Page 3 of Savage Mafia King

She pauses, taking it in. I've given this plenty of thought, and I'm certain this is the best way we can go about all of this. No matter how much she irritates me, no matter how much the mere thought of her sets my teeth on edge, there's no better way to confirm a new alliance than by making sure everyone trusts that our public relationship is real. We can't exactly make sure that any contract we sign lands under the noses of the people who work against us, but news of a relationship? That will spread quickly. And the sooner it does, the sooner people will back off and understand that we're not to be messed with.

"So... you want us to fake something?" she asks, her voice quivering slightly.

"Trust me when I say that none of the women I've been with have ever had to fake anything."

She rolls her eyes skyward again. "Marcus, please. We need to take this seriously."

"Oh, I'm taking this completely seriously," I shoot back sharply, taking a step toward her. I half expect her to back awayfrom me, but she doesn't move an inch, staring me down. "So, in public, we put up the front that we're together," I continue calmly. "We convince everyone that we're in a relationship. News of that spreads, and we let people believe that our families are working together. Your brother benefits from the promise of my protection, and we don't have to go out of our way to spread the news around. It'll look natural, believable. And that's the most important thing."

She closes her eyes for a moment. I can almost see how much this is getting to her. She's queen bee on this campus, utterly untouchable. I don't think she's dated anyone in all the time she's been here, certainly not publicly. No man has been good enough for her. And I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't a part of me that wanted to find out just how far I could push her with all of this, to see if I could convince her to be seen with me. There's a twisted part of me that enjoys the thought of ruining her reputation, of making it so that everything she's worked so hard to achieve falls away, just like that.

"It's a terrible idea," she shoots back at last, shaking her head and lifting her gaze to meet mine once more. "Nobody will believe it. We're completely different people. They'll see through it at once."

I move toward her again. She doesn't shift an inch, looking back at me as though daring me to argue with her. I tip my head to the side, and I realize, all at once, how close the two of us are standing. She's just a matter of inches away from me, her lips, soft and full, parted as she stares at me. I'm so near to her that I can practically feel her breath on my skin, the hard and fast rush of it as she tries to pull herself together.

"You really think you can say no to me?"

And as she stares back at me, I can see her certainty beginning to waver.

Chapter Two—Isabella

He's standing so, so close to me. I can smell his aftershave, I can see the stubble across his sharp jaw, the tousle in his wavy hair, those eyes, staring back at me. He's daring me to defy him.

And there's a part of me that wants nothing more in the world than to do just that, though I know it would land my brother in more danger than he can handle. I want to tell him that he's crazy if he thinks I'm going to risk the reputation I've worked so hard to build just for someone like him, that I'm going to be seen with a man like him, with his reputation, just strolling around campus like it's the most natural thing in the world. He clearly thinks he has me right where he wants me, and much as I hate to admit it, I think he could be right.

I brush past him, moving further into the study space and putting some distance between us. I don't get flustered around men—around anyone, actually—but his closeness has thrown me, and I need time to think.

"If we're going to do this," I begin, finally, "what exactly does it look like?"

He follows behind me. I can hear his footsteps on the creaky floor below us, the sound of him getting closer to me. I can feel the side of my body tingling where I'm closest to him, like my whole system is reacting to him, whether I want it to or not.

"That's where you come in," he replies. "You know how to handle the social scene here. If there's anyone who can convince the world that we're really together, it's you."

I smile slightly. He's right about that. I could find a way to start a trend on campus to wear your hair in a mohawk, and everyone would end up following it in a matter of days. I could turn him into a real part of this community, lift him out of the gutter of those underground boxing matches he runs, the ones that the university looks the other way on because his family makes some generous donations to the coffers of this place.

I turn around to face him. I still have my arms over my chest, and I meet his gaze as steadily as I can. "Yes, I could," I reply. "And if I did... you'd protect my brother?"

"I'd make sure that anyone who wanted to harm your family knew they would be incurring the wrath of mine, too."

That's something. Much as I don't like Marcus, he is, at least, a formidable presence. Physically, he's powerful, his muscles flexing beneath his tee even as he stands before me here, and socially, he wields even more strength. If there's anything that's going to keep Blake out of trouble, it's going to be his presence, and I know I'll do anything to keep my brother safe. I can't lose him. I can't let anything happen to him, I refuse.

I extend my hand to him. This isn't exactly how I expected this to go, but as long as we're on the same page about this being well and truly fake, then there's no harm in it.

"You've got a deal."

He slips his hand into mine. His touch is strong, commanding. He looks me in the eye as he shakes my hand, and I have to look away from him, something about the intensity in his gaze forcing me to break his stare. I draw my hand back quickly, rushing to think of all the ways I can regain my power.

"But we're going to do this on my terms," I tell him sharply. "There's a fundraiser for the sorority house coming up at the end of this month. That's where we'll introduce everyone to the two of us together. You have something formal you could wear to that?"

His lips curl up into a brief smile. "Yes, of course I do. I'm not a total brute, Isabella."

"Good," I reply, nodding as I begin to pace. "And we can appear at a few other holiday events that are coming up. We won't have to be seen with each other outside of that, we both have our own lives—"

"I think a few public displays of affection around campus wouldn't go amiss, though," he remarks.

All at once, my head is full of the image of him kissing me, making out with me right in the quad, his arms around me, his strong body pressed to mine. It's dim in this room, and I'm glad because, otherwise, I'm sure he would be able to see the flush to my cheeks.

"Perhaps," I reply. "We can play that by ear, once we get a feel for how people are taking our... first appearances."

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