Page 3 of Desire and Revenge

“Thank you.”

Nero’s eyes linger on mine for a fraction too long before he turns back to Sebastian, ignoring my greeting.

Sebastian, oblivious to the tension, claps Nero on the back. “We have a lot of catching up to do. How long are you in town for?” my husband asks, throwing a hand over the taller man’sshoulders, “I hope you’re here to stay for good, this time. I want to hear all about your travels.”

“I’m afraid your wife will feel neglected.” Nero’s lips twitch in something resembling a smirk, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “It’s too early for me to make an enemy of beautiful Sofia.”

Sebastian throws his head back and lets out a boisterous bark of laughter. “It’s never too early when it comes to you. I will have them set up the west wing for you, and don’t bother refusing. I have more rooms than I know what to do with, and my home is your home, too.”

“I forgot about your annoying habit of always wanting to get your way,” Nero shakes his head fondly. “I need to go and arrange for my things to be moved out of my hotel room. Excuse me.”

My curiosity spikes the second he’s out of earshot. “Who is he?” I ask, unable to keep the question to myself.

Sebastian presses a kiss to my temple. “My childhood friend, Sofia. He is almost family.”

I accept his reply with a stiff smile, knowing better than to push further with a made man. He may have been all smiles today, but I’m fully aware that Sebastian isn’t an exception to the dangerous personas of men like him. Case in point: my father, and now, Nero Castello, a so-called brother whose brief presence leaves me with more questions than answers and a nagging sense of dread I can’t shake.

As Sebastian and I make our way into the house, I follow him down a long hallway leading to the back, where guests are eagerly waiting.

The moment we enter the backyard, cheers and applause go up around the backyard as our arrival is noted, and in a matter of seconds, we are surrounded by well-wishers.

“You look flushed,” my cousin Carlotta observes, her gaze sharp and disapproving. “Do yourself a favor, don’t have thatlook on your face when you spread your legs for him tonight. It makes you even less appealing.”

My eyes widen, and I dart glances around, praying no one else heard her vicious comment. “Carly, can’t you just congratulate me on my happy day?”

She snorts, her lips curving into a mocking smile. “You should be grateful I’m telling you this. Not everyone gets a heads-up like you are, thanks to me. Just trying to offer some advice to keep your new husband satisfied. Seems like that’s all you’ve got going for you, anyway.”

Carlotta has never been my favorite person. I don’t know if I pity her or just plain hate her. It can’t be easy to be past thirty and living with a horrible divorce scandal.

The women in my world don’t get divorced, and so, when she came home without her wedding ring, well… let’s just say nobody let her forget that she was a disgrace.

She’s constantly looking for ways to make herself feel better by highlighting other people’s mistakes.

“If you’ll all excuse me, my wife needs to sit down and eat some of the cake I spent a boatload on.”

The crowd laughs at Sebastian’s words and he steers me away from them and to the table on the raised dais set up for us.

“Thank you,” I tell him sincerely.

“Are you alright?” I turn to see my husband’s face full of concern for me.

He’s both good-looking and nice. I really hit the jackpot with Sebastian Lucchese.

“I’m just a bit overwhelmed,” I admit.

“I would have been more surprised if you weren’t,” he smiles. “You’re not regretting this, are you?”

“No,” I blurt out, “I could never regret this. You’re the best part in all of this.”

His shoulders drop in apparent relief. “Good. I want you to be happy, Sofia; happy and safe.”

Tears threaten to blur my vision, and I blink them back, not wanting to ruin my makeup or give any of the guests something to talk about.

I’ve always known that, someday, I would have to marry someone as part of my duty to my family. No girl child in the mafia is deluded enough to believe she will marry for anything other than duty. But, as much as I’ve always wanted to do my part for the family, I lived in constant dread of ending up with someone old, cruel, or both.

Sebastian is neither of those things, and I believe that, with time, I will even come to love him. We can have a beautiful life together, a marriage built on mutual respect and trust.

“I’m happy,” I reply. “And I feel safe with you.”

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