Page 66 of Wicked Games of Desire

Alessandro sits next to me, placing his hand gently on my thigh, brushing along the silky material of my dress. Maddox occupies the seat next to Marco and Ricky on the other side of Alessandro. When Geovani takes the seat directly opposite me, I want the earth to swallow me up. I glance at the table and see little rose-gold place cards with our names on them, and I know he’s not lost. That is where he’s been told to sit. But why? What the fuck is going on? These two families that hate each other and have divided a town are now joining forces? Marrying? I thought they wanted the D’Amicos as far from me as possible. He’s the threat we have all been hiding from, isn’t he?

Alessandro’s head drops into my neck, his lips brushing my ear. “You belong to me, understand?” The vibration of his possessive growl goes right through me, and for once, I’m not insulted by being told I’m his. I’m freaking the hell out, and I need to know he’s got my back. If I’m going to be left with just him after tonight, I have to know I can trust him.

“I’m yours.” I mouth the words, but I know Geovani’s eyes are glued to my every movement. He winks playfully in my direction, andI’m certain he’s trying to provoke Alessandro. What the fuck is he on? If he wants a bullet in the head, he’s going the right way about it.

I turn toward Alessandro, placing my hand on his jaw, and I stare up into his eyes. “I’m yours,” I say again for all the haters. His lips meet mine in a burning kiss, and when I finally pull back, I’m breathless, with a heat radiating off my face I’ve never felt before, because I know all eyes in the room are on us. I’m never going to survive this life. I can’t be this woman I’m supposed to be. On show. Giving them an heir. I scan the exits, seeing two armed guards on each side, and I know the time for running is long gone. There is no way out.

Reluctantly, I start my meal with the rest of them. The tension in the surrounding air is so thick I could carve it with my steak knife. Out of fear, I refrain from glancing at the other side of the table, worried that someone might observe me. His mother clearly hates me, and Geovani is making it blatantly obvious he’s interested in more than just business with this family. He wants me.

The six months we shared flash before me. Why did he act like my friend, trying to help me in the darkest time of my life? Was it all some game to him? I don’t want to believe it because to me that time was special, but I can’t see any other explanation for his behavior tonight.

The room is swallowed up with the hum of conversation, most of it focusing around Enzo, his booming voice proving just how much power he holds over this group of influential people. But every time he speaks, I feel the tick of Alessandro’s muscles stiffening, his handsome face hardened in his father’s direction. Like a time bomb just waiting to go off. After the explosion at their mansion, I knew the boys didn’t trust Enzo, but I didn’t realize how much he hated his papa until right now. Maybe he is just as trapped in all this as I am. They all are. But there has to be something we can do to stop him.

Chapter 38

I lean my headcloser to his ear. “I need some air,” I whisper to Alessandro. Dinner is finished, and I can’t wait another second. I either want him to take me back to my room, so I can work out how the hell to escape these people before tomorrow, or tell me it’s all some fucking joke.

He takes my hand, pulling me in close, making it look like we need an intimate moment as he escorts me past the guards and out into a rose garden. His hand runs down my body and he stares at me, and for a second, I see a lost little boy. His lips meet mine, and he kisses me like he used to. Like he needs my lips on his to breathe. His warmth makes me feel momentarily safe. What I wouldn’t give to go back in time and take off with him back there. What would our lives have been if my papa hadn’t walked in on us? He pulls back from me, holding my face in his hands.

Then his face hardens again.

“Why is Geovani here?” I ask the words that have been sitting at the tip of my tongue since we walked in.

Ricky and Maddox move past the guards quickly, joining us, and Alessandro drops his grip on me.

Alessandro gives me a quick once-over, and I anticipate him telling me to stay out of his affairs. “Enzo has been patiently waiting for years to find a way to bring down his brother-in-law. He thinks this is it—working with his children.”

I furrow my brow and look back and forth between the brothers, trying to understand. “His own son? I thought you didn’t trust the D’Amicos?”

“We don’t, but Enzo and Geovani have reached an agreement,” Maddox snips, his normal stoic mask dropping. And I can see by Ricky’s face, he agrees.

“Enzo’s suspicious activities had caught our attention, leading Marco to stay at the main house and keep a close watch on him. Even Marco was unaware of this new alliance until Geovani arrived tonight.”

“Would your mother know something? Or could she be recording us at the safe house?”

“Be careful, princess,” Alessandro warns me, glancing over his shoulder as though he’s worried someone will overhear me talking badly about her.

I get a flutter of annoyance in my chest. She might be his mother, but she’s an almighty bitch. He has to know that. I lean in closer so only he can hear me. “I know she’s your mother, but she’s so nasty to me. She made it clear she doesn’t think I’m good enough for you and told me to enjoy my last night of freedom. What do you think she meant by that?” I snap back at him, not appreciating him sticking up for her. “I have literal claw marks from her.” I show himthe damage on my arm.

He tosses a hand through his hair, his eyes narrowing in on me and growing impossibly darker. “Tell me something, Harley. What happened between you and Geovani in the six months you were working out with him?” He watches me like a hawk, waiting for my answer. “Did you fuck him?”

My heart flutters in panic. That’s not a question I want to answer. When his hand lands on my shoulder, I flinch. He’s scaring the shit out of me with his crazy intensity. I take a step back from him, not liking what he’s implying. That I am exactly who his mother said I was. But back then, I had thought that what happened between me and Geovani was special. He was my friend, or so I thought. He helped me. And yeah, I fell under his charming spell. A girl could only resist for so long. But I had no clue who he was.

“So, all that shit earlier tonight was just a fucking show to make sure Geovani knew who I belong to. You don’t really give a shit about me.”

“You know I care about you.” His glare darkens to a scary level, forcing me to suck in a breath. “Answer me, Harley. Did. You. Fuck him?”

“Fuck you,” I spit, bitterness flying off my tongue, before turning hastily to get the hell out of here. I’m not wasting another second of my time before I take off toward the room I’m staying in. I should have known better than to trust him. Any of them. The other two just stand there, letting him talk to me like I’m some cheap whore like their mother thinks. The only person I can trust is myself. I don’t have to tell him shit. What happened between me and Geovani feels like a lifetime ago, and it all took place before I was engaged to Alessandro, so he has no right to ask me about it. By his furious expression, I can see he already knows the answer anyway and he’s jealous as hell.

What the fuck was I thinking tonight, actually doing what he said because I thought he was trying to look out for me. He’s a mastermanipulator. That’s all his kindness was. A ruse to get me to comply. Well, fuck him.

“It would kill you if she did. Wouldn’t it, cousin.” I hear Geovani’s voice, and I freeze to the spot. Was he listening to our entire conversation?

Slowly turning, I find Geovani and Alessandro squaring up, Marco following closely behind Geovani, along with a couple of the guards Geovani came in with.

“Does it fuck with your head? Knowing I had your sweet little fiancée begging me to show her what it’s like to be with a real man.”

Alessandro thumps him right across the jaw. Geovani doesn’t falter, just spits the blood from his busted lip on the grass in front of Alex. What the hell did he expect, baiting him like that. But something tells me there is more going on here between them.

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