AllFreeNovel
Share Us
15
Cat was on the edge of the bed, fiddling with the belt of my robe and staring down at her phone. It took me aback, seeing her slim, forlorn form on my large unmade bed, framed by the drapes swooping down from the carved wooden posts of the bed.
It felt like someone had karate-chopped me in the chest.
Marriage or not, this was my wife.
She looked so young, so achingly beautiful. Locks of unbrushed hair toppled off her shoulder and her large chocolate-sweet eyes locked on me. She returned the silver glitter-cased phone to the night table. The moment she set it down, it vibrated on the wooden surface. Her eyes darted to the phone and then back to me, asking for permission. It must be her family. I shook my head as I approached her, taking her fluttering hands in mine.
Noting the empty plate near her phone, I teased, “Glad it didn’t keep you from eating.”
Giving me a shy look beneath her lashes, she shrugged her shoulders. “I’d worked up an appetite.”
I huffed out a laugh. The unabashed honesty in her answer shot warmth through my chest.
Taking a seat beside her, I wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She instantly snuggled into my side, her fine blonde hair tickling my chin. I took her lips and was rewarded when she opened for me. We indulged in a long, sweet kiss that tore my concentration to shreds. My hands roamed over her curves, one squeezing her hip, the other strumming her nipple.
Damn, I could lose myself in this woman.
“It must have gone well with Alex,” she observed, cocking her head to the side. “You don’t seem upset.”
Observant. Then again, I shouldn’t be surprised. Cat was as smart as a whip.
“It went as well as could be expected. Alex texted your father to set up an emergency meeting.” Motioning to her cell, I asked, “Have they been blowing up your phone?”
“Not yet, but that last text was from one of them. If Alex contacted my father, they’ll be calling soon.”
“About your family…I want you here, Kitty. I don’t want you returning to them until the wedding. You’re with me now. This is your home.”
She pulled back from me, although not enough to break my hold, but enough to get a good look at my face. Eyes roved over me to gauge how genuine I was. Oh, I’m dead serious, baby girl. I wasn’t used to outing my feelings like this, but I’d work on trusting for Cat. A little jolt of fear fluttered through my chest. No one can be fully trusted. I shoved the insidious fear away. That came from my past, and Cat wasn’t my father.
“You’re serious,” she stated.
“Fuck, yes, I’m serious. I don’t want to be separated for two whole months. I’d elope today if your mother wasn’t deep in wedding planning mode and if it wasn’t crucial that we have a statement-making wedding. We need it to be appallingly lavish and over-the-top, so no one dares question whom you belong to. That means our wedding will remain on the date you were supposed to marry Nicu.” My jaws clenched at how close she’d come to marrying my brother. Cat was mine now, not Nicu’s. Not that she was ever Nicu’s. “I don’t want to be separated from you when we just got together.”
Her brows knotted together. “Are you worried that something will happen?”
“Honestly, yes, I am. What if they turn you against me? Simu, especially. He has a special place in his black heart for me. I’m his enemy number one. And your brother isn’t a fan of mine either.”
A peal of laughter resembling chimes tumbled out of her parted lips. “Don’t worry about my brother. Once they find out about the blood bond, they will have to accept it. They won’t have a choice.”
“That doesn’t mean they can’t turn you against me,” I repeated.
Her hand covered mine. “They’re not like that. I know the Popescus have a harsh reputation, but you make them sound like monsters.”
I remained silent because, really, I didn’t know what to say to that. I didn’t want to insult her family, but I wasn’t about to back down either.
She let out a little sigh of frustration. “Being away for so long, sometimes I forget how it is here. They’re not going to try to tear us apart. Of course, they’ll be disappointed in me—”
“Maybe your mother won’t try to undercut me because she’s a mafie wife,” I cut in. “But you don’t know your brother, Simu, and your father like I do. What we did”—I shook my head—“was not right in their minds. I don’t regret it for a second, but they have every right to be angry. It’s fine by me if they sling mud my way. I can handle anything they throw at me directly. The only way they can get to me is through you, Cat. Do you understand that?”
“I’m your weakness,” she murmured.
“Hell, yes, you are.” I tweaked her nipple, and she let out a little gasp of shock mixed with arousal. “But you’re worth it. You’ll always be worth it. I trust you, but you’re young. Sensitive. This is the big brother and father you love that we’re talking about. You may think you’re strong, but you haven’t been through what I’ve been through with my father. If there’s any time that would induce them to treat you badly, it’s now. Being family doesn’t guarantee your safety, and I must protect you and what we’re building together.”
My chest tightened at the thought of anything happening to her. Was I projecting my experiences onto her? Probably, but for the first time in my life, the state of my heart depended on something outside of my control, and I couldn’t help but worry. It was bad enough I’d fallen for her, but to throw her to the wolves unprotected? No, that was a nonstarter.
Her hand squeezed mine. “What your father did to you has no relation to my family, but I get it. You don’t know them like I do. Anyway, I selfishly want to be with you, too, but… Luca, I won’t ever stop seeing them,” she said, her tone firming toward the end.
