Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 48854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
I should be loyal to the Vitale name, but I can’t bring myself to confess what just happened. That I saw Domenico, that I kissed him when I should have known better. Cassio leaves me to my thoughts, and I watch as he and his two soldiers make their way out of the maze.
Laughing and chatter from the party break the silence. But my thoughts are still on Domenico. His kiss still lingers on my lips. The taste of him consumes me, even though he’s long gone.
I push to my feet, but before I can leave the area, I hear a whisper from behind me. I turn, glancing over my shoulder before I fully face my enemy. He’s far too handsome, but that’s what they say about the devil—his beauty is a lure.
Domenico crooks his finger, calling me to him, and like a butterfly caught in his net, I move toward him. When I stop inches from him, I take him in.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“I shouldn’t,” he agrees. “But you’re here, so that means I want to be. Even if I’m killed.”
“That’s stupid,” I tell him as I shuffle on my feet. “Go. Now.”
“Promise me you’ll meet me tomorrow,” he says suddenly. “At the Bow Point Cemetery near the Vitale mausoleum.”
My mouth pops open in surprise that he knows this. But then again, he seems to know more about my family than I do about his. I’ve only ever heard of the hatred between our clans. I don’t know the reason because my father believes girls shouldn’t be a part of the life.
I agree with him on that count.
“Why?”
“Because I need to see you again,” he tells me. “Don’t you think that a hundred-year-old feud is stupid?” It’s a challenge. He’s gauging my response to our history. Well, not ours, but our family’s past.
“What if I don’t want to see you?” I challenge as a small smile curves Domenico’s perfect lips.
“Oh, little star,” he coos, “I think you want to see so much more of me.”
“I’m getting married,” I blurt suddenly as fear skitters down my spine, a poison trickling over my skin as those brown eyes turn black as they seem to shimmer with pure rage.
“You’re not,” he tells me confidently as if he has the power to stop this. “The only person you’ll marry one day is me, and it won’t be when you’re not even old enough to know what my fingers feel like inside that pretty pussy.”
His words cause heat to spread across my cheeks, my chest, and down to my core, where my thighs squeeze together to calm the pulse of need. Domenico leans in, his lips brushing along my cheek as he nears the lobe of my ear.
“When you come tonight in your bed, all alone in the dark, think of me. When you touch yourself, when you’re wet and needy, and when your little clit is hard and throbbing, you will imagine it’s my tongue flicking across your slick wetness.”
My chin drops, my mouth parting into the shape of an O.
A chuckle vibrates through Domenico’s chest, and he steps back to regard me. “See you soon,” he promises, and the darkness swallows him. I’m still staring at the exit in the hedge when the fireworks go off, lighting the sky in colorful sparks.
Looking up at the inky dome above, now suddenly brightened by the beautiful display, saddens me. I wish I didn’t have to marry the man my father chose. I wish I could escape this life and have freedom of choice.
But that’s not who I am.
I have been born into a family that requires my loyalty.
I head back to the party with my heart heavy in my chest. The thought of never seeing Domenico again doesn’t help my emotions. It’s as if a cloud has floated across my sunshine, and I’m in perpetual shitty weather.
By the time I reach the house, most of the guests are drunk, my mother included. It’s her party, after all.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” my father calls, clinking a fork against his glass. “I need your attention, please.” The deep booming baritone echoes around us, and everyone stops their chatter, their focus on Dad.
When a hush falls across the living room and patio, I stop at the edge of the house behind everyone. I’m hidden from his gaze, but it feels as if my father knows I’m here. It’s as if he can sense my fear about what he’s going to say.
“I’ve taken a long time to decide what my family legacy will be. Since I have no son, no heir, I’ve chosen my brother’s son, Cassio, as my successor.” His announcement is met with cheers and elation, while my stomach sinks to my feet. I close my eyes, my mind slowly whirring with prayers for him not to mention my upcoming nuptials.