Page 36 of Keeping My Bride

Chapter 25

Verona

AFTER HEARING LUCA’S hateful words, I run into the nearest bathroom and tear off my mask, staring at my reflection in the mirror.

Tears fill my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. I won’t let him win.

An old woman steps up beside me and washes her hands. She glances at me once and then twice and frowns. “Some guy make you upset, sweetheart?” she asks.

“Yeah,” I admit.

“Well, if I was your age and looked like that, I’d be out on that dance floor dancing with every eligible man.” She stares at me with her beautiful, blue eyes and winks before she says, “Make him pay for hurting you.”

“Make him pay,” I say, nodding in agreement. Gathering my mask, I replace it and turn to leave the bathroom. My eyes search the room, finding Luca leaning against a wall in the far corner of the room, away from everyone else.

He’s not even looking for me. He doesn’t even care.

Grabbing a champagne flute from one of the waiters, I down it in a couple swallows. I have another and then another before I feel like I have enough liquid courage for what I’m about to do next.

Making sure there’s a clear view from him to me, I approach a younger guy standing in a group of men twice his age. “Would you like to dance?” I ask him.

His eyes roam my figure, and he nods his head vehemently. “Uh, yeah!” he says urgently.

We make our way to the dance floor in the middle of the room. The beat of the music is hard and fast, and I begin to move, swaying my hips while keeping a safe distance from the young man I just met.

He steps from side to side, clearly not knowing what to do. “Uh, what’s your name?” he asks me over the music.

I’m about to tell him my name when an older gentleman steps up and says, “Run along and play, Junior.” Then, feasting his eyes on me, he says, “Let’s dance.”

Well, I can’t say no to that. At least this guy knows what he wants…and obviously knows what he’s doing.

The man is tall and handsome with hair and eyes as black as night. He turns me around in his arms, pressing my bare back against his front as he grinds his hips against mine to the beat. His lips are near my ear as he asks, “Do you have any idea that you’re the sexiest woman here tonight?” When I shake my head, he continues. “What does it feel like to have over a hundred men fantasizing about taking you home?”

I consider his words before I answer. “Powerful,” I tell him honestly.

“Yes, powerful,” he agrees. He turns me in his arms again so that we’re facing each other. He’s so tall that I have to look up to see his face. And it reminds me of the height difference between Luca and me. And that, of course, makes me think about Luca…my husband.

“I noticed you as soon as you walked in the door. I knew I had to talk to you. But I never thought I’d get a chance to dance with you. My name is Constantine Carbone.”

I begin to tell him my name, but his fingertips suddenly graze along my bare back as he pulls me closer. Goosebumps cover my skin, but not the good kind. He’s getting too close, too aggressive.

I try to pull back, but he holds me even tighter.

He leans into me and whispers into my ear all the naughty things he wants to do to me once he gets me home.

“Let her go, Carbone,” says a commanding voice behind me. Shivers erupt inside of me, racing up my spine.

“What business is it of yours?” my dancing partner asks.

“She’s my wife,” Luca says through clenched teeth. He tears off his mask, and I can instantly see the look of recognition fill the other man’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, Vitale. I didn’t know she belonged to you.”

“Well, now you know,” he says before grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the man, away from the party and towards the front door.

I stumble a few times thanks to the few glasses of champagne I had and to the high heels, but Luca is quick to pick me up when I nearly fall and keep us moving.

Luca doesn’t say a word as he leads me from the house and straight to a dark, sleek car parked outside. He swings open the door and practically throws me inside. I splay out on the backseat, waiting for his terror as he climbs in beside me.

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