Page 23 of The Marriage Contract

“I’m not much of a drinker, and anyway…” I lean up, whispering in his ear, “I need to be on my A game.”

He turns so that his lips almost graze mine. He’s seriously messing with my head. The crazy part is I kind of like it. “People are watching,” he whispers. “It might be time for that show we talked about.”

I impulsively kiss him. He makes that groaning noise I recognize from earlier, but we break it off far quicker this time. I never knew a one-second-long kiss could be flooded with so much passion, but wow, a second longer, and I might have lost it.

After ordering two club sodas, we walk through the party.

I lean in and ask, “Do I seem like I belong?”

“You’ve got nothing to prove to these people.”

“Talk about mixed signals, Dario. I’m here to do a job, remember?”

“You’re doing well,” he says, seeming annoyed at what I’ve just said.

What right does he have?

We join Mr. and Mrs. Moretti at a table in the corner of the room. Salvatore is on his cell phone, typing with both thumbs and staring down at it. He doesn’t even greet us. Maria makes a show of standing up and giving us both big hugs and kisses.

“Did I see you speaking with Victoria Langley?” Maria asks.

When Dario doesn’t answer—he grits his teeth, staring wordlessly—I have to end the awkwardness. “Yes. She was regaling us with the tale of the lost romance between herself and Dario.”

Dario glances at me. His eyes gleam again. He looks proud this time. I guess I’m doing better than the first dinner.

“She was exaggerating,” Dario says.

“Alas, my son is telling the truth,” Maria replies. “Before you, dear Elena, Dario was woefully disinterested in the opposite sex. You must truly have a special quality.”

“She does, Mother,” Dario says in such a believable, certain way I almost buy it. “Doesn’t she look beautiful this evening?”

Maria appraises me. This time, when she speaks, she seems sincere. “She does. You do, Elena. You look angelic. Understated and sublime. Yes, quite beautiful.”

Salvatore looks up from his phone, glancing at his wife as though he thinks she’s had too much to drink. Maria offers me another smile. Maybe her sudden compliment is because she’s had too many glasses of champagne, but it still makes me glow warmly. Aunt Rosa has been the best guardian I ever could’ve asked for, but this is something else. For a brief moment, I imagine what it would be like to have a mother.

Then, I immediately kill the thought. Execute it. Maybe that’s dramatic, but I’m an actor. If I can’t be dramatic, who can?

CHAPTER TEN

DARIO

I’m relieved when Father announces he wants to leave early, affording every Moretti the chance to exit if he wishes. The dinner was filled with awkward conversations about opera, books, and other things I don’t care about. It’s not that I’ve got anything against it. I’m sick of everybody trying to seem clever.

I offer Elena my arm as we get ready to leave. When she takes it, I remind myself for the millionth time that I have to be cold, but there’s too much warmth sparking between us. It’s like she’s waking something long forgotten inside me.

“Can I use the ladies’ room before we go?” she asks.

I think about the Romanos, the threats, the vandalism. What if something happens to her in there? She smiles at me as she places her hand on my chest—all part of the act. “Don’t worry. I’d never dream of running from my dear, devoted lover.”

I grab her hips; I’m conscious people are watching us while pretending not to be. To sell this game, I’ve got to be convincing. The entire city has been talking about us, which is good. Now, I can give them more to talk about.

Pulling her close, I lean down. She moans in that frantic, ball-tingling way that has my head spinning. My thoughts get cloudy as I try to distinguish between acting and reality. “I’d find you anyway,” I growl. “I’d bring you home.”

“Home,” she repeats, wrapping her arms around me. “Is that the townhouse or the cruddy place on the wrong side of the tracks?”

“Home, for you, is wherever I am.”

I kiss her passionately. I should get a damn Oscar. That’s my justification, but summoning this fiery need requires little effort. A voice in the back of my head says this is wrong. By publicly kissing her, I’m announcing to the city that she’s important to me. I’m putting a target on her, hence the increased security.

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