Chapter Eight
“Did you always want to be a capo?” Aria asked, taking a bite of a strawberry.
They hadn’t left his bedroom. Dante had to go and get food for them. They hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and although Aria loved what they were doing, her stomach had growled for food.
“When I was old enough to realize what it was we did, yes. My place is taking over for my father.”
“What about when you were a kid? Before you knew what a capo was, what being part of the family was like?” she asked.
Dante blew out a breath and rubbed the back of his head.
“You wanted to be something else, didn’t you?” Aria asked.
“Like a lot of young boys, I wanted to be a fireman,” Dante said.
This did surprise her. “It would have been hilarious if you said a police officer.” She couldn’t help but smile.
Dante reached for a grape with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure there could have been a cop along the way, but Dad made sure I didn’t linger too long on that little obsession.”
Aria looked at him. She knew her brother had a hard time. It wasn’t the same for boys and girls within their world. There were always different expectations from them.
“What was it like for you?” Aria asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, for me, I know I was a disappointment. For Isabella, my sister, she was the good daughter. She’d been born beautiful, blonde hair, blue eyes. Everyone marveled at how pretty she was. Men and women would say she was going to be a star. For me, I was this brown-haired, brown-eyed dump, and trust me, they said I may be the ugly duckling that somehow miraculously turns into a swan.”
“People said that?” Dante asked.
She nodded. “All the time. Trust me, I’ve been called ugly so many times, it doesn’t even make me sad anymore. I know my brother had it rough, I was just wondering if it was the same for all the boys.”
Dante sighed. “I wouldn’t call it rough. I would say we were being prepared from an early age. We have to be. Our enemies don’t believe in an age restriction for their victims. They’ll kill anyon e— men, women, children, babies. I’ve seen it all. They only care about winning.”
Aria reached out and put a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to be. I don’t imagine being constantly prepared to be married off is easy.”
She laughed. “It does suck. It is never about love, is it? It’s always about power, and who will make the better suitor.” She shrugged.
“You believe in love?” Dante asked.
She ran fingers through her hair and frowned. “I don’t know. I think I used to, but life kind of gets in the way. Our world doesn’t allow for love.”
“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.”
She licked her lips. “Do you know of any couple that have fallen in love from an arranged marriage?”
“My parents,” Dante said.
“Oh.”
“Trust me, it wasn’t always easy for them. Far from it, but something happened, and my dad changed. Mom did as well, and they are very much in love. They have each other’s back, you know.”
“That must be nice,” Aria said.
She was surprised as Dante reached out and took hold of her hand.
“If we can’t get that evidence, Aria, we’ll be together, forever.”
“Wow, it sounds kind of scary, doesn’t it?” Aria said. She wasn’t quite so scared or upset at the prospect of being married to Dante for a long time. He wasn’t so bad, not the past couple of months. She found herself growing fond of him, which was a surprise.
“It’s not scary. We can make this work. I know it’s not what we both wanted, but we could, you know, have what my parents have.”
“But your parents love each other.”
“They didn’t always, and love might come into it.”
Aria sighed and squeezed his hand. “Yeah, but your mother’s father didn’t exactly blackmail him into the situation. Do you think you could ever … feel that way about me without thinking about why my father did it?”
“I am right now.”
This surprised her.
“Aria, you’re not your father. I see that now. I fucked up big time. I know that, and I promise you, I am going to make it up to you.” He reached out and pushed a curl behind her ear. “I’m not saying this is going to be easy. We can take it one day at a time, but we’ve already been married a year. I think if we wanted to, we could make this work.”
She loved the thought of making it work.
Before she got a chance to respond, Dante reached for her, hurling her up onto his lap. She released a giggle, but then gasped as she felt the hard ridge of his cock pressing against her core.
“It has been too long since I was last inside you,” he said.
“It has been a couple of hours,” Aria said, not that she was complaining.
“Yes, too long, and I am going to rectify that.” He reached between them, and Aria gasped as he touched her pussy.
She couldn’t believe how aroused she was. He stroked across her clit and then moved down, sliding inside her.
His name spilled from her lips, filling the air, and he released a moan. “That’s it, baby, let me hear how good it is.”
With just a few flicks of his fingers, she was already close to the edge, but Dante didn’t allow her to hurtle over it.
Instead, when she was close to orgasm, he pulled back and lifted her up. Once again, they were not using a condom, and he slid inside her, filling her, inch by inch. She moaned his name as he pulsed within her.
She didn’t want him to stop. It felt so good.
Dante stroked down her back, and she felt his tongue at her nipples. She arched up, and he took full advantage, taking each of her nipples into his mouth and sucking them.
He grabbed her hips and showed her what to do, setting a pace. She gripped his shoulders and followed his lead, only stopping as he once again stroked her clit.
He drew her to the edge and Aria went hurtling over. She heard his growl, and he quickly changed position, pushing her to the bed, so that he was above her.
He drove inside her, filling her. The sound of their slapping bodies filled the air, and Aria watched him, feeling the pleasure still rushing through her body.
When he came, she couldn’t look away. She loved to see that loss of control, knowing she had created it. Being married to Dante wasn’t hard.
She was even tempted by what he’d suggested. With their newfound alliance, she found herself enjoying him, loving his company. She liked this Dante, but there was also the problem. Dante didn’t deserve to be blackmailed. Their marriage had come about by force.
Dante didn’t love her. He hadn’t even considered her his bride.
If there was a chance for her to set him free, for him to live his own life, or take the bride he wanted, that was exactly what she was going to do.
****
Dante’s hatred of Phillip Lewis was absolute and nothing was going to change that. Even though he and Aria’s marriage was back on track, he wasn’t going to give this bastard the satisfaction of ruining it.
Phillip had invited them to dinner a week ago. Dante wanted to refuse but Aria had insisted. He knew exactly what Aria was going to do, and the truth was, he didn’t want her to find the evidence.
Being married to Aria was not a painful experience. He was rather enjoying it.
Dante had even told his father he intended to stop looking for the evidence, that it no longer mattered to him. He was going to make the most of the situation with Aria.
She was a wonderful person, and not like any woman he’d ever been with. He’d come to see that she also enjoyed his company. She was never after his money, or hoping he’d buy her jewelry and trinkets to show his affection. Aria was only ever interested in him.
When he arrived home, she was there to greet him, taking his coat, offering him coffee, or whiskey. Now, he just pulled Aria into his arms, and that was more than enough for him.
Aria’s parents didn’t love her. That had become abundantly clear through dinner as her mother suggested she watch her carbs and fats. Dante had taken the mashed potatoes and put them on her plate, along with some roast potatoes, and he even added some meat.
Aria hadn’t eaten the whole meal, but Dante had given her parents a look to silence them.
Dante didn’t like that after dinner, Aria had excused herself to go and find the bathroom.
She’d been gone ten minutes already. Dante had a feeling Aria was up to something. This dinner invitation had been for him and Aria only. However, Isabella had arrived, unannounced with her two children. Now, as they sat in the sitting room, Dante was attempting to distract Phillip, while Isabella did the work on her mother.
No one had mentioned Aria missing. Dante didn’t like this.
“So, how is married life?” Phillip asked.
He had tried to talk about work, potential business, but Dante wasn’t having any of it. He’d settled on mundane gossip, recent events, and now they turned to his marriage with Aria.
“It is thrilling,” Dante said.
Phillip laughed. “I’m sure it is.” He sighed. “I wish I had another daughter to offer you, but Aria was the only one I had left. If only you’d offered your hand to Isabella when you had the chance.”
He looked at Phillip.
Dante had never been interested in Isabella. He knew when she’d been suggested as a prospective love match. She was beautiful, he couldn’t deny that. He always found her boring whenever he talked with her, which was sparingly.
“I had no idea you were hoping for such a match,” Dante said.
“My Isabella was the most popular catch five years ago, Dante. I had seen you looking at her, talking to her. Yet, you didn’t once ask for her hand.”
Dante smiled. “Phillip, I never wanted Isabella. I was never interested in your daughter.”
“I find that hard to believe. Many men offered for my girl.”
Dante hated Phillip and as each second passed, he felt his anger toward the man building.
He didn’t like how long Aria was taking and it was starting to piss him off. He didn’t need that evidence, because he didn’t want to walk free.
“None of your girls interested me, Phillip, and quite frankly, neither did you. You’re the bastard son of the Pesci family. You have earned your reputation through blackmail and manipulation. That is all you have proven to me, and why would I want to join a family when the head is that way inclined?”
He saw the snarl on Phillip’s face, but just then, Aria entered the room. “I’m so sorry to cut this short, but I feel incredibly sick.” She pressed a hand to her stomach. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I feel I must go home.”
Dante didn’t even question it. He got to his feet, ignoring Phillip, and went immediately to his wife. The moment he touched her, he sensed a difference in her. She tensed up and Dante didn’t know if she had somehow heard what he said to her father. There was no possible way for her to hear it.
They said their goodbyes, and Dante knew he’d pissed Phillip off, and there was a chance he’d be paying for that all too soon.
Within minutes, he had Aria in the back of the car, and his driver pulled out of the Lewis’s family drive and rushed them onto the street heading back home.
He suddenly realized Aria held onto her side.
“Is something wrong?” Dante asked.
Aria didn’t say anything, but she lifted her dress and then presented him with the file he hadn’t seen in over a year. The same file Phillip had presented him with.
“Here it is,” Aria said.
“You found it.”
“Yes.”
She was so different with him and Dante kept staring at her, even as she held out the file for him to take.
“I had no idea that … you wanted to marry someone else,” Aria said.
Dante took the file from her, and he opened it up to see the photos that bastard had printed off.
There were several showing him having sex with the boss’s daughter, Phillip’s half-sister, although she was much younger than Phillip. They only shared a father, the boss himself, Pesci.
There were also several photographs of him killing someone. All the evidence Lewis had manipulated was right here for him to see.
Dante looked toward Aria.
“This sets you free.”
“Aria, I’ve not used any condoms.”
“It doesn’t matter. You can have your divorce. You can start to make arrangements. Everyone will be on your side, and you can finally make it right for … Constance.”
Constanc e— the boss’s daughter, who he had fucked the night before she was due to marry another man.
“You must love her very much,” Aria said.
“I didn’t fucking love her,” Dante said. “I don’t even remember how she and I ended up sleeping together.”
“She’s not married anymore. She’s a widow.”
Constance’s husband had died within six months of the marriage. Dante had already been married to Aria by that time.
“This changes nothing,” Dante said.
“I did it,” Aria said. “I got what you needed. You didn’t deserve to be trapped by me.” She reached out and pressed a palm to his cheek. “And I know you hate my dad. You hate my whole family. This is the least I can do.”
They arrived at their home. Dante did not want this.
“I need to go and lie down. I feel a little sick,” Aria said.
He didn’t stop her. Not even as she climbed out of the car.
Seconds passed and Dante finally left the car, ignoring his men as he walked into the house, going toward the liquor cabinet.
A few months ago, this would have been welcome to him. Aria had said she would be able to get the evidence. He had no idea how she did, but now he hated it.
This is not what he wanted. All he wanted was his wife.