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“This way, Vittoria,” I say, but before I can move, she crosses her arms.
“Tori.” She says simply.
I look at her. “Excuse me?”
“I hate being called Vittoria. Everyone calls me Tori. If we’re going to be together, then I would prefer you call me Tori.” Her blue-gray eyes bore into me, and I smirk at her resistance.
“Fine, Tori, come this way so you can unpack.” I walk down the hallway. “Your things are already in our room. We’ve cleared some space for you to unpack your things, and if you need anything, I will give you my bank card so you can purchase what you want.”
I walk into the bedroom. Her things are piled on one side of the king bed, and I look at her. “I’m sure you’ll want to change out of your wedding dress as well. There’s a garment bag to hang it up in.”
“Where will you sleep?” she asks quietly, almost shyly.
I cock an eyebrow. “Next to you. We are husband and wife. Normally, that means we share a bed. If you need time to settle, I won’t consummate our marriage yet, but you should know it will happen sooner or later.”
She looks stricken, but I have other things to deal with, so I leave the bedroom and head back to the main living area. I take out my phone and dial my cousin's number, waiting for him to answer.
“Evgeni, come in the morning so we can discuss our plans for the Sorvino territories. I want to go over every possibility,” I say.
“Sure, no problem,” Evgeni says, I hear giggling, and I know he’s with a woman. I shake my head and hang up. The front door opens, and Leonid walks in.
I glance at him as I walk past, going to the tray where I keep my finest whiskey and vodka. I pour us each a drink and offer him a glass. He takes it and sips it slowly.
“We could have the Sorvinos now where we want them,” Leonid says casually. “We should treat your bride as a bargaining chip, a hostage, and negotiate better terms if they don’t want her to die.”
The thought of Tori coming to harm doesn’t sit well with me, which in itself is strange. Since my wife passed, I’ve been a pretty cold person. I don’t believe in allowing myself to get emotionally attached to people, though I see the power of them getting emotionally attached to me. Loyalty gets you very far with people. I wave him off, annoyed. “I’m not going to do that. I’m a man of my word if nothing else, and now that I’ve married Tori, you will treat her with the level of respect she deserves in our family. As my wife, she holds more standing than even you, Leonid, as my second in charge.”
Leonid looks sour, but I down my drink. “Anastasia will be back soon. Why don’t you go home and worry about your own affairs for once, my brother? We will meet tomorrow to discuss my plans for our family.”
Leonid also downs his drink and sighs. “Yes, Pakhan.”
I know he’s annoyed when he addresses me formally, but Leonid is always a bit touchy. It’s why I keep a close eye on him. He has a temper and is impulsive, so I have to ensure he doesn’t do something rash. I know it was he who ordered the hit on the Sorvinos, but I had to support him after the fact to avoid fractioning my own family. I don’t condone what he did. It almost sent us into total war. It did, however, land me with my beautiful bride.
I spend the rest of my evening reading. Tori doesn’t come out of the bedroom, so I assume she’s taking her time unpacking her things into the walk-in closet. I glance at my watch: almost ten at night. I sigh. My daughter’s flight must have been delayed, which happens occasionally.
I’m trying to concentrate on this new book by Celeste Riley, but my mind keeps drifting back to Tori. Her figure, her hair, and her eyes are all I can think about—how physically perfect she is. I haven’t felt this way about someone since Anastasia’s mother, and I never thought I’d feel this way again. This is physical attraction. That’s all it is, I mentally scold myself. It’s a physical attraction.
I hear the elevator ping, place my bookmark between the pages, and set the book down. I stride out of the library and see Anastasia coming in, my guards helping her with her luggage.
“Father!” she declares, throwing her arms around my neck. I hug her tightly and kiss her head. “Ana! Welcome back. How were your travels?”
“They were fine, delayed as usual, but I’m glad to be back.” She gives me a bright smile. “I’m sorry I wasn’t home in time for your wedding.”
“It’s okay. You’re home now, and that’s what matters the most.” I stroke the hair out of her eyes. “Talking of my new bride. Let the guards take your things to your room, and I’ll introduce you to her.”
“What’s her name?” Anastasia asks as we walk together.
“She wants to be called Tori, but her name is Vittoria,” I explain, opening the bedroom door to find Tori, changed and dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, hair tied up, sitting on the bed with her hands folded in her lap. She stands up as I walk in.
“Tori, this is my daughter, Anastasia. Ana, this is Tori,” I say, gesturing between them.
Anastasia gives Tori the once-over glance I know too well, and then she extends her hand. “Hi, Vittoria. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Tori seems awkward as she shakes my daughter's hand, and yes, I can see how it would be a bit weird being my bride and the same age as my child.
“Thank you, Anastasia. It’s a p-pleasure to meet you, t-too.”
Anastasia lets go of Tori’s hand, turns around, and leaves the room. I chuckle. “My child is impatient and probably tired from her travels. Is there anything you want before we go to bed? Did you manage to unpack everything?”
