Page 95 of Shattered Diamonds

I know her apology is sincere. Haven doesn’t have it in her not to be. “I’m just glad you have bad aim.”

“Not funny.” She laughs but it’s halfhearted. “I could have killed you,” she whispers, seeming to be lost in thought. Then she takes a deep breath as she stares at my wound and professes, “I love you, Demetri Carbone. You are not the hero in my fantasy, but my villain. I think I’ve held love for you since the moment we were introduced at Mr. Heart’s party. There was something about you that drew me to you. I hated your cockiness, but I gravitated towards it. I felt like a directionless girl beneath the watchful eye of a powerful man. You were so sexy and intriguing standing there before me. A force all on your own. So much confidence. So comfortable reprimanding me in my brother’s presence. I felt drawn to you in a way that was unfamiliar.” She quiets a moment, huffing with a small smile. “Your arrogance, though…” Her lip quirks a bit as she wipes away what blood transferred from my chest to her lips with her kiss. “My only wish over this time we have spent together is that you felt the same. It was a daily guessing game inside my head. I think, deep down inside, I knew you didn’t. There were many signs that I ignored. The devil in you is attractive to me. And that’s sad that I let myself believe you did. The red flags were there. The bells of second guessing chimed, loudly, but I ignored them. Thank you for teaching me what I don’t ever want.”

I grab her face with one hand. “You say that as if you’re going somewhere. As if I don’t have feelings for you. As if I don’t have love for you.” I squeeze her jaw. “You are going nowhere, Mrs. Carbone. Nowhere,” I repeat so she understands how serious I am. “Can I say I wanted this? No, Haven, I cannot. I was doing what was right for the business and what was asked of me. I never expected my dick to get as hard as it has for you.”

“So romantic.” She huffs, moving to pull away before I stop her.

“I’m not a romantic, Haven, but for you, I have a desire to be.” I let that sink in. “Don’t think it will be over the top with flowers and candy. That’s not who I am. But do not get it twisted, baby. I do have love for you. I fought with myself over it. When we said our vows and I told you I loved you, I meant it.”

“You are having a child with another woman, Demetri.”

“She is not my wife. You are. I will handle that situation.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’ll handle it.” I give her a stern look. She needs to know not to question me. I will always take care of things, and she needs to trust me. It’s the only reason why I give her this one concession of explanation. “I wrap, Haven. Yes, there is a chance. There always is. But I wrap my shit up.” She raises a brow. I know exactly what she is suggesting. “You were a virgin. If you think for one second, that I was going to sink into your innocent body with something blocking me from feeling all of you, my soon to be wife, while I broke through your tender skin making you mine, you couldn’t be more wrong.”

“And now?”

“And now you’re my wife, firefly.” I run my thumb over her bottom lip. “I will come on these lips.” I push her all the way up to a sitting position and lower my hand to her chest. “Spread my seed across these perfect tits.” I drop to her stomach. “Jerk myself to completion all over this stomach you hate and I find so damn sexy.” Then I drop my hand lower and slide a finger inside her. Her eyes close. I wait until they reopen. “And I will put my children in your womb when I think the time is right.”

“We haven’t used protection.”

“Deliberately,” I gruff, tapping her thigh. “Up. We need to shower. And I need to get glued back together, so I stop bleeding. Then I need to handle something with you at my side.” She doesn’t move, just sits her voluptuous nude body comfortably on my stomach, contemplating if my words are a lie or the truth. It’s something she will have to work out on her own. “We don’t have much time. Move your ass.” I tap her thigh once again.

ChapterThirty-Three

HAVEN

Our shower is quick.We both wash in comfortable silence. I make sure Demetri’s wound is as clean as it can be without medical treatment. When we get out of the shower, Demetri immediately grabs his phone and demands someone come to his room. I thought it was going to be Luca, but it isn’t. Within a few minutes, there is a knock at the door. An older man with a gentle face enters only after Demetri makes sure I am covered with my towel first. I am introduced to the man I now know as Dr. B. His full name isn’t disclosed. I am okay with that. I know from Cillian and my father that all organizations have paid medical personnel at their disposal. With a directional point of his index finger at the closet, Demetri orders me to go get dressed while the doctor works on him. I was more than happy to. Just as I finished blow drying my hair, Demetri calls for me as he steps into the walk-in closet that he had filled with my clothes and clothes that he purchased for me.

“It’s time to go.”

Where? I don’t know. I am just trusting him, following his lead, and hoping now that my eyes are open that I don’t fall into the naive pool of one again.

With unasked questions in my eyes, I follow him through the house to a grand living room. The room is set apart from his main living area. Men, the same voices I heard talking before, ordering my torture and death, sit around while some stand waiting. Most likely too eager to sit with the taste of revenge on the tip of their tongues, a beheading in wait for shooting a made man in their organization.

I stop in my tracks when every eye in the room flares at seeing me. Demetri squeezes the hand being held captive by him, a reassurance I do not feel. I’m ready to turn and run. Silk fur brushes against the palm of my free hand hanging at my side. Thor has sidled up next to me and stands at attention.

Demetri glances over, noticing him, mumbling, “Fuckin’ traitor.” He looks at me with a quirk of a grin. “I get it, boy. She has her claws in my skin too.” He turns back to the room.

The bloodthirsty men wait with rapt attention.

Mr. Heart stands, giving Demetri the floor. “I assume your request from earlier this evening hasn’t varied?”

“It has not,” Demetri says with so much composure.

“Then your wishes need to be stated to the family.” He waves his hand, giving him the floor to speak.

“It was requested of me to marry Haven McKittrick, as you all know. I accepted. It was an arranged marriage of protection. Ms. McKittrick, now Mrs. Carbone, had not a clue it was arranged. I pursued her as if it was a natural progression of meeting a beautiful woman. I’m sure you all could imagine her shock when she found out the truth. Her actions, even though harsh, will go unpunished. If I see that punishment is needed, then I will be the one to handle my wife.”

“She could have killed you,” an older man shouts.

“I took her virginity, and she consummated our marriage by riding my cock.” He ignores the man’s outburst. “If you don’t believe me, look to Luca for confirmation.” He nods in Luca’s direction.

My shocked gaze shifts to Luca. He leans casually against a decorative column, a relaxed position with one leg crossed over the other at his ankles. He nods in agreement.

Now I know why he came into the room and Demetri said, “His job is done.” He had to witness our union. I connect my eyes with Luca’s. The corner of his lips quirk and the recognition shines bright in his eyes. My attention is brought back to Demetri and the room full of old and young men when I hear Demetri say, “She is under this organization’s protection and now my protection, gentlemen. No one, and I mean no one, will touch my wife or cause her any harm. If she is in your presence and danger lurks, you best know that if you do not make the effort to protect her withyourlife, I will come foryours.”

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