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The doorbell rings. I scowl at him, then at the door. "I wasn’t expecting anyone."
The doorbell rings again and again.
"Coming," I call out as I head toward the door with him right behind me.
I wrench it open, to find a guy standing there, holding out a packet. I sign for it, and he leaves. I close the door, lock it, turn, and once more, crash head-first into that wide chest. The dark male scent of him fills my lungs, and I’m ashamed to say that I take in big gulps of it.
"Did you just smell me?" He sounds amused.
"What?" I pull back. “Of course not.” I march around him, head for the living room, where I grab the letter opener from the side table. I slide it under the flap of the envelope and open it, then take in the official looking sheets of paper. My heart begins to race and my throat closes. I sit down on the settee and pull out the documents. I scan through them and anger squeezes my lungs.
"Goddamn it!" I throw them down on the table and jump to my feet. "You knew that this was going to happen. You knew my ex was going to file for full rights to her. You knew it, and you manipulated things so I would have no option but to marry you, you—”
"Hold on," he snaps, "don’t go shooting your mouth off without any evidence, woman."
"The evidence is that I was served with papers immediately after you told me you’d make sure I get custody." I grab the papers off of the table, then walk around it until I reach him, and slap them against his chest. The papers slide down to the floor around him, and he makes no move to pick them up. He also doesn’t seem too upset by my outburst. That entire attempt at not allowing my temper to get away from me? I failed in spectacular fashion.
He folds his arms across his chest and taps his foot against the floor. "Are you done?"
I pivot and walk around the sofa, so I can put some distance between us.
"My inquiries showed it was just a matter of time before your ex filed to strip you of your parental rights. It’s why I came here today. We both stand to gain if we go through with this marriage as quickly as possible."
"You mean, you get what you want, without any delays."
"And you." He steps over the papers, then closes the distance to stand on the other side of the sofa. "The sooner we marry, the sooner I can put pressure on my contacts to have him retract his actions."
I grip the back of the sofa. I don’t want to marry him, especially not when I’m so attracted to him. The last time I thought I liked a man, see what happened? He not only slept around, but also turned out to be the kind of bastard who won’t rest until he’s taken everything from me. And now, I’m considering walking straight into another marriage… In order to redress the consequences from the previous one. If that isn’t a recipe for disaster, I don’t know what is.
"I cannot…Willnot let anyone take my daughter from me. She is my top priority. She is my heart. I cannot separate me from her." I tip up my chin. "I’d fight anyone and anything for her. If I lose her, I won’t survive."
"And I’ll make sure that never happens. We’ll make sure no one dares take her away from you. That no one dares harm either of you."
We. He said 'we.' When did I last feel like I was part of a unit? Maybe with Theresa and her friends, who had taken me under their wing when I’d moved here from England. But this is different. This would mean being part of a team… A family… My family. My unit. I’d never thought I could have that again. Never thought I’d marry again. Definitely not to a Mafioso.
"Well?" He tilts his head. "What do you say?"
"I’ll marry you," I tilt my head up, "on one condition."
"Oh?"
"No sex."
8
Seb
I throw back my head and laugh. "You’re crazy, if you think I’m going to agree to that."
"You need me as much as I need your help." She firms her lips.
I need you... and that’s what bothers me so much about you.
"Okay, fine. I accept the condition, but I have one of my own," I retort.
Her forehead wrinkles. I guess she wasn’t expecting that. But if she thinks I’m not going to take advantage of this situation, she’s sorely mistaken.
"What is it?" she finally asks.
