Chapter 12
Santino
“Time to go, my bride,”
I tell Mia, and she nods, twisting her cloth napkin in her hands on her lap.
Standing, we make our way around the room, stopping by the table where her brothers and cousins are seated. Mia says her goodbyes to the girls while deliberately avoiding the men.
I love the backbone my girl has. I honestly think I would’ve hated it if she was too agreeable or eager, or even indifferent, in marrying me. I already proved to her we have the explosive chemistry to be compatible, but I like that I have to earn her heart and her body. And when I do, I’ll do everything in my power to keep them safe and keep her trust.
Nico and Vinny stand. “Can we talk to you for a minute, Mia?”
Nico asks.
Mia pauses, contemplating if she should. “Fine.”
“Alone,”
he emphasizes, his eyes darting to mine and then back to his sister.
I place my hands in my pockets and watch the three of them walk out of the room for more privacy.
“I’d like a word as well,”
Leo says to me.
“Alright.”
“Let’s go outside.”
The night air is refreshing and I want whatever this little talk is going to be about to be over quickly so I can get Mia home.
“We signed the contract earlier,”
Leo says, stating the obvious.
“We did.”
We signed it before dinner in one of the spare rooms here. I refused to sign before the ceremony.
“I reached out to the Melccionas and we’re set to meet with them on Monday.”
“Good thing I didn’t have a honeymoon planned.”
Leo’s face turns murderous. “Don’t make me wish I killed you and took what I need from your family instead of this deal. I’m entrusting my cousin to you and saw today that I think you genuinely care for her in some capacity, but if you harm one single hair on her head or force her into anything, I will rip up our deal, rip out your throat, cut off your dick, and then burn your body in front of your family so they know what you did.”
“Jesus, I was making a joke, Leo. But even if I was taking Mia on a honeymoon, I would never force her to do anything just because we’re married. I’m not a fucking animal. Whatever happens between us from here on out will be because Mia and I want it to.”
“Good,”
he says, his jaw still clenched.
“But don’t threaten me or my family like that again. I stood next to my father when you gave the order to kill him and I watched him die. I haven’t forgotten what you’re capable of, but I’m not my father, just as you’re not yours. I respect you, Leo. You’ve always been a man of your word, and you may not know it yet, but I am too.”
“We’ll soon find out. Trust is earned with me, and all it takes is one mistake for it to be broken. I don’t give second chances.”
“Same with me.”
“Good to know.”
Leo holds his hand out, and as we’re shaking hands, Mia bursts out onto the patio, her face a mix of angry and annoyed.
“I’d like to leave now, Santino.”
“Of course. Leo, I’ll see you Monday.”
He nods, but doesn’t say anything to Mia, probably already knowing what her brothers said to make her so upset.
I place my hand on her lower back and walk us along the path that circles the venue rather than go back through the reception and room full of people.
“What did they say to you?”
I ask, trying to keep my voice calm so I don’t give away how much I want to go back in there and throttle her own family for upsetting her on her wedding day of all days.
“Let’s just get out of here.”
We make it to the front of the venue and Mia stops short. “I didn’t,”
she starts to say, then stops, her wide eyes on the vintage Rolls Royce I rented for us. “Did you?”
“I did. You planned everything, but when I asked Janine about our ride home, she said you hadn’t requested anything.”
“I didn’t realize I needed to. I didn’t think of it.”
“Well, I did. I thought you might like it.”
“I do.”
She smiles up at me and my fucking heart swells in my chest.
The driver steps out and rounds the car, opening the rear door for us.
“Thank you,”
Mia politely says to him before she maneuvers into the car. I pick up the train of her dress and lift it in behind her, and the sweet smile she gives me in return has my heart doing that weird stammering it’s only done since she’s come into my life.
Mia is quiet for the first ten minutes of our drive, her eyes glued out the window. “This isn’t the way to the hotel,”
she finally says.
“No, it’s not. We’re not going to the hotel.”
Her head whips towards me. “Where are we going?”
“Home.”
“Home?”
She eyes me speculatively. “And where’s that?”
“Manhattan. I wanted to start our marriage off where we’ll be living, not in a hotel where a lot of our family and other guests are staying.”
“You’re taking me to your apartment in the city?”
Her voice is laced with panic.
“Yes. It’s your home now, too.”
Mia rolls her lips between her teeth. “I had important belongings in my hotel room.”
“I’ve already got that sorted. Everything is already waiting for you at the apartment.”
She goes back to looking out the window and I wish I could read her mind.
“What did your brothers say to upset you?”
She twists her fingers together in her lap and she shakes her head. “They pulled me aside to talk to me about us being…”
Pausing, her eyes dart to mine and then back out the window. “Intimate,” she finally finishes.
“Excuse me?”
I grind out, pissed off. “What the fuck did they say to you exactly?”
“They were reiterating to me that I don’t need to do anything I don’t want to do and I shouldn’t let you touch me. They were speaking to me as if I don’t have a mind of my own and am perfectly capable of keeping you in line.”
My anger dissipates when I realize what she just said, and smile at her in disbelief. “Excuse me? Keep me in line?”
“Yes,”
she says smugly. “Don’t question my capabilities to do so when I’ve already gotten you to beg me. Besides, I’m more than certain you won’t force me to do anything because you seem to have a begging kink. You don’t want easy.”
“No, I don’t,”
I rasp. “And you’re right.” I lean in, brushing the tip of my finger along her jaw and bottom lip. “I may have a begging kink. I didn’t before you, though.”
“It’s good to know I’m special,”
she whispers.
“Oh, you’re special, farfalla. Very special.”
Mia licks her lips and my eyes follow her tongue, wanting her to lick my lips in the same way. “I can’t wait to find out what other undiscovered kinks I have with you.”
Her eyes are on mine and her breathing is steady, but I can see her pulse pounding in her neck, and I want to feel it beating against my tongue as I lick up the column of her neck to her sweet spot below her ear that I know drives her crazy. For now, I slide my finger down her throat and over to her jugular. Her pulse picks up speed at my touch and I look at her expectantly.
“I love feeling your heart rate spike when I touch you, farfalla. Do you want to feel mine?”
Mia raises her hand slowly and brings it to my neck to mimic mine. Her cool, gentle touch on my heated skin has me clenching my jaw so I don’t scare her away by either slamming my mouth against hers or hauling her up onto my lap and burying my face in her neck.
“Do you feel it?”
I ask, and she nods. “It’s because of you. I told you, you’re special.”
“I’m sure plenty of women have spiked your pulse, Santino,”
she whispers.
“Not like this. Never like this.”
She gives me a soft smile. “Let me kiss you again,” I plead. “I want you to feel what happens to my pulse when I do.”
“Yes,”
she sighs, and I don’t waste any time.
I cup Mia’s neck so I can feel her pulse as I press my lips to hers, loving the jump in her heart rate the moment they do. She presses her fingers into my neck to feel mine in return.
I lick the seam of her lips and she opens for me, her tongue sliding against mine in a sensual kiss that has my cock stiffening in an instant.
She has that effect on me, and I fucking love it.
Our kiss is slow and sensual, and carries too many promises to count.
I pull away before I lose control, resting my forehead against hers. “Do you feel it, Mia?”
She nods, her fingers pressing into my neck. “It matches mine, doesn’t it?”
she asks, the whisper of her words brushing my lips.
“It does.”
I kiss the corner of her mouth. “But I think yours is beating a little faster.” I kiss the other corner. “Which I like,” I admit, placing a barely there kiss to her lips.
I take her hand from my neck and kiss her knuckles before weaving our fingers together and placing our joined hands on my thigh for the rest of the drive back into the city.