Page 26 of Bound to a Monster

“God, you’re such a piece of shit,” she whispers, words trembling. “Seriously, Lev. You have no idea how cruel you are.”

“I’m being pragmatic. You should try it. Now, if we’re done?”

I turn away before she answers. If I let her keep talking, I don’t know how I’ll resist burying her little mouth with my own and claiming her right here.

This is going to be a painful marriage.

My mask falls into place. Once again, I’m affable Lev, engaging, attractive.

While under the surface, I’m boiling for that woman.

Chapter 10

Carmie

I’m not going to cry.I’m not going to cry. If I cry right now it’s going to make everything so much worse, so I am absolutely, positivelynot going to cry.

It takes all my energy to keep myself from sobbing as I stand in front of a few dozen important members of both the Zeitsev Bratva and the Marino Famiglia. None of my friends are here. They’re not important enough, and who cares what I want?

This isn’t about me.

It’s about my father and his brother. Don Marino sits up front, looking older and thinner with every passing day, with my cousin Adriano by his side. My father’s on Adriano’s other side with Luca and Daniel.

At least Luca’s giving me a grin and a thumbs-up like he knows I need all the support I can get right now.

My husband is barely looking at me. Every time I glance in his direction, his eyes dart away. I keep hearing the loathing in his voice, and I don’t even understand what he thinks I did to him.As if I’m the problem here? As if I’m the one that negotiated this and arranged it?

Of everyone in this room, I’m the most innocent.

And yet he seems to hate me the most.

I wanted to tell him about the babybeforewe said the words and made it official. Maybe it wouldn’t have made a difference, but I wanted to see if that changed anything for him.

I don’t get a choice, but he should.

That was my thinking anyway.

He so clearly wants nothing more than a show marriage—and I doubt children are in the future.

Except for the child already growing in me.

But it’s too late. The ceremony starts and I’m trapped. It’s all noise and words I can barely understand until the priest gets to the part where we exchange rings and vows, and I know what’s coming next. Cold metal feels heavy on my finger as the sun begins to set over the river. If there’s a boat coming, maybe I can jump over the side and swim over.

Maybe I can just drown.

“You may kiss the bride.”

There’s a moment where I don’t move. Lev stares at me, jaw flexing. His disarming smirk fades, and I think maybe he won’t do it, like he’s so disgusted by the thought of becoming my husband that he’ll refuse me in front of everyone.

What’s another little humiliation matter?

Then he covers the distance between us, puts a hand on the small of my back and the other on my arm, and presses his lips to mine.

Warm. Soft. Everything I remember. A hint of whiskey—he’s been drinking. Is he nervous, like I am? Or is that just the kind of man he is? I realize how little I know about him, and oh, god?—

The kiss deepens. It shouldn’t, but it does. I feel the very tip of his tongue against mine. I fight a whimper, and the memory of that night floods me. My first time. My everything.

Desire rips into my core. A fuzzy intensity makes my brain a pile of mush. This shouldn’t feel good.

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