Chapter 30

The next three days, disappear in a daze. I eat when I’m told to, shower when I’m told to, and dress in whatever Alessandro lays out for me. I don’t fight him. And I limit my interaction with all of them as much as possible.

My time is mostly occupied admiring the picturesque forest through the window. Tiny birds flitter around, dancing from one branch to the next. They look so happy. So free. How can I envy such a little creature that anything could literally eat out there? But I do, because they are free to make that critical decision for themselves. If they die, it’s on them.

“Baby doll, we have to get going,” Ricky’s voice comes from beside me.

I glance up at him, wondering what he’s going on about.

He’s holding a pair of my black combat boots, the ones he knows are my favorite. “Your dress fitting is scheduled for this morning,” he explains when he sees my confusion .

“Oh.” I stand on auto pilot, taking my boots from him. Slipping them on, I don’t bother with the laces before following him out of the room.

He unlocks the house and lets me out, then walks by my side to his khaki G-Wagon. I hop in the front seat when he opens the door for me. He starts up the engine and takes off down the long, bumpy driveway. It feels odd to be out of that place. To watch the open road whoosh past as he drives like the demon he is.

“Are you ever going to talk to me again?” he asks, and I hear the heaviness in his voice. My silence is making an impact on him. Well, good, he deserves to squirm for what he did to me.

“I talk to you,” I mutter, not bothering to look his way.

“You’ve been giving me the silent treatment for days.”

My lips twitch into a bitchy-as-fuck smile. “What would you like to talk about, Ricky? How you implanted some fucking device in me while I was drugged up after your goon shot me because you fuckers don’t trust me to make smart decisions for myself? Or how I’m being forced to marry your boss next week because he’s a controlling asshole who wants to rule the world? Both exciting topics of conversation.”

He chuckles like this is all funny. “Thank fuck.”

I give him side-eye, wondering what he’s talking about. “What the hell?”

“She’s still in there. Sassy Harley. I thought we might have broken you.”

I flip him the bird, then pull my legs up so I’m staring out the side window facing away from him. The view is a much safer option to look at than the pretty-boy doctor laughing next to me.

Silence falls over us again, and he turns up the radio, and some nineties pop song I don’t know the name of spits through the speakers. I close my eyes and rest my head on the window .

“You don’t know what you mean to him. To us.” His voice is softer this time.

I huff, my eyes flicking back open abruptly. As if I mean anything real to him. I’m his ticket to all the power he wants. That’s it.

“He loves you.”

I stiffen, my heart kicking up a beat. Is he talking about my brother now or Alessandro?

His hand comes to my thigh, and I shift my attention toward him, wondering what he wants from me.

His eyes meet mine just for a second, then they’re back on the road. “He’s been in love with you for years. Since your papa found the two of you together and sent you away. This wedding isn’t just about him, it’s about you both.”

I look him over, wondering why he’s confessing all this to me today. Was it an order from his boss or is he trying to help out of the kindness of his own heart? His eyes flick to me again. “Oh yeah? He has a funny way of showing it. Control isn’t love,” I snip back, making sure he’s crystal clear where I stand on the topic.

If he loved me so much, why hasn’t he made any attempt to fix things between us? For the last two nights he’s slept right there in the bed next to me, but he might as well have been on the other side of the country because we never once touched or said a word to each other.

“He doesn’t want to control you. He’s been backed into a corner. He’s trying to do the right thing.”

I huff again, not believing a word of this shit. Actions speak louder than words, and his actions tell me all I need to know. He’s in this for himself, just like my papa was. Just like his father is. And I’m sure both Ricky and Maddox are as well. I don’t know what exactly they get out of all this, but it has to be something for them to be so loyal to the family. I guess the perks of all the money they could imagine and all the fancy toys that come with it must sweeten the deal.

“If he wanted to control you, do you think he would allow you to have a relationship with me? Or Maddox?”

That little complication has me curious. I always wondered how a control freak like him would be so happy to share.

“He loves you, and he knows we do as well.” His lips turn up as he says the last part.

A strange tingle runs through me. Is Ricky admitting to being in love with me? What the actual fuck is going on in this car today?

He shuts off the engine, and I realize he’s parked. His hand brushes my face. “Baby doll, you know it’s true.”

I glance back at him, my forehead creasing. “No. This isn’t love. I don’t know what it is, but it’s not love. If it was, then that would make me just as twisted as the rest of you.”

“Maybe you’re just that fucked up.” He smirks, his piercing eyes filled with playfulness again. His hand moves away from my face, and he steps out of the car, coming around my side to let me out.

I step onto the street, my head still spinning from that little nugget of fuckery. He takes my hand before I can stop him and leads me toward a stunning bridal gown boutique.

“Where the hell are we?” I ask, glancing down the street I don’t recognize. A main street of some kind, with just a few shops and cafes lining the sidewalks.

“In the middle of nowhere,” he answers me cryptically.

“Looks like it,” I mutter. But as we step inside the store, I’m overwhelmed with the beauty of the gowns on display. The town might be a nothing sort of a country town, but this place looks like it belongs in the city. I glance around, my eyes wide, wondering what dress Alessandro has selected for me .

A stylish woman in her late thirties wearing an elegant white pantsuit approaches us. “Can I help you, dear?” Her ruby lips form a sweet smile.

“We have an appointment,” Ricky says for me. Because of course I’m not capable of talking for myself anymore.

“Ahh, Miss Harley. I’ve been excited to meet the girl who’s stolen Alessandro’s heart.”

I cringe as she says it. Why do people keep saying that? It couldn’t be further from the truth. He stole me, yes, and locked me up with a fucking tracker in my arm so I can’t escape, but I haven’t stolen anything from him.

“I’m Lauren. I’ll take care of you today.” She looks me over with kind eyes. “You’re every bit as beautiful as he described you.”

“Thank you,” I mutter, taking her outstretched hand, trying not to seem ungrateful for her kindness and help but wondering why my soon-to-be husband would have been describing me as beautiful to her.

“Come on, dear, we don’t have a lot of time, and depending on what you select, it may need quite a lot of alterations. We need to get started right away.”

I take a quick glance in Ricky’s direction. “I get to pick?” I inquire with astonishment.

“Of course you do, dear. What would Alessandro know about fashion?” She laughs.

“He thinks he knows about everything,” I mutter dryly.

She laughs again, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure he does, dear,” she responds like she knows him, and I wonder if maybe she does.

During the next hour, I try on all the dresses I selected on our walkthrough. Lauren and Ricky give me their honest opinions on what looks nice, and we have narrowed it down to two that I can’t decide between. One is a scoop neck with fine beaded straps, a low back, delicately adorned with floral embroidery, it has a boned bodice, but it’s still surprisingly comfortable to wear. The skirt is A-line in a glitter tulle fabric, with a sexy leg spit up one side. The other is a sleek and modern trumpet-cut sheath dress with a deep V-neckline. Both suit me and look special.

I glance over at my reflection in the mirror again, doing a little twirl to see how the skirt moves. It’s so freaking pretty with the way the glitter tulle sparkles in the light. I sigh heavily. I’m not even sure why I’m trying so hard to pick the best one. It’s not like this is my real wedding, the one where I’m marrying the man of my dreams. It’s all just a ruse, so I should just pick whatever and be done with it. Sadness fills me. But this will be the only wedding I’m going to get.

The curtain opens, and Ricky’s face appears. “This one. You look stunning in it.” He smiles, his eyes twinkling with a deep desire. A look he shouldn’t be giving his brother’s wife-to-be.

And I know he’s right. This is the one. “Tell me something, Ricky.”

He slips into the fitting room, closing the curtain behind him as he leans into the wall watching me. “Anything, baby doll.” His hungry eyes eat me up, and I enjoy his eyes on me a little more than I should.

His intense gaze affects me in ways that are unexpected and unsettling. Why do I enjoy his attention on me so much? I’m supposed to hate him, but as soon as I spend any time with him, I can’t. My teeth sink into my bottom lip, and I nibble on it nervously. “Are you jealous it’s not you who gets to marry me?” I ask, knowing I’m asking an impossible question that I really don’t want the answer to.

His hand comes to my chin, his thumb dusting over my bottom lip tenderly. “Yes.”

I suck in a labored breath. Fuck .

His hand sweeps into my hair, and I lean into his touch, my body betraying me. “But when you take the name Moretti, you will be all of ours.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” I murmur, his lips so close to mine they’re almost touching.

“It doesn’t have to.” He closes the gap, claiming me with his mouth. And I let him. I’m so attracted to this man I couldn’t pull away from him even if I wanted to. His hand roams down to my ass and he squeezes. I moan into his mouth, feeling that familiar tingle of excitement run through me. My panties are already soaking wet.

“Get dressed. I want to take you home,” he growls out with way too much promise in his tone.

Fuck. So much for ignoring them all. My needy pussy has other ideas.

Once again, he leans against the wall, observing me. His expression one of satisfaction. He knows I can’t resist him.

“If you’re going to stay in here, you can at least help with the zipper,” I mutter, wondering what our stylist Lauren thinks of my dressing room intruder. Knowing these guys, she’s probably been paid a pretty penny to turn a blind eye to anything she sees anyway.

He helps me out of the dress and hands it out of the room to our assistant while I grab my clothes I came here in. Right before I step into my jeans, his hand finds mine and his lips find my earlobe. “I know you’re angry, but I need you, baby doll,” is all he says, then he pulls my body back into his, kissing my neck. I don’t know what it is, but he has me feeling alive for the first time in days.

I spin in his grip. Finding his lips, I kiss him back, shoving him against the fitting room wall aggressively. “I thought you wanted to take me home. ”

“That was before I saw you in those lacy panties.” His tongue flicks out and licks along my jaw like he can’t help but taste me, sliding all the way to my earlobe where he bites down.

“We can’t have that.” I smirk, taking his cock in my hand and palming it through the fabric of his suit pants. I stare up at him, enjoying the small amount of power I have over him for once. His hand slides down my waist and reaches for my pussy, but I swat him away. “No. Boys I can’t trust don’t get to touch me.”

“Fuck, Harley, I’m so fucking sorry…” I press my finger to his lips, silencing him.

My other hand continues to slide up and down his long shaft, teasing him. “I’m sure you are, but it doesn’t change what you did. And until you earn back my trust, you don’t get my pussy.” I can hardly recognize my voice. I sound powerful and in charge, and he’s listening to me. It might be because he’s so fucking turned on he can’t help himself, but right now, I will take the small win. I flick out my tongue, kissing him again, more aggressively this time. I unbutton his pants and slip my hand inside, pumping his rock-hard cock. Precum beads at the tip, and I hear him suck in a breath.

I bend down on to my knees in front of him and undo his pants. His impressive cock springs free, and he looks down at me through hooded eyes that tell me all I need to know. I might be on my knees in front of him, but he worships me. With my eyes still locked on his, I lick all the way up the length of his cock then take him in my mouth as far as I can before I gag.

“Fuck, that’s so hot, Harley.”

I smirk around his cock and try again, adjusting my position so I can take him further. I dig my fingernails violently into his hip as I suck him off, moving back and forth at a pace I know is driving him wild. Fuck, it’s driving me wild, and I’m now regretting my punishment. With the way my lady parts throb for his attention, I think it’s going to punish me more than him.

While I continue moving, he gently touches my face and holds my chin. Then he slips his fingers into my hair and bunches it behind my head, and I think he’s going to use the leverage to fuck my face, but he doesn’t. Instead, he grips me like he’s about to lose control and he doesn’t know what to do about it.

I gaze up at him as he thrusts inside my mouth once more, and this time, thick spurts of cum slide down my throat. “Good girl, take it all,” he coaches me.

And I swallow it all down like the good little girl I am for him, panting as I try to get my body under control. I can feel the pool of moisture between my legs. The heat between us, this is insane. I just sucked Ricky Moretti off in the change room of a bridal boutique. Who even am I?

Tucking himself away, he then holds out a hand to help me up to standing before gently wiping the side of my mouth as he smirks back at me cheekily. Oh God, he thinks he’s won me over again. My heart races a little faster as our eyes lock, because I know I can’t ever resist him, and that is fucking dangerous. For my heart as well as my body.

Before I can overthink what I just did too much, his lips are back on mine, kissing me with a desperation I feel right to my toes. My heart races wildly because I feel so out of control when I’m with him. He makes me forget all the promises I make to myself. I just want to be his and for him to be mine. His hands slide down my body, running over my ass and through my legs. Fuck, I want him, and he knows it. This was all a massive tease. But true to my word, I shove his hand away.

He moves back, fixing me with a piercing gaze. “You have to know I’m going to fuck that sweet pussy of yours before the end of the day,” he warns .

His words ignite a flutter through my entire body. I laugh at his desperation to hide my own. “You should think yourself lucky I had a moment of weakness and sucked your cock. It won’t happen again.” I shove off him, slipping my shirt over my head and pulling on my jeans, leaving the fitting room before he has a chance to recover and before I do something else I can regret. But I don’t regret a second of sucking his perfect cock, even though I know I should.