Page 23 of The Viper's Wife

It never even crossed my mind that she might not ask for anything.

Before I can answer—or swallow my pride and apologize—two balls of fur come yipping and barreling toward me.

Puppies!

My stress and anxiety melt away at the sight of Annetta’s Dobermann puppies jumping at me and flopping their too-big ears all over the place. Little pink tongues lick kisses across my fingers.

A breathy laugh escapes me, part delight, part relief. Puppies are a good omen.

“Wow,” Annetta says, watching me with open surprise. “I didn’t know you liked dogs.”

“Who doesn’t like dogs?” I pick them both up and follow Annetta into the kitchen, where rows of golden cookies dusted with powdered sugar cool on racks. My mouth waters.

“Dom, for one.” She laughs and scratches behind the ear of the squirmy puppy in my right arm. “Or that’s what he’s been saying after Bunny chewed on his favorite pair of shoes.”

Bunny worms out of my arms and runs yipping to a pile of dog toys strewn about the living room. The other nestles in my arms with a sleepy expression. My heart melts into a puddle of goo.

“That’s Coco,” Annetta says as she piles a plate high with the cookies. “She’s a little lower energy than her sister.”

Annetta might be the great beauty of the Family, with wealthy, loving parents and protective older brothers, but I’ve never been jealous of her. Being the Family princess can’t be easy, especially after what happened with her sister.

But now, seeing her with an apron dusted with flour, a plate of cookies in hand, and puppies running around the house she shares with a husband she loves?

Something ugly knives into my belly.

I stroke along Coco’s soft fur. “Where is Dom?”

Annetta sets the plate in front of me with a soft click. Adreamy look passes over her face. “He’s on his way home. He should be here soon. Are you staying for dinner?”

Dom’s wild grin and massive form fill my mind. He’s the type of man who could flay a person’s skin from muscle and laugh about it the entire time. I repress a shiver. Better make this visit quick and not earn any more attention from Don Salvatore’s inner circle than I already have.

“No. I came by to talk to you about something.”

She nods intently with a look of concern. “Your engagement.”

“Thank god,” I blurt out.

Her eyebrows shoot up. “What for?”

Between Mom, Dad, and Stefano, I feel like I’m being gaslit.

Annetta has the proper “sorry you’re getting engaged to a complete asshole” expression on her face.

Between her reaction and Coco in my arms, I finally relax enough to let out a huge sigh and admit out loud what I’ve been thinking for days, “I can’t go through with this.”

“I know.” Annetta turns toward her fridge, pulls out a sandwich I suspect is entirely homemade and specially made for me once she knew I was coming, cuts it in half, and passes it to me. “We’re going to make a plan.”

I take a bite of my sandwich and stroke Coco’s soft ears while Annetta shifts into business mode. She waves her chef’s knife in the air like a conductor’s baton. “Do you know why he picked you?”

My face flushes with heat. Our one-night stand. It’s the only reason I have, but it floods me with embarrassment to admit out loud. I’m good in bed, but notthatgood.

“Well…” I take a huge bite to stall. BLT, my favorite. “We did, sort of, sleep together.”

“What?” Annetta fumbles the knife into the kitchensink. It drops with a sharp, expensive clatter. She turns her wide, Bambi eyes on me. “You what?”

“It was at a party. I didn’t know who he was. But, I’m pretty sure he knew whoIwas.”

The press of warm limbs, the fullness of him inside me, and his whispered praise all cascade through my mind. I shake the images from my thoughts. They’re not helping right now.