21. I Dare You
I Dare You
Ikept hold of Arianna’s hand even as Piero dived at her, wrapped his arms around her, and held her tight. I almost felt sorry for the old man. He looked sick with worry, like he was close to a heart attack or aneurysm. But then I remembered Damiano, and my sympathy bled dry.
I let them have their dramatic reunion while Piero checked her over for any physical injuries she clearly didn’t have.
Meanwhile, my gaze zeroed in on the asshole storming towards us.
He was flanked by hired bodyguards, scowling at me with all the righteous fury of a deranged kitten.
I couldn’t help but allow a slow, smug smile of satisfaction to carve itself onto my face.
Then he ripped his gaze away from me and pinned it on Aria, and just like that, my smile evaporated. I clicked my neck, rolling my shoulders to keep the rage contained, because the urge to break my promise and snap his neck… was becoming a problem.
“This has gone too far, Buccini,” Piero growled, trying to shield Aria with his body as if that could stop me. He still didn’t get it. I tugged Aria’s hand, forcing her back to my side where she belonged. “You’ll leave my daughter alone. She has nothing to do with any of this.”
I rolled my lips and tilted my head in a cocky gesture. “That’s going to be difficult,” I said calmly, “Considering she’s my wife.”
The silence. The shock. The collective facial paralysis was delicious.
Piero’s gaze snapped to Aria. “This can’t be true. Aria?”
“Papi,” she whispered, guilt making her voice tremble and her eyes well with tears.
When I saw a lone tear of fury escape her during the ceremony, it damn near killed me.
Yeah, I may have crossed a few boundaries today—maybe more than a few—but I did it for her safety.
Until we figured out who Callum D'Ardenzi was and what he had hanging over Piero’s head, Aria wasn’t safe anywhere near the man.
And I couldn’t trust her father to keep her safe while he was sucking D'Ardenzi’s dick.
So I fixed it. Permanently. Marrying her and giving her the security of my name and my reputation was the surest way to keep her protected, because she was mine to protect.
“You forced her to marry you against her will?” Callum snarled at me as if he’d just discovered some sacred moral high ground and intended to preach on it. “That’s low, even for you, Buccini.”
“As low as hiring a dirty Leone soldier to protect her?”
Callum’s blue eyes flared, and his fists clenched at his sides. “I didn’t know shit about that. How would I?”
“That’s a good fucking question. And one I intend to find out. You’ve put yourself at the very top of my shit list, D'Ardenzi. First, Damiano, then trying to marry my woman. I hope you’re prepared, because that’s two strikes already. No one sees three.”
He glared at me but held his tongue.
“Aria, what have you done? Come here,” Piero softly coaxed her, trying to get her to leave my side. “The police are on their way. Just come with me.”
I squeezed her hand, part warning, part reassurance, and part reminder to play her role.
“No,” she rushed. “Call them off, Papi, please.”
“Aria!”
“Please, I… he didn’t force me,” she choked. Her gaze moved to Callum, apology in her eyes, and my calmness nearly shattered. “I’m sorry, Callum. I changed my mind. I couldn’t marry you. I… I—”
“She wants me.”
“Bullshit,” Callum snapped, stepping closer to her.
I blocked his path, shoulders squared. Who the fuck did this boring prick think he was?
God, this was torture. So many punches I wasn’t throwing.
Why had I promised not to touch the fucker?
His bodyguards huddled around us while my men watched from the edges, knowing I wouldn’t call on them.
“He’s blackmailing you, but you don’t have to listen.
Come with me, and I’ll protect you from him. ”
“You can’t protect her from shit. Clearly,” I said, my lethal smile telling him he’d failed miserably. He’d done a piss-poor job of keeping us apart and an even worse one of marrying her.
“Aria, please,” Piero begged, on the verge of passing out. “He’s a murderer. You’re not safe with him. He’s using you against me.”
That was fucking it.
“Mayor Caruso,” I addressed him, with about as much warmth as a fucking iceberg. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my brother hovering, a silent warning not to let this escalate in public. “I don’t want anything from you except your blessing. So either give it or get the fuck out of my hotel.”
“My blessing?” he spat. “Never in this lifetime, Buccini. I will destroy you for this.”
“Looking forward to it. But a friendly reminder that whatever you do to me now affects your daughter and her reputation, as well as yours.”
“The faster I get you behind bars and away from her, the better!”
I shrugged. “When you come to your senses, Piero, you know where to find me.” A beat. “In your daughter’s bed.”
“You piece of—”
“Papi, please. Just go. I’m fine. I’ll speak to you tomorrow. I promise.” Aria jumped between us, pushing her father away from me. Very wise.
Callum grabbed Piero and forced them both back into the hotel lobby, with a swarm of security circling them. Aria twisted towards me, her face thunderous.
“You’re such an asshole! Are you pleased with yourself?”
“I think that went better than expected. Yes. Everyone is still breathing.”
“I’m going home,” she snapped, bunching her wedding dress into her little fists. “I’m so over this day!”
I gave a sideways smirk at those words, even though I knew she didn’t mean our home but hers. I played dumb anyway. “Perfect. Let’s go.”
“Not with you!” she hissed over her shoulder as she stormed towards her friend. “Allegra, come on, we are leaving.”
Her friend stood up from the table, where she’d been enjoying herself, talking to Olivia and Liliana.
“She’s staying. My family will ensure she gets home safely.”
Allegra lingered, unsure whose wrath she feared more—mine or Aria’s—until I shot her a sit-the-fuck-down look. She dropped back into her chair with an apologetic shrug. I turned to my brother. “Get Mamma and Raya home, si?”
“Of course. We need to speak tomorrow about… all of this.” He waved his hand around the room to indicate the chaotic way I lived my life. “But I’ll let you enjoy your wedding night. That’s if she even lets you within ten feet of her.”
I smirked. “She may hate me, scream at me, and throw shit my way, but I’ll still have her moaning my name tonight.”
“Always an overachiever,” he chuckled, looking thoroughly amused. “She’s already gone.”
I snapped my head toward the empty doorway and groaned. I knew two of my soldiers would tail her, but fuck me, she loved keeping me on my toes. Sprinting out after her, I found her on the street, trying to squeeze her arm through the body wall of my soldiers and flag down a taxi.
“No need for that. We’re walking. We live just over there.”
She was back to ignoring me. I really couldn’t stand that. I preferred her screaming, cursing, smacking me with flowers, or threatening me with her shoe than the detached silence. I stepped in front of her, and my men moved away to give us some space.
“Aria,” I warned. “Can one thing today not be a battle?”
“When you go to war, Signor Buccini, expect a battle. I’m going home. To my flat. Alone. Away from you.”
I didn’t miss the deliberate use of Signor Buccini to rile me up, but I was just happy she was giving me sass again.
“Except you’re not, because you don’t live there anymore. You can rent it out or sell it. I’ve already moved all your belongings to our home.”
Her glare sharpened. If looks could kill, she would have just become a widow.
“You can’t do that!”
“I already did. Those rings on your fingers aren’t decorative, Bella Ribelle. You live with me now.”
She turned away briefly, staring down the street with a clenched jaw and unsteady breaths, as if fighting to keep herself from falling apart.
She looked so incredibly beautiful when she was mad.
But furious in this dress? She was edible.
The lace bodice accentuated her curves perfectly and was just sheer enough against her golden skin to give a teasing glimpse of the beauty beneath.
I had to dig my hands into my pockets to stop myself from reaching for her.
Instead, I waited and watched as she came to terms with her new reality.
There was nowhere she could run that I wouldn’t find her, and she knew it, too.
It would be stupid to even try. She pushed back her shoulders on a deep exhale, smoothed her expression into one of coldness, and glanced back at me.
“Fine.”
My lips twitched at the corners, but I bit back a smile. It may have looked like surrender, but I knew better. She still had plenty of fight left in her.
She pushed past me, heading down the street with no idea where she was going.
I matched her steps, taking a slight lead until we rounded a corner and turned down the affluent road where the historic building I’d had converted into stylish apartments was nestled.
It was one of the most sought-after areas in Rome, yet no one lived in the building but me, on the premise that it was still being remodelled.
In reality, I just liked my privacy and security to be airtight.
I expected she’d walked past this building many times over the years, with no idea it would become her future home.
I had my answer when her big, blue eyes widened with awe and disbelief as I grabbed her wrist and led her up the steps towards the front doors.
“You live here?”
“We live here.”
She quickly tried to hide how impressed she was with a scowl. We walked into the lobby, and I exchanged a nod with my head of security at the front desk before we reached the lift.
“Before you get any ideas about running to another apartment for help, you should know they are all empty. I own the building and live here alone.”