Page 17 of His to Honor

Before I can even blink, Matteo is on me. He presses me back into the seat as his lips meet mine in a furious kiss. It’s harsh and uncompromising, a brash statement of ownership. I should rail against him asserting his claim like this, but I find myselfsoftening. The minute I do, Matteo pulls back as if all he wanted was my submission. He grasps my chin, his fingers digging in almost painfully. The determination in the dark gleam of his eyes startles me.

“You’re mine now, Giulia. Don’t you forget it.”

He glares at me, obviously expecting a response. When I nod, he sits back in his seat and drives off again. My heart pounds so hard I fear it will break my ribs. I feel like I’ve opened Pandora’s Box. How the hell am I going to put the lid back on?

CHAPTER 6

Matteo

As I pull the car off the main road, the enormous iron gates to the property swing open, activated automatically using license plate recognition. Antonio needs to get a similar system installed at some of our properties. It would cut down on the number of men needed to guard the gates. Their services could be used elsewhere. Perhaps I’ll suggest it to Leo. He’ll be more receptive than our oldest brother, who doesn’t take much interest in technology.

A sense of peace washes over me as I drive along the avenue of cypress trees leading toward the house. This place is my sanctuary from the outside world. It’s what I need right now, but I doubt I could ever really call it home. My life, the people I care about, are in New York. Despite what my brother thinks, I haven’t forgotten that.

Giulia is noticeably less relaxed than me. Her posture is so stiff that if we hit a slight bump in the road, she might shatter into pieces. I don’t try to make her feel more comfortable.She deserves to squirm after that bullshit remark about letting Gabriele fuck her. My cousin would chew her up and spit her out, leaving her a complete wreck. He used to be a real ladies’ man, but these days he’s too consumed by self-pity and rage to treat a woman right. I, on the other hand, intend to worship Giulia. Once she accepts she’s mine, she’ll want for nothing.

I should have pulled her over my knee and spanked her for even thinking about letting another man touch her, but the Bugatti Veyron I borrowed from Damiano isn’t exactly spacious and a man my size needs room to maneuver. Perhaps I’ll redden her cute little ass as foreplay before I fuck her again.

That enticing thought gets shelved a minute later. The beautiful nineteenth-century villa I’ve stayed at for more than a month comes into view and my heart sinks. We have company. Three black Audi SUVs sit on the gravel driveway by the front door. Damiano must be here. It’s unusual for him to have brought an entourage, though. Unless there’s an elevated safety risk, he doesn’t travel with an escort. I’m guessing the presence of his guards means he’s brought my sister with him. She’s not in any particular danger, but Damiano knows Antonio will have his balls if anything happens to Livvy while she’s under his protection, so he doesn’t take any chances.

“Is that Damiano’s car?” Giulia sounds hopeful. I guess she isn’t keen to be alone with me right now, since things are strained between us.

“It is.”

“Were you expecting him?”

“No. I suspect Livvy heard you were here and persuaded him to drop by.”

A smile spreads across Giulia’s face. “Oh, I hope so. It’s been ages since I saw Livvy.”

Her enthusiasm has fuck all to do with her wanting to spend time with my sister and everything to do with needing a buffer between us until she sorts her head out. Giulia has known my sister since she was a toddler and they’re not bosom buddies. They’ve attended a lot of the same social events and Giulia has come on family vacations with us, but the two women have never really warmed to each other.

Giulia sees Livvy as my annoying kid sister, the brat who used to interrupt us when we were trying to get our homework done or watch a movie. Livvy, for her part, has always resented the time I spent with Giulia, and to a lesser extent, Isabella. My sister likes to be the focus of my attention.

Apart from Gio, who’s gradually drifting away from all of us, I’m the only one of her brothers who really gives a shit about her. The others want to protect her, of course, but that doesn’t translate to wanting to have an actual relationship with Livvy. They treat her with indifference or, worse, as if she’s a pain in the ass. She’s desperate for approval that she must know she’ll never receive. It’s no wonder she acts out sometimes.

I pull the car up behind the last Audi in the row and switch off the engine before turning to Giulia. If my sister is with Damiano, Giulia needs to be forewarned that Livvy might try to draw her into our family drama.

“There’s something you should know before we go inside.” I consider how much to share with her and decide that, despite the gulf between us, Giulia can be trusted with the truth. “My sister isn’t here willingly.”

Giulia tenses. “What do you mean?”

“Antonio sent her here as punishment.”

Giulia rolls her eyes. “What supposed crime did she commit this time?”

I understand the sarcasm in her tone. Where my oldest brother is concerned, breathing too loudly is a punishable offense for Livvy. This time is different. She did something incredibly stupid and almost cost Antonio his marriage. Knowing how much our brother loves his wife, Livvy was lucky to get away so lightly.

“She took some photos.”

“Of?”

I rub the back of my neck as Giulia looks expectantly at me. I hate to even think about the mess Livvy got herself in. “Herself. She took nude photos, you know, in suggestive poses.”

Giulia huffs out a disbelieving laugh. “So she got exiled. Why not go all out and send the girl to a convent?”

Her judgmental tone rubs me the wrong way. I honestly didn’t expect Giulia to take Livvy’s side. “She fucked up. This is for her own good.”

“You believe that?”

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