Page 16 of Not Mine to Keep

Bride? No, no, no.

“You need to be ready, either to let me help you go into hiding or to become my wife.” His gaze flicked up to meet mine as the wordsmy wifefell from his mouth. “Good night,Callie. Sorry about breaking into your home. And, well, for everything else.” He turned for the hallway. He must’ve planned on using the back door, which was most likely how he’d entered in the first place.

“Wait.” My arm shot out at the same time the word did.

He slowly turned, remaining quiet as he waited for me to go on.

But I didn’t know what I’d planned to say next. If he was being genuine, did I owe him a thank-you? I just ... wasn’t ready to trust him. “Where are my guns?” I blurted instead.

“Right where you left them.” A soft touch of humor caressed his tone, then he nodded and disappeared into the hall.

I hastily removed my dress and let it pool at my feet, then dropped into the armchair and tossed my head back.

“Oh, and I—”

I snapped my head forward, realizing he’d come back. I was only in panties since the dress had a built-in bra, and my entire body became hot.

Alessandro remained fixed in the doorway of the hall, eyes flying over my body. I banded my arms across my chest, trying to hide my nipples as an Italian word—probably a curse—fell from his lips. He surprised me by peering at the ceiling to offer me as much privacy as he could. “I didn’t think you’d get naked that quick.”

Fighting off humiliation, I deflected. “What’d you come back to say? And please hurry.” When he remained closemouthed, my sassy self had me asking, “Tongue-tied again?”

Eyes still hidden from view, a devilish smirk flitted across his lips. I hated the effect it had on me, because I had no clue whether I should believe him. What if this was all a grand plan from Armani? A way to trick me into marrying, letting me think it was my idea? It’d be ingenious.

“I actually don’t remember what I planned to say.” He shrugged, opened his eyes, then demanded, “Just go eat. Then get some rest. Be up by eight a.m. I’ll be back to talk then.”

Unable to stop myself, I asked, “If I actually believe anything you’re saying, and that your motives aren’t evil, and we do temporarily marry, do you plan to be so bossy?”

He responded in a low voice, “If it’s for your benefit.”

“And what makes you think you know what’s good for me?” I blinked back more tears since I couldn’t free my arms from my chest to discard them.

Instead of answering me, he roughly replied, “Eight a.m. Open your door for me. Or I’ll find my way in, and you know I can.”

“And if I call my father’s men over to handle you?” I countered as he turned to the side, preparing to leave.

“Then I guess you’ll have your proof that I sure as hell don’t work for your father,” he murmured darkly, “when I have to kill all three of them.”

“Yeah, well, good men don’t kill people.”Well, not unless ...

Before I could finish my internal string of reasons as to why killing might be justified, he cocked his head. “Who said anything about me being good?”

CHAPTER FIVE

Alessandro

Parked down the street from Calliope’s house, I grabbed my phone to send Hudson a quick update. I hated keeping my brothers and sister in the dark, but it was for their own benefit right now.

Me:I think she believed me.

Hudson:And that means?

Me:That I’m probably getting hitched once we convince Armani.

Hudson:As long as Rocco doesn’t kill you for stealing his shot at marrying into the DiMaggio family. That kind of alliance would make his family truly unstoppable.

Me:I know, I know.

I shook off the anger at that idea as best I could. I was still working to wrap my head around this fucked-up alternate reality I currently found myself living in.

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