us. "If you want to know Brio's mind, maybe you should have drugged, kidnapped, and married him."

A burst of laughter escapes me, an unexpected, dark sound that makes her jump. "Perhaps I should have," I muse, my eyes never leaving her face.

She crosses her arms, her fierce eyes shooting daggers at me. But there's fear there too. Fear she's desperately trying to mask. "Can we just drop this? I'm so tired, Mattia."

"Of what?" I ask, leaning against the wall. "Lying to me? Hiding? Denying the truth?" My gaze doesn't waver from hers. I want all of her secrets, every last fucking one.

"Of everything!" She throws her hands up in frustration, pacing back and forth across the living room. "You're such a…a…" she stutters, anger overriding her ability to articulate.

"Bastard? Monster?" I supply helpfully, watching as she spins around to glare at me.

"Yes!" she snaps.

"Good. Be honest with me," I order, pushing away from the wall and moving toward her. "You think I'm a monster? A bastard? A fucking asshole?" The hurt in her eyes makes me pause, but I force myself to stay focused. This is important.

"I think you're dangerous," she finally admits. There's fear in her gaze now, but there's something else, too. Something…heated. The danger excites her.

My lips curve into an amused smirk. "You're not wrong about that."

She flinches, taking a step back.

"But don't mistake danger for cruelty," I warn, advancing on her. My words hang heavy in the air between us. "I'll never be cruel to you, Aurelia. You're safe with me."

She tenses at my confession, almost as if she'd rather be anything but safe with me. As if she doesn't want to let herself believe it. I think she's afraid if she lets herself relax, she'll let herself trust me with her secrets, and that scares the shit out of her.

What is she hiding that's so goddamn important that she's willing to put herself through all of this just to keep it hidden? What does Brio have on her? It has to be something.

It always fucking is.

I grab her around the waist, pulling her into my arms.

She gasps at the sudden movement.

"You're mine," I growl into her ear. "Fight your fate if it makes you feel better. I don't care." Her body trembles against mine at my words. "It only makes my fucking cock hard when you do it, topolina. That's the kind of bastard I am."

Without warning, I crash my lips onto hers. The kiss is full of desperation, a battle of wills. A silent plea for her to trust me, to let me in, to give me everything. Because I want all of her—every secret, every fear, every desire.

She fights like a fucking hellcat. She isn't trying to get me off her, though. She pulls my hair and, bites my lip, claws my arms. But she doesn't push me away. She doesn't try to wrench herself from my arms, either.

Soon enough, the fight ends—with her melting against me.

I carry her up to the bedroom, never separating from her lips as I navigate through the darkened hallway. The moment we're inside, I kick the door shut behind us with a loud bang, pinning her against it.

"Mattia," she whimpers against my lips as I run my hands down her body, exploring as if every lush curve is territory to be conquered, land I'm claiming for myself. This is no gentle exploration, though. It's ragged and primal and so fucking right.

I can't help but grin at the sound of her voice.

Does she have any idea how sweet she sounds begging for me?

"Beautiful," I breathe before sliding down her body until I'm on my knees at her feet.

Her eyes widen as I position myself between her legs, her breath hitching in sudden anticipation. "What are you…?"

"I'm going to fuck you with my tongue until you forget anything else exists, topolina."

Her breath catches in her throat as my words sink in. Her thighs press tightly together, as though she's instinctively trying to stifle the ache between them.

"Spread your legs, Aurelia," I command.

She hesitates for a second before complying, letting me see just how wet her panties are.

Slowly, reverently, I trace a finger up her inner thigh, watching in satisfaction as she shivers under my touch. But I don't make contact with her pussy yet. I let the anticipation build as I kiss my way up her leg, the sweet, tangy scent of her arousal growing stronger the closer I get.

At the last second, I flick her panties to the side.

My tongue slips between her soft folds.

A strangled gasp leaves her lips as her hands fly to my hair.

Jesus. The taste of her alone is enough to drive me mad. Cum drips into my boxers, making a fucking mess.

I start slow, dragging my tongue across her clit before sinking it into her warmth. When I latch onto her clit, she mewls out an unintelligible string of words that I assume means make her fucking come now.

With each lash of my tongue against her hot little pussy, she writhes and moans above me. Every arch of her back just pushes me further. Every whimper makes me want to devour her until she's incoherent with pleasure.

"Mattia," she pants. Her fingers tighten in my hair as she rocks against my mouth. "I…I…"

I look up at her then, locking onto those wild blue eyes as I push two fingers inside of her. "Fucking come for me, little mouse," I groan against her, the vibrations from my voice sending her over the edge.

Her orgasm crashes over her like a tidal wave, leaving her shuddering and gasping above me. I don't stop, however. I keep fucking her with my tongue until she's begging me to stop.

With one last kiss to her swollen clit, I stand and gather her up in my arms. She's limp and boneless as I carry her to bed.

I lay her down gently, pressing kisses all over her face before I quickly strip down to my boxers and crawl in beside her, dragging her up against my chest.

Her eyes flutter shut almost instantly. She snuggles up against me, murmuring my name.

Within seconds, she's out.

I watch her sleep, reeling at how terrifyingly fast I'm falling under her spell. Her sweetness, her fire, her innocence…every fucking piece of her has my heart ready to beat out of my chest. That should scare the hell out of me because out of the two of us, she's far more dangerous than I am.

But I'm not afraid.

This little mouse is fucking mine.