Page 49 of The Last Vendetta

“She’s being too hasty. And it’s never good to rush into things like this. I know my father’s death came unexpectedly for her, but this hurry to shove me into a situation with Nickolas isn’t going to solve anything.” She pointed at me. “It’s like you said. She won’t want to be under someone else’s control and have to wait for permission from a more powerful man. She could harass my father all she wanted, but she can’t do that to Nickolas or Marcus Romano.”

“Then why does she really want you to be aligned with them?” I crossed my arms, thinking about what Gio had said.

“Power. Wealth.” She shrugged but looked at me closely. “What are you thinking?”

“Something Gio mentioned.” I looked her dead in the eye. “That someone might have killed Luka to foil his plans of having the Romano connection. Could Isabella be thinking that very thing?”

She frowned. “To cheat the Bernardis out of the Romano alliance?” A bitter huff followed her words. “I could definitely see that. She’s never made it a secret that she loathes your Family.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”

“Why would she make it public knowledge that she loathes your Family? Because she does everything like that. Loud and unhappily. And wanting to spread the misery.”

“No. Why do the Acardis hate us? Why have we been raised to think of each other as the enemy?”

Finally, she paused in her pacing to face me. The troubled expression on her gorgeous features suggested that I had her there—confused and without an answer.

“I don’t know.” She arched a brow. “Do you?”

I shook my head. “No. Just what I was always told.”

“Same.”

“But…” I rubbed my hand over the back of my neck. “The lines are blurring.”

“They blurred. Past tense.” She pointed a finger at me and hardened into a scowl. “Only once.” Slipping back into pacing, she covered her face with both hands. “You took my virginity, Renzo.”

I intercepted her, hugging her tightly. “Don’t wait for an apology.”

She growled lightly and shook her head. “I’m… I’m not asking for one.”

“Fuck. Don’t do this.” I lowered my head to hers, kissing along her jaw. “Don’t?—”

“I don’t regret it,” she argued, turning to press her lips to mine. My dick hardened, and I struggled to breathe past the instant hit of desire that overcame me. Before I could deepen the contact and taste her smart mouth, she pulled back and evaded my touch.

“But I do know it can’t happen again.” She laughed once, mirthlessly. “We cannot have sex again. Not when I’m promised to that monster.”

The frustration and longing in her voice cut at my heart, but I heeded her wishes. Staying back by the vanity, I watched her pace faster.

“He’s terrible. I don’t even want to know what you could tell me about him. I’ve heard enough rumors. I can’t…” She shook her head. “I won’t marry him.”

I admired her strength and determination. But there was no way out of this. She had no voice.

“Uncle Dario almost laughed at me when I asked if he knew about any plans for me to marry Nickolas. He said no. He thinks we should wait to arrange any marriage until we have a better idea of who our enemies are.”

I nodded. “I agree with that.”

“I’m not asking for your opinion.” She softened the bite of her words by glancing at me. “And you can’t do anything about it either.”

“I already have. You’re not a virgin any longer.”

She groaned. “Yeah, but we can’t be together due to the rivalry. Shit! What if Nickolas is furious that I’m not clean?”

“Don’t say it like that.” I knew damn well what she meant. Unclean as in no longer a virgin. I disliked the suggestion that my cum didn’t belong in her. It did.

“What if he takes it out on me when he realizes I’m not a virgin?” she asked, her dark eyes so wide open with vulnerability.

“I don’t think…” I licked my lips and lowered my gaze. The weight of her direct focus was too much to bear. I hadn’t thought about that last night. I’d been too overwhelmed with the need to fill her. Once I saw the evidence of how badly she’d wanted me too, my control snapped.

---