Page 48 of Forced Mafia Bride
“Youaremine and no one else’s, Rosa. No other man gets to fucking touch you—not a single finger on your skin unless it’s in a professional way. No other man gets to kiss your lips. They belong to me. And your pussy. That too.”
With the heat radiating off my cheeks, I was sure I looked like a ripened tomato. He was vulgar, but the seriousness in his gaze was unquestionable. He meant every word, and I was unsure how to take what he’d dished, all at once.
But even just sitting there on that bed and watching him, I knew. The signs were everywhere, from the first time I met him till this very moment. When I escaped, he could have haunted me down so easily, but he didn’t. And when he found me….
I eyed the glass of water on the nightstand, the clean bedroom he’d put me in, the change of clothes at the foot of the bed.
This man had numerous opportunities to hurt me if he wanted. From the night at the auction, he could have killed and discarded me easily. But he didn’t. I remembered the first time I saw him, his piercing gaze slicing through me like a knife. I’d felt exposed, raw. Yet, simultaneously, I’d sensed a strange safety in his presence.
Instinctively, my hands covered my baby bump, and a lump formed in my throat when a larger hand covered mine.Hishand.
I wasn’t sure what I’d been thinking when I ran away from him, but in this moment, I’d never been more convinced of anything else in my life than knowing that my baby and I were safe with him.
Knowing this, I was certain that I didn’t want my baby living the life of a bastard, growing up in such a tough world without his or her father. And moreover, somehow, no matter how much I tried to deny it, there was something there, lingering in the corners of my heart.
Somehow, this man who embodied danger and power had woven himself into my very being. Every time our eyes met, my heart stumbled. Every word he spoke, low and husky, sent shivers down my spine. I’d tried to run from this feeling, to flee from the intensity that radiated from him. But like a moth to a flame, I was drawn back.
During my days of exile in that rundown apartment, I thought about him more often than I’d ever admit.
Why?I’d asked myself a thousand times.Why can’t I get him out of my mind completely?
Whatever the reason, I couldn’t deny it anymore.
The lines between the gaps of silence.
I knew what his were, and the brooding silence spoke louder than words, assuring me he’d be by my side whenever I turned.
Undeniably, there was a lot to consider: his past and the secrets shrouding them. A man like himself had buried bones and tales. Some of them, I wanted to uncover, to know the ingredients that formed this man before me.
Curiosity? Desire? Whatever it was, it was there. But I pushed aside the doubts, focusing on the one truth I couldn’t put off any longer:
I wasn’t going to escape him, even if I wanted to.
Chapter 20 – Nikolai
Two Weeks Later
No woman more beautiful.
No woman more fucking perfect.
Adorned in her simple white gown and a crystal princess tiara, she offered a small smile, blushing underneath her veil, and I swear I felt my heart shift. It was a sudden move, stopping my breath for a second at her glowing radiance.
The world around us spun in blurs. A haze or, better yet, a fucking dream. I barely heard the voice of the priest but watched her lips move when she said her vows. Her eyes twinkled like tiny diamonds sparkling in a sea of green. She seemed happy, content.
When we picked the gold rings out of the velvet cases for the exchange, they glimmered like sun rays. Gold was intentional, priceless,andcustomized.
When she lifted her finger, I leaned forward, whispering into her ear, “Look.”
I tilted the gold double band, and her gaze dropped to the tiny gold-brown lettering and symbol crested on it.
Rosa
∞
The smile on her lips moved to her eyes, shining even brighter when the ring slid onto her finger and sat perfectly. I raised my finger, allowing her to fix mine. And nothing felt more fucking real than this moment with her. Knowing that she was fully mine.
And I’m hers.