She smiled, picked up her handbag, and turned towards the door. Soraya lifted her gaze, looked at me as if she was about to say something, and then swiftly followed her sister-in-law out without a word.
“Olivia seems…” Ally started.
I sighed. “Lovely.”
“Not sure about the other one, though. She’s a bit weird.”
“I think she’s just quiet,” I said, though I wasn’t sure why I was even defending her. She had a calming presence, even when she never uttered a word.
We left the bathroom to enter carnage. In the lobby, local paparazzi were storming the hotel, and Santino’s men pulled Allegra and me behind them aggressively. I fell against a wall, hitting my shoulder, and tried to shove the man’s vice-like grip off me. But just as quickly, it was gone. I stared up in alarm as Santino shoved the man against the wall, his arm twisted behind his back at such an angle that he was seconds away from breaking it.
“Never touch my wife like that again,” he snarled into the man’s ear. His voice was so deep and feral that it sent a confusing spark of arousal between my legs. Santino released him, grabbed my hand, and yanked me out from behind his men, pulling me towards the flashing cameras and journalists.
“SignorBuccini, how long have you and the mayor’s daughter been keeping your relationship a secret?”
“SignorBuccini, who was at the wedding? Is the mayor here? Can we speak to him?”
“There are rumours that you and the mayor don’t get along. Is that why he’s not here?”
“SignoraBuccini, who designed your wedding dress?”
Holy Mother of—. Where had they come from? And had someone just called me Signora Buccini? Holy shit.
Santino pulled me to his side, a tight smile on his face as he let them take a few pictures of us, then spoke confidently, with an edge of authority. “That’s all for tonight.Grazie.Please respect our privacy and let us enjoy our wedding night. My wife and I would like to get back to our wedding party.”
He tugged me through the crowd and back into the reception room, and I just blinked like a fool, following his lead.
“How did they know?” I hissed as the doors shut firmly behind us.
He turned to me with an arrogant smirk that shouldn’t have been so panty-melting. “I called them.”
My mouth dropped open, my eyes bulging. “Youcalled them?”
“Si,”he answered, pulling me into him by the hips. His eyes roamed over my face, taking in every detail as if I were a canvas on display.
“Why the hell would you do that?”
“Because I want the world to know you are mine.” He lifted his hand and let his fingertips glide across my cheekbones and along my jaw before teasing the seam of my lips. I stared up at him, caught in his trap. “You look so beautiful. My wife.”
My heart fumbled despite itself. I glanced away to find most of his family watching us, smiling as if this were a heart-warming moment for them to cherish. This whole thing was just… absurd.
“I’m only your wife on paper,” I said, pulling out of his embrace. His smile faltered. “I’ll never forgive you for what you did today.”
“I can live without your forgiveness,” he husked, leaning in to whisper in my ear. “I just need you by my side, with my last name as a warning.”
“A warning?”
“To anyone who thinks they can take, hurt, or threaten what’s mine.”
I rolled my eyes at his Neanderthal crap again, but he grabbed my jaw, forcing me to look at him.
“Did your father tell you who Damiano really was?”
My eyebrows knitted together. “What do you mean?”
He scoffed, shaking his head. “I didn’t think so. That’s a conversation for later. Come. I want you to meetMamma.”
He yanked my hand, forcing me to follow him towards the chair where his mother was sitting next to Soraya.
