Page 15 of Wicked Bloodlines

The frosted glass doors of the Geneva room appeared ahead, one of the casino’s most exclusive VIP spaces. I nodded to the security guard who stepped aside immediately, opening the door with a discreet bow. The room beyond offered exactly what we needed. The soundproof walls and privacy served the many high stakes deals made in this establishment. The space the room afforded put some fucking distance between me and Sofia before I did something stupid. Again.

The door closed behind us with a soft click. Most of the high-stakes poker games in this room were actually fronts for other businesses. I know Dario regularly held meetings with other family heads, using the place as neutral ground for negotiations.

Plush furniture and expensive decor filled the room making it as comfortable as a sound proof room could be. I felt like my ears needed to pop.

I moved straight to the bar, pouring two fingers of whiskey without asking if Sofia wanted any. I downed mine in one burning swallow before pouring another. The alcohol did nothing to calm the violent energy surging through me. I paced the length of the room like a wolf in too small a cage.

Sofia perched on the edge of a leather couch, her posture perfect despite everything that had just happened. She watched me with a wary gaze, her hands folded neatly in her lap. The red of her dress now seemed too similar to the color blooming on her skin, and something in my chest tightened painfully.

“We need to establish some ground rules,” I said finally, facing her directly. “First, what happens between us in private stays private. But in public, you’re mine. Understand? You smile when I touch you. You laugh at my jokes. You look at me like I’m the only man in the Goddamned room.”

Sofia’s gaze never wavered. “I understand how to play a role, Matteo. I’ve been doing it my entire life.”

“Second,” I continued, ignoring the barb, “absolute loyalty to my family. Whatever your father asked of you tonight, whatever he asks in the future, it stops tonight. The Luca family is your family now.”

“And what do I get in return for this loyalty?” Her voice was steady despite the reddening mark on her face. “Besides your charming company, of course.”

I leaned back against the bar, studying her. “Protection. Money. Status. Isn’t that what this arrangement was always about?”

Sofia straightened her shoulders, something hardening in her expression. “I want respect,” she said, each word precise and measured. “Any mistresses you keep will be kept private and far from me. I want some autonomy to have my own projects, my own interests that you don’t interfere with. And I want your word that you’ll never raise your hand to me like my father did.”

The last demand hit me like a physical blow. “I don’t hit women,” I growled, offended she would even suggest it. “Never have, never will. If a woman needs to die, she dies quickly.” I added the last to see her reaction. She surprised me by not acknowledging my comment.

“Good. That’s settled then.” She crossed her legs at the ankle, hands folded in her lap like we were discussing dinner plans rather than the terms of our forced marriage. “What else?”

I pushed off from the bar and stalked closer to where she sat. “No lovers,” I said flatly. “Not for either of us.”

Sofia’s eyebrows rose fractionally. “An interesting demand from a man who made it clear this is a business arrangement.”

“It’s not about jealousy,” I said, though something hot and possessive in my chest suggested otherwise. “It’s about security. About trust. A man or woman who betrays their mate can’t be trusted with anything. I realize this is an arrangement born of as far away from love as you can get, but though there may be secrets from the outside world, there are none in our family. Especially not with each other.”

“So you’re going to tell me everything you’re doing.” She actually scoffed at me now. If I’d thought the blow given by her father would cow her, I’d have been wrong. “Because, if you say yes, I’ll call you a Goddamned liar.”

Fuck me. Why did her defiance turn me on so much? I hated it when people argued with me. “I will keep secrets from you. But not outside secrets. Family secrets are to keep you safe. Outside secrets will get us all killed. Do you understand.”

Again, she studied me for a long moment before nodding slowly. “Yes. I think I do.”

“Good. Also, whatever happens in the privacy of our bed, stays there. We always present a united front. Any disagreements we have will not be in public.”

“Our bed?” A ghost of a smile touched her lips. “I was under the impression we would have separate sleeping arrangements.”

“We will,” I said quickly. “But the point stands. No lovers. It’s too risky.”

“Then the same applies to you,” she countered. “No mistresses, no escorts, no one-night stands at The Gray after I’ve gone to bed. If you want sex, Matteo, you can damn well come to me for it.”

The blunt challenge in her words sent an almost overwhelming surge of heat rushing through me that had nothing to do with anger. Images flashed unbidden through my mind of Sofia beneath me, that perfect composure shattered by pleasure. I took a step closer, drawn to her when I didn’t want to be.

“And if I did?” My voice dropped lower, the question hanging between us. “Come to you for sex?”

Sofia stood slowly, erasing the height difference between us until we were eye to eye. “Then I suppose we’d both find out if there’s anything real beneath all the pretending.”

The space between us seemed charged with electricity. I could see the rapid pulse at the base of her throat, the slight dilation of her pupils that betrayed her own unwanted reaction. We were both playing with fire, both knowing we should step back, both seemingly unable to do so.

“You think this is pretending?” I moved closer, invading her personal space, my body humming with dangerous energy. “You think I don’t see right through you, princess? The way you flinch when your father touches you but lean into my hand at your back? The way you’re looking at my mouth right now like you’re remembering what it tastes like?”

Her breath caught, but she didn’t retreat. “You’re very sure of yourself.”

“I’m sure of what I see.” I reached up, my thumb brushing lightly over the bruise on her cheek. She didn’t flinch away from my touch. “And what I feel.”