34. Thirty-Four #3
“Instead of warning you, I sent Frank to watch the club, because he was closer and less obvious to anyone who might be watching you. I sent Frank to make sure nothing happened to you while you were . . . entertaining yourself, so as not to spook anyone into making a bad decision.” His voice remained steady, but I didn’t miss the edge in his voice.
“So the woman you used to fuck before our families arranged our marriage is deciding our fate?”
Arrow moved closer. “Svetlana told me to watch my back. That they’d heard the rumors about the Virelli girl who couldn’t be tamed, and that marrying you would be the end of me.”
“And that made you smile?”
“I smiled,” he said. “Because I told her you were worth the risk.”
I searched his face for anything that would make me hate him again, but all I found was an exhausted intensity that matched my own.
His hand came up to my face. “Because it’s true. Even when you’re stabbing me, even when you’re fucking other people in clubs, even when you’re doing your best to make me lose my mind.” His thumb brushed my cheekbone. “I will burn down half this city to keep you safe, Harlowe. Even from yourself.”
My throat tightened. The sincerity in his voice undid me more than his rage ever could.
“I never asked you to protect me,” I whispered, but the fight had drained from me.
“You never had to.” Arrow’s hand slid to my neck, his thumb resting where his chain should have been.
I closed my eyes, overwhelmed by the warring emotions inside me—rage at his presumption, relief at his presence, guilt over the mess I’d created, and something deeper I wasn’t ready to name.
When I opened them again, he was watching me with that unnerving intensity that made me feel like he could see every thought racing through my head.
“The Kovenskis are powerful,” I said. “If they pull their support—”
“They won’t.”
“How can you be so sure?”
His mouth curved into a cold smile. “Because I reminded Svetlana’s father of what happened to the last family who crossed both Romanovs and Virellis.”
A chill ran down my spine. I knew exactly which family he meant—the Calabresis, wiped out in a single night ten years ago, their empire carved up between our families like a Thanksgiving turkey. It had been the last time our fathers had worked together before the blood feud reignited.
“And that worked?” I asked.
“It bought us time.” Arrow moved to the bar, pouring another whiskey. “But we can’t afford any more mistakes. Not with the wedding so close.”
I followed him, snatching the glass from his hand. “You’re telling me I should play nice?” I took a sip.
Arrow’s eyes tracked my movements as I drank from his glass. “I’m telling you for the next forty-eight hours, we need to be untouchable. Perfect. The power couple everyone expects. After that, you can stab me again for all I care.”
“Don’t tempt me,” I muttered.
He plucked the glass from my fingers, set it down, and backed me against the bar. “The rehearsal dinner tomorrow night—Svetlana will be there.”
“You invited her?”
“Her father is bringing her. As a show of support.” His voice was carefully neutral, but there was tension in his jaw. “It’s a test.”
“For who? Me or you?”
“Both of us.” His hands settled on my hips. “They want to see if I can control you. They want to see if you can behave.”
I laughed bitterly. “Behave? Like a good little wife who knows her place?”
“Like someone who understands what’s at stake,” Arrow countered, his fingers digging into my hips. “Like someone who remembers this marriage isn’t just about us.”
I pushed against his chest, creating space between us. “Don’t lecture me about family duty. I’ve been paying for my last name since I was born.”
“Then act like it.” His voice hardened. “One dinner. One night where you don’t fuck someone else or stab me. Think you can manage that?”
The challenge in his tone made my blood simmer. I stepped closer, deliberately pressing myself against him until I could feel the tension in every line of his body.
“I’ll play nice with your ex-girlfriend,” I whispered, letting my lips brush his ear. “And if she touches you—”
“She won’t.” His hand slid to my throat, fingers applying just enough pressure to remind me of last night. “And if she does, I’ll handle it.”
“No,” I corrected him. “If she touches you, I will.”
Arrow’s laugh was more breath than sound. “God help us all.”
He kissed me with tenderness, then pulled away. “There hasn’t been anyone else since the day our families decided we would marry. Not for me. I need you with me on this. Not just for show. Really with me.”
I took a deep breath, steadying myself against the tide of emotions threatening to drown me. “I’m with you.”
The corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile. “Prove it.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How?”
Arrow reached into his pocket and pulled out the necklace I’d ripped off my neck. “Turn around,” he said.
Turning around slowly, I lifted my hair off my neck.
His lips brushed the nape of my neck as he secured the clasp. “Atlas and Luna invited us to dinner,” he said. “Tonight. Luna’s craving osso buco.”
“I need to shower.”