Page 89 of Nico (Belles & Mobsters 2)

“Your freaking electric bill has to be astronomical.” I shifted in my seat, staring at the massive manor. Turning my head his way, I shook my head again. “You fucking charged interest and gave me bullshit about that money, yet you livehere.”

“I think we both know it wasn’t about the money,” Nico said, his voice gruff. The car came to a stop.

“Then what is it about?” I questioned him in a low voice. I didn’t hold much hope that he would answer.

A heavy sigh vibrated through the inside of the car and he pushed his hand through his thick, dark hair.

“I had a younger sister.” My head whipped his way and I held my breath, waiting for him to continue as I watched him. “She was the better part of our family. She loved art, ballet, and dancing. She spent a lot of time traveling between Miami, Baltimore, and New York with her three galleries.” I had a feeling this didn’t have a good ending. “Benito King is known to take what he wants. With the wealth on my mother’s side and businesses I accumulated, he couldn’t trap us into an arrangement for her. But like I said, my father is greedy, selfish, and stupid. He was Benito’s way in to get Nicoletta. They traded. Nicoletta for a piece of underage ass that my father wanted that week.”

A shudder of disgust shot through me at his despicable father and Benito. God, I couldn’t think about that man as my father. And his father was no better. They both deserved death.

“Oh my God,” I gasped. I had an inclination where this was going.

“I was traveling and decided to stop by one of her galleries to see her.-” his voice trailed off. “I found her in one of her galleries, bleeding to death. She was severely beaten, raped by multiple, sadistic men, and left to bleed out on the floor. I brought her home but-”

I reached out and took his hand gripping the wheel, white knuckled, and intertwined our fingers. There was pain and anguish in his voice and my anger dissipated, being replaced by compassion. Nobody should endure such brutality.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. He tried to keep his emotions in check, but I could see how much he cared about his sister. “She didn’t deserve that. Nobody does.”

“She would have liked you,” he added, his thumb gently stroking my skin.

I swallowed. “I would have liked her too,” I rasped low. Benito was a sadistic lunatic. Just hearing this made my stomach tied in knots. My mother has been with him for twenty-six years. I couldn’t even fathom what she has endured.

“Nico-” I commenced but wasn’t sure how to go about it. Then I chickened out. I couldn’t tell him about my family’s arrangement. “How doIplay into all this though?”

He raised our interlocked hands, his lips brushing softly against each knuckle. “Tonight is our honeymoon,” he spoke low, his mouth hot on my skin. “We deserve to enjoy it. You, my wife-” I swallowed hard at the intensity in his eyes. “... deserve the best of everything.”

A shudder ran down my body. God, my body already tingled with need for him. “Come, Cara Mia. I want to carry you over the threshold.”

He exited the vehicle before I could say another word and came around to open the door to the car for me. Extending his hand, he helped me out of it and despite my distrust and prior anger at this man, his admissions during this car ride made me see him in a different light. He was a caring, protective brother that grieved at too soon of a loss caused by a cruel man.

Yes, he could be ruthless, but he was a man of circumstance. Considering his upbringing and cruelty he had witnessed, it wasn’t surprising that he could be overwhelming and scary. But he wasn’t as bad as I initially thought. He was protective and a better man than any other man I had ever met.

“Nico?” I murmured softly, locking eyes with his wet stone gray gaze. “You- you are a much better man than your father. Or Benito. Or any other man I know.”

I couldn’t help but admire his determination and his strength. He was his sister’s protector and blamed himself for failing. I stood next to him, still in my wedding dress, his strong, hard body towering above me, and I couldn’t help loving his strong form. I had never seen a man that looked that good in a suit. I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t want him, and I suspected he knew. He was too perceptive and probably recognized my body’s message even before I could process it myself.

My heart pumped hard, sending adrenaline and desire and warmth through every single part of my body. My heart pulsed with feelings I didn’t dare label. A tender trust settled between us and an ache began in my chest. It was for him.

My husband.

The wind picked up and thunder rumbled through the sky. Suddenly, Nico swept me up into his arms, carrying me up his grand marble staircase that led into his manor.

Despite everything that happened today, a laugh escaped through my lips.

“Nico!” I exclaimed, my hands clinging to his neck. “You are going to break your back,” I warned, smiling.

“It would take a lot more than lifting you into my arms to break my back.”

“Show off,” I muttered while my heart started drumming faster. The last three days have been a rollercoaster, giving me whiplash from hour to hour. It all led us here. Me in his home, in his bed.

I shouldn’t care about how compatible or non-compatible we were. My future wouldn’t be here or with him. A sharp pain pierced through me, but I didn’t care to evaluate it. I didn’t need to complicate shit more.

He had his agenda. I had mine.Finito!

I’d enjoy his body and he’d enjoy mine.

My eyes took in Nico’s home. It was like a palace. The wealth and luxury were evident everywhere.

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