Page 36 of Beautiful Devil

Marco knows better than to try to talk me out of something once I’ve made up my mind, so he wisely keeps his mouth shut and simply asks, “Where are you going?”

“To tell my bride the good news. I want Father Tony here by the end of the day. No excuses.”

Tonight, Gia will be mine. I can’t wait to see how my littlegattinawill react to the news. No doubt she’ll put up one hell of a fight, but what she doesn’t know is that I don’t take no for an answer, and Ialwaysget what I want.

As I reach the top of the stairs, I see Maria exiting Gia’s room with a sad look on her face. Maria has been with my family for as long as I can remember. She’s a short, frail woman, barely five feet tall, and can’t weigh more than a hundred pounds soaking wet.

Her olive skin tone shows the wear and tear on her face of what being a part of this life does to you. She’s still beautiful, with her soft blue eyes and shoulder-length gray hair that she has swept up into a low bun today.

Wrinkles line her face around her eyes, and when she turns around and sees me approach her, her usually-warm smile is not there. Instead it’s replaced with a scowl.

What the fuck?

Before I can ask her what’s wrong, she opens her mouth to berate me.

“Lei non appartiene qui. Lei è innocente."She doesn’t belong here. She’s innocent.

Not her too.

Wiping a hand down my face and taking a deep breath, I tell her the truth in a low voice. “Lo so.”I know.

And I do know that. She doesn’t belong here or in this world, but I can’t let her go now. We’re both in too deep, and if I doset her free, she’ll probably be captured or dead by morning. Just the thought of anyone harming her or taking her away makes me see red.

Clearly surprised by me agreeing with her, she pats the side of my cheek in the way my Nonna used to do when I was a little bambino.

“Buona. Sei sempre stato un ragazzino intelligente.”Good. You were always a smart little boy.

And with that, she walks away and down the hall to her corridor. Shaking my head at that comment, I unlock the door to Gia’s room and step inside. She instantly gets up with a smile on her face, only for it to vanish as soon as she realizes it's me and not Maria again. I stand by the door, unperturbed, as I take in myfidanzata.

My eyes roam over her appearance and land on the oversized white shirt she’s wearing. It’s so thin, I can see the outline of her breasts, and I bet if I were to spill water on her, I would be able to see them clear as fucking day. My dick twitches in my pants in agreement.

Her hair is thrown into a messy bun on the top of her head with some fallen pieces lining her face. Her eyes take me in as well and I know the second she’s thinking about the last time I was here and what transpired between us. Her breathing picks up slightly and eyes darken with desire as a faint flush lines her cheeks when she looks down at my hands, no doubt remembering the way they felt inside her.

Time to play.

“Hello,gattina. Are you ready for a little field trip,fidanzata?” I smirk to myself.

I’ve just called her my fiancée, and she has no clue. Oh, how I can’t wait to tell her we’re getting married. Surprise and apprehension covers her face, clearly unsure of what I mean by “field trip,” and what it entails for her.

“Wh-what?” she stutters in a low, shaky voice.

Taking a step toward her, I reach my hand out to grab hers. Only she pulls away and backs up from me.

Getting annoyed because I don’t have time for this, I put my hands on my hips and tell her, “We’re getting married. Now let's go, because I’m assuming you want to freshen up and not get married in leggings and a white t-shirt? I have a team of people downstairs who are waiting for you. Although, if you prefer not to, that’s fine with me. I’m sure Father Tony is almost here and wouldn’t bat an eye at your attire.”

Her eyes go big and she looks at me like I have two heads before screaming in a high-pitched voice. “WHAT? Are you fucking crazy? I’m not marrying you. I don’t even know you. You KIDNAPPED me! Did you forget that? I won’t be a willing participant. I’ll scream the place down and tell everyone outside this roomandthe priest that I was abducted. Surely a man of the church will save me.”

Oh, la mia piccola gattina.

My ears are still ringing when she finally stops speaking. Her breathing is starting to speed up and I need her to focus on what I’m about to tell her. Walking to where she is, I stand in front of her and grab her upper biceps with my hands. My grip is firm, not hard enough to leave a bruise, but hard enough to where she can’t escape. A wave of electricity goes through my body as soon as my hands land on her skin. Looking her dead in the eyes, I tell her the truth in a no-bullshit tone that has made grown men piss themselves before.

“You don’t have a choice,gattina. It’s happening whether you like it or not,” I bark at her.

Her breathing starts to regulate itself again and she is spitting daggers at me now with her eyes. Good. Feisty, I can deal with.

“Over my dead body will I marry you.”

“That can be arranged, and highly likely if you choose to disobey me.”

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