Page 31 of Now and Forever

As I fell to the edge of a chair, I realized there was much I didn’t know about my own family’s business. And now I was in a new family. Looking down, I saw the lace of my wedding dress. With my eyes lowered, I said, “I’m sorry, Dario.”

He hunched down near my knees. “Why are you sorry?”

Slowly, I looked up. “I believed my brother. I think I’ve allowed those thoughts to frighten me” —I lifted my chin toward the bed— “about what you would do to me.”

Dario took my hand and standing, encouraged me to also stand. “You believe me?”

“You said honesty is important. You’re about to be capo of the Kansas City Famiglia. You can do whatever you want, including roughing up whores, without question.” I tilted my head. “You could admit it, and I would be powerless to do or say a thing.”

He nodded.

“Why would you construct an elaborate story if it wasn’t true?”

Dario cupped my cheek with his warm palm. “I won’t lie to you, Catalina.”

I inclined my face to his touch. “Nor I you.”

“It’s a good start.”

My mind went to Nick, Em, and others in the cartel. “You don’t trust the cartel, do you?”

He pressed his lips together. “As I said, I don’t trust many people.”

“What about me? I was born into the cartel.”

“What about you? Are you confessing you’re not trustworthy?”

I took a breath. “Em gave me a knife and thigh holster for my wedding night.”

Dropping his hand, Dario’s eyes opened wide. “Did he want you to gut me?”

“No.” Although now I was questioning Em’s motives. “He said it was for my protection.”

“Where is it?”

“I left it in the bedroom where I stayed.”

“Because you thought you wouldn’t need it?”

I shook my head. “Because I want this marriage to work and to do that, it means I have to trust you.”

“I’m not a good man. However, I have honor and I don’t take vows I intend to break. That includes my wedding vow.”

I lifted my hands to his wide chest, feeling the beat of his heart beneath my touch. “May we start over?”

Dario shook his head. “Again, not over. The timing of this talk could have been better, but we need to be open and honest with one another.”

“You’re right.”

“And you’re my bride.” The glint returned to his dark stare. “The buttons on the back of your gown have been mocking me all night.” He spun me around until I was once again facing the tall window.

Steeling myself, I watched our reflection in the glass, expecting him to pull out one of his knives and cut away my dress. Instead, his fingers began searching my hair, gently tugging hairpin after hairpin. Slow and tedious, his movements were reverent as if I was valuable in his eyes. “Your hair is beautiful.”

As my hair unwound, Dario teased each curl with his long fingers and added kisses to my neck, back, and collarbone. Somehow, with all of his attention on my hair, his kisses and occasional words of praise brought heat to parts of my body that remained untouched. The skirting of his touch over my flesh sent a scattering of goose bumps.

After my hair was loose and flowing and the carpet was littered with hairpins, Dario started with the top button. With each pearl released, he’d place another kiss on my spine. The meticulous attention he gave to each and every pearl button was more than I’d hoped for.

“I fucking want you more than I should.”

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