Page 86 of Cassio (Belles & Mobsters 3)

I still wasn’t sure how I felt about the family secret. It was one that should have never been kept from me. And why would my father… hmmm, Thomas, been alright with raising someone else’s child. It was unsettling, this latest discovery, and I wasn’t quite sure how to process it.

I took a sip of wine and finally felt myself starting to relax. This place was my zen, one of the only places I could actually relax and feel safe. Though not even my apartment kept nightmares at bay.

Margaret sipped on her juice, her look distant. The news of her pregnancy was a surprise. She always claimed children were not her thing. Yet, here we were.

“It’s all my fault,” Margaret muttered out of nowhere. “I got knocked up and now you have to pay the price.”

I tucked my legs underneath me, pulling two throw blankets from the armrest and offering one to her. It was mid-April and the nights were still chilly. I looked forward to the warmer weather, though the humidity in this city was nothing to crave.

“I’m so sorry,” Margaret added in a small voice.

“Don’t apologize.” It wasn’t right for either one of us to be forced to do this. Jack was crazy if he thought any of this was the right thing to do. Besides, I had a history with Hunter… ummm, Cassio. Damn it, not sure what I should call him!

“I was stupid and reckless. I got pregnant and now you-”

“Actually, it is their fault,” I retorted dryly. “Your uncle’s-” I winced at the title because it would take some time to get used to the fact that Callahan was my father. “Callahan’s and Cassio King’s. For making plans they had no right to make.”

Marrying Cassio should feel like a mistake. A grave mistake. People should marry for love, not forming alliances. And I’d be a fool not to admit that it bothered me that Cassio had an arrangement to marry Margaret. Yet he took me to bed. It bothered mea lot. Though somewhere deep down, a part of me didn’t mind marrying him.

Did it make sense? Fuck no. Did it make sense I was a virgin until recently? Again, fuck no. But there it was and we’d deal with it. We could overcome anything and everything, except one thing.Marco King.

My phone beeped, startling me, and I quickly reached for it. My heart tripped seeing it was from Hunter and then leapt into my throat. All the years of terror and revulsion wiped just from a single text. It was scary how easily that guy impacted me.

I slid the message open and read it.

*I want to talk to you.*

My heart danced in my chest. Wonderful, this would be cute if I was still a teenager. But a grown-ass woman! Yeah, not so much.

I typed back.*About???*

Despite myself, the corner of my lip tugged up. He’d know this was my moody response. After all, we’ve been texting long enough and he picked up on my little traits. The shorter the text, the worse my mood.

*Two years ago, Vegas, marriage, us. Take a pick.*

Okay, so he was right. We should talk. Go into thisarrangementclear headed. After all, the wedding was barely three days away. I couldn’t understand the rush. The engagement announcement and the wedding - both in the same week.

Despite this crazy way that my body reacted to him, I knew I needed my reason and common sense back. You just didn’t marry the son of the man that killed your father. Yes, Benito was dead, but the trafficking business didn’t end with his death. Regardless of how handsome Cassio was or how good he could make me feel. But… yes, there was always a but. The phone conversation kept jumping to the forefront of my mind. If his words were any indication, he didn’t care for his father and carried a guilt for the hurt he caused.

And we couldn’t discount that the sex with Hunter was amazing. No, I didn’t have any other experience to compare it to, but even that aside, the way he ensured my pleasure, the way he read my body even before I knew what it was saying. Hunter was perfect for me in that regard.

Hunter. Cassio. Cassio Hunter King.

Somehow the name suited him.

“Is everything okay?” Margaret’s voice startled me. I got so lost in my thoughts that I forgot she was here. That was how much that man rattled me.

“Yeah, everything is good,” I told her quickly and typed up a message back.

*Tomorrow. You demanded lunch. Make the best of it.*

I would go along with the charade of marriage, bring down the King trafficking business, and have a shit ton of sex. I’d have no issues in that department with Cassio King.

Great, it was set then.

Two for one.Look at me multitasking, I thought wryly. I just needed cheerleaders behind me. Give me an A… the rhyming chant played in my mind.

With my decision made, I returned attention to my cousin.

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