Page 18 of No Saint

“By this time tomorrow, Amelia, you will be a Saint.”

She snatches – or tries to at least – away from me but I keep hold, dragging her back.

“You will walk down the aisle and you’ll wear a pretty dress, and you will becomemy wife.”

“I will not!”

“You’ll be the pretty wife of the don, a good girl who’s going to show me respect.”

“Over my dead body!”

“That can be arranged, Amelia. This is your only option. You marry me, you get to keep your son and your life. You don’t, you die. And your son, he’ll never remember who you are.”

“I hate you.” Tears well in her eyes as she twists her lips into a sneer.

I lean into her, lips almost touching, “Welcome to the family, Amelia.”

I hear her before I see her.

Her loud scream echoes through the house and the seamstress nervously looks to me before diverting her eyes. Devon smirks while my mother ushers Lincoln away, hiding him in the den to keep him occupied for the next few hours.

The guard that holds her fights to keep a firm grip but remembering what I said. I will keep my word, and if she so much as has a single mark on her from one of my men, I’ll make it slow.

They’ve been around long enough to know that I don’t bluff.

She kicks the second guard in the shin.

I grin.

“Going to have your work cut out for you, Gabe,” Devon chuckles.

I grunt, though internally, I was glad she had this amount of fight. At least our life together wouldn’t be boring.

“She’ll learn,” I say, stepping forward to take her from the guard, grabbing both arms to haul her to me. She slams against my chest.

“Best start behaving,leonessa,” I whisper, mouth at her ear, “Trying on wedding dresses while restrained doesn’t seem like it would be all that comfortable.”

“I’m not trying on anything.”

“You either pick a wedding dress or we get married and you’ll wear nothing.” My mouth is still close to her ear but I’m far enough away I can see her face, the warring emotions and the flush on her cheeks.

“Call my bluff, Amelia, I dare you.”

She swallows, “You can’t do this.”

My nose presses into her hair as my lips whisper against the shell of her ear, “I can, and I will. No one can stop me. Make a decision.”

“Fine.”

“That’s a good girl, pick something pretty.”

“I’ll be sure to pick the ugliest one there.”

I smirk, knowing damn well she wouldn’t find an ugly dress. I’d hand-picked them all and it was only courtesy I was letting her have the final decision.

“Make sure they fit well,” I tell the seamstress, “I won’t have my future wife flashing our guests.”

“But you’d let me wear nothing.” Amelia scoffs.

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