Chapter 4Anna
Chapter Four
ANNA
Stupid Uber. No luck would be better than my current state. Halfway home, my driver got a call from his girlfriend, giving him the third degree about a paternity test that showed up in the mail. The dude literally dumped me on the corner of N. Jefferson and W. Randolph with a sorry as he peeled out.
The universe seemed to be mocking me. First, a forced marriage. Then, demands to socialize with strangers who were supposed to be family. Now, cast aside like I meant nothing. I was so close to tears that I almost sat down and wept right there.
“You okay?” a male voice came from behind me.
I whipped around. Streetlamps were giving off enough light I could tell it was the same dude as this morning. What was his name? He’d told me, but I’d been uninterested, which was why I’d given him a fake number when he wouldn’t back off. “Uh, yeah, I’m fine. Just…waiting on my ride to show up.”
The guy smiled. “Oh, hey, Anna, right?”
My creep o’meter pinged. “Good memory.” I laughed.
“If you need a ride”—he threw a thumb over his shoulder to a dark sedan parked along the curb not far from where we were standing—“I could give you one.”
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Had this guy followed me? If so, for how long? And that car? That was a tie-a-chick-up-and-throw-them-in-the-trunk kind of car. I was blonde, but I wasn’t stupid. “Nah, that’s okay. I appreciate the offer though.”
Dude’s smile dropped for a fraction of a second as he took a step forward. “Aw, don’t be that way.” He tilted his head. “You gave me a fake number earlier today too. I’m thinking maybe I’d made you nervous and you got a digit wrong or something. Perhaps I could get it now.”
“Or not.” A throaty growl came from behind me right before Ari’s massive body stepped in front of me. “She gave you the wrong number for a reason. Take the hint.”
“Sorry, man. I didn’t realize she was taken.”
I peeked around Ari. The guy had his hands up, but the sly smile was still firmly on his face. His eyes cut to me and back to Ari.
Ari reached behind and found me, pulling me tight against his back.
Holy smokes. Underneath that wool coat and suit confirmed my observation that he was a man with a body like a stone wall. I’d never felt safer with a man who’d appeared out of nowhere. Didn’t mean I liked my situation any better, or that I would marry Ari. It meant I knew he wouldn’t hurt me.
“She was waiting for me. I appreciate you keeping her safe while I was detained.” His tone had taken on a completely different note. Almost like he was trying to diffuse a situation .
“No problem, my guy, happy to help.” He tipped his head at Ari.
It was several beats before Ari faced me, taking me by the arms. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. He’d just shown up.”
“He’d been following you since you left your apartment.”
“Which means you were too!” I jerked away.
“Good thing I was. Don’t you think?”
I pinched my lips together as I crossed my arms over my chest. Yes, it was, but dammit, that didn’t mean I had to like it. Exhaling, I grunted. “Fine. Thank you. Now, I’ll call a cab, and you can be on your way.”
“No. I can take you home.”
“I’ll be fine. That guy is gone.”
“That guy is a Moretti, and he’s Marco Moretti’s consigliere.”
It took me a second to catch up. “His second?”
Nodding, Ari replied, “Yeah. It’s unclear why he’s approached you twice, but I’m going to figure it out. I know you don’t know me or like me, but I do care about your safety. Please, let me take you home.”
Well, crap. I dropped my arms to my sides. He was making sense. All those shows where the girl acted tough and then wound up chained in the basement had taught me at least one thing: Don’t be that stupid. Ari had even used please .
Pointing my finger at him, I said, “All right, but this doesn’t mean I like you.” The gorgeous jerk smiled, and my knees jellied. Dammit.
He held out his arm to me. “Take a walk with me.”
“A walk?”
“To the car. It’s parked around the corner.”
All lines of communication between my brain and my body were shut down. I realized that as I slipped my arm through his without so much as a raised eyebrow. “Okay.” Now, my mouth too?
The thought occurred that my mouth going rogue could work to my advantage, but I shut that down quickly. I wasn’t kissing Ari Kalantzis, no matter how tantalizing those lips were.
“How was your evening?” Sheesh, that velvety voice.
I needed to show him I wasn’t some hot-headed child. That way when I talked to him about our arranged marriage situation, he’d listen. At least that was my hope. “It was fine. Claire had to leave early.”
A subtle tensing in his muscles made me look at him, and our eyes connected. I got the impression he already knew about the entire situation, and asking for more information would be met with silence.
“And Thea asked me to be one of Claire’s bridesmaids.”
The tension in his body melted away. “Oh, well, then I guess my text about the rehearsal dinner was on point.” He chuckled. “A little shocked Thea asked.”
Holding in a grumble, I let the text remark go and replied, “Yeah, I was surprised too. I always thought she hated me.”
Ari grunted a laugh and glanced at me. “She did, but don’t take it personally. She hates all women. She’s an enigma wrapped in poison and manicured nails.”
I gasped. “I’m totally going to tell her you said that.”
“Go ahead. I’m not telling you anything I wouldn’t tell her.” He shot me a grin as we reached the car. The man standing next to it pulled the door open.
“A limo? Are you trying to impress me?”
A smirk played on his lips as he stepped into me. “I’ve been using this car for years. I also use the same driver my father did.” He paused and then added, “And before you ask, I used the taxi because a limo would have been too conspicuous.”
Okay, so he had a point there. “Oh.”
He turned to the man holding the door. “Ares Bouras, this is Anna Georgiou.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Nice to meet you, too.”
Ari returned his attention to me and brushed my hair back over my shoulder as his gaze raked over my face. “I have a feeling a limo wouldn’t impress you anyway.”
His scent drifted around me, and my breath caught. I wanted to bury my face in this man’s neck, breathe him in, and be held by him. The thought of being pressed against that hard body and held by those massive arms made me tingle in uncharted places.
“After you,” he said, maintaining eye contact.
Our gazes remained locked as I passed him, only breaking when I got in the car. I plopped down on the seat behind the driver .
Ari gracefully maneuvered his body into the car, finding a spot on the opposite seat from where I was sitting. Yeah, this wasn’t a flashy show for me. He’d been in and out of this limo many times. Once Ares was back in the driver’s seat, the car pulled away from the curb.
I could feel his gaze on me, and I did everything I could to pretend I didn’t notice. By the time I was close to pulling out my hair, he sighed. I couldn’t stop myself from giving him attention.
Finally, I broke the silence. “You can’t tell me you’re okay with this.”
“It doesn’t matter what I’m okay with. Lucas needs this, my family needs this. I knew what I was signing up for a long time ago.”
Tilting my head, I studied him. Well, the best I could in the dim light of the limo. “Did you want to be what you are?”
Ari bowed his head. “If you’re fishing for my virtue, don’t. I don’t have any.” His voice was so quiet, if there had been any noise at all, I wouldn’t have heard him.
I swallowed hard. “Okay.”
Silence filled the vehicle, ripping the air away. Other than not telling me who he was in the cab, he’d been honest up to this point. I knew nothing about the Moretti family, but I’d been fearful of that man. He was bad news. I’d also suspected he’d followed me, which made it smart to let Ari take me home. So far, he’d been a gentleman. Kind and protective.
Why couldn’t I have met him on my own? Under my terms? Why did my brother have to arrange a marriage with him and promise me to him? I simply couldn’t let that go.
I wouldn’t. I was incredibly attracted to Ari because who wouldn’t be, but I couldn’t wed a guy because he was hot. I wanted to marry for love. I wasn’t settling for anything less. Family or no family.