Page 34 of Claimed By Desire

“I want you to leave with me. We’ll go right now.”

I laugh. It’s so absurd, I can’t even help it. “The place is swarming with guards. I can’t go anywhere even if I wanted.”

“They’re distracted right now. Lev’s got them loading the trucks with party supplies. We go out the back, climb over the wall, and take the alley to the street. My car’s waiting.”

He’s serious. This psychopath is serious. He wants me to run out on my wedding. He wants me to leave my husband at the altar, or close enough.

“You were worried about starting a war last night, and that would’ve been bad enough. You know what’ll happen if we do this, right?”

“I know,” he says, staring at me. His determination is terrifying. “I’ll protect you. I’ll take care of you. In exchange, you’ll swear I’ll always be in my child’s life, no matter what happens between us. You’ll never let another man take what’s mine.”

The baby. Not me.

“How are you going to do that?” I ask quietly, not sure why I’m even playing along.

This is straight up crazy.

“I called in a favor.” He steps closer to me. I can barely breathe. “There’s a priest waiting for us back at my place.”

My eyes go wide, and for a second, I don’t understand what he means. I don’t understand anything as my brain goes haywire.

Then it drops into place.

“You want to getmarried?” I blurt it out and hold up my hands like I could stop a charging bull with my palms.

“It’s the only way. The Italians will be angry, but even they respect marriage. Once we explain the situation, they might even understand one day, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make amends. Whatever the cost, I’ll pay it. The alliance will never happen, but if we’re lucky and careful, we can avoid the worst outcome.”

“What about my father? He’ll kill you.”

“Not if I’m your husband and the father of your child, he won’t. Lev won’t let him.”

“Lev will kill you too.”

“He’ll come around.” Alex is talking like this is remotely possible, like it’s even reasonable. As if this isn’t absolutely brainlessly insane and reckless.

“If I go with you, it’ll ruin everything. Valentin Zeitsev will be livid. Dad will be furious. Lev will disown me. And the Italians will try to kill us. You really think you can explain this away? You’re stealing me on my wedding day.”

Alex holds out a hand. “I know what I’m doing. Come with me, Nat.”

I stare at him. I look at his mouth, at his throat, at his outstretched palm.

I remember playing with him when we were younger and wishing he’d touch me, just a little bit, nothing too bad. Just a hand on my leg.

I also remember hating his stinking guts for years.

But this is my chance. I’ll never get another opportunity to escape. If I turn him down, that means accepting my fate, walking down the aisle with Adriano, and becoming his bride.

That means raising my baby as Adriano’s child, even if it looks like Alex.

This is my only shot at escaping a prison sentence.

And the messed up thing?

I’m hesitating for one big reason: it’s because he’s not doing this forme.

If he were here because of what happened in Paris, because we have a spark and he can’t let it go, then I wouldn’t even hesitate. I’d run away with him and leave all this shit behind. Maybe I’d regret it, but at least I was taking a chance on someone that wantedmeand not whatever I represent.

But if I weren’t pregnant, Alex would never be doing this.

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