Page 57 of Wicked King

“She’s my assistant,” he stammers.

“So that’s why you were there? To hammer out last minute wedding plans?” I’ve heard the rumors floating around the office of Gemini Corp. As I had no intention of ever allowing Marco in my bed, I tried to ignore the fact that he’s likely screwed half the administrative staff including his executive assistant.

His mouth twists into a frown, and the blade in my heart twists along with his lips.

“Why I originally went doesn’t matter. I couldn’t go through with it, okay? I was drunk and pissed and, yeah, maybe I went there looking to blow off some steam, but I didn’t do anything with her. Damn it, Jia, don’t you understand? I want you… I want my damned fiancée, my wife. I have since the moment I saw that pouty, bottom lip and the fire in your eyes.”

His words strike a chord, and hot tears burn the back of my eyes. I wish it were that simple. “And can’t you understand why I don’t trust you?” I cry.

“How can you if you never even give me the chance?”

I snort on a laugh. “That’s bullshit, Marco.”

“No, it isn’t. You’re the one who’s never given this relationship a shot. It didn’t have to be like this between us, Jia. You made it this way.” He finally pulls his hand out of his pocket and drags it through his hair, mussing up the perfect dark strands. “Now, before we cement our union before the eyes of God, tell me what you want. Do you want this to be a real marriage or not? Because I need to know what I’m committing to now. Like I said the other day, if you want an open marriage, fine, but let’s make it clear before we say our I do’s.”

Did I want an open marriage? No. I didn’t want any of this. I wanted to marry a man who loved me, not one who was forced into a business arrangement.

“I don’t know,” I grind out. “I need a minute to think about it.”

“Then I guess that’s your answer because I know what I want, and it’s you. But if you’re not willing to commit, I’m certainly not going to force myself on you. Well, except for the wedding night, I suppose. We must make sure it’s all official in the eyes of the church. But trust me, after that, there’s plenty of willing pussy in Manhattan.” He spins on his heel before I can get another word out.

I stand there gaping, a tangle of hurt scraping across my insides. Even if he had stayed, I have no idea what I would have said.

God, I despise him. But what I hate even more is that I don’t hate him as much as I should.

Before Marco disrupted my neat little world, I knew where I stood, I knew what I wanted and where I was going. Now, the Earth spins beneath my feet, and everything I thought I knew is whirling off its axis.

Tears fill my eyes, and this time, I’m too exhausted to hold them back.

Ari must hear my quiet sobs because her soft footfalls brush the floor an instant before she appears beside me and draws me into her arms. “Oh, sweety, don’t cry. You’re going to smear all that beautiful makeup.”

I snort on a sob.

After letting me cry on her shoulder for a long minute, she holds me out to arm’s length and sweeps her thumbs beneath my eyes. “Luckily, it was waterproof, and you still look as beautiful as ever.”

“I don’t feel beautiful,” I mutter.

“What did Marco say?”

“He wants a real marriage, and I said I wasn’t sure what I wanted. He got pissed and stormed off, and he’s probably going to screw the first woman he runs into after the ceremony.”

“Oh, stop, I really don’t think he’ll do that.”

“I’m not sure, Ari… I’ve never seen him so worked up. It seems almost as if he cares.” Worse, I’m starting to. Too bad I just gave him permission to fuck whomever he wanted. And knowing my fiancé and his old manwhoring ways, he’ll be more than happy to take me up on the offer.

CHAPTER 28

COLD FEET

Marco

The faint tune of the grand organ fills the church, extending high up into the soaring rafters of the Gothic cathedral, distracting me from the rush of murmurs from our gathered guests. But none of the sounds succeed in drowning out the mad thundering of my heart. Cazzo, why the fuck am I so nervous?

Jia already agreed to an open marriage. I should be pleased. This whole production is just for show. Tomorrow, I can go back to my old life. The only difference will be that I’ll have a new roommate. It’s certainly not the worst thing that could happen. Except, really, it is.

Standing at the back of the church, I rub my sweaty palms on my slacks and attempt to draw in a steadying breath. The cathedral is packed with hundreds of attendees, including the leaders of the most notorious crime families of Manhattan. Guards line every nook and cranny. If this weren’t such a high-profile, public event, the results would be catastrophic. I can’t remember the last time the Italians, Chinese, Irish, and Russians were all in the same room together, not to mention all the up-and-coming players, the Puerto Ricans, the Polish, even the Japanese.

All here for us. To witness the historic joining of the Geminis and Four Seas.

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