Page 33 of Devil's Last Dance

Candice couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing and shook her head. “No. No. No, I’m not going to marry you. This is insane. You left me. You screwed me and then you left me.” She shook her head. “Absolutely not. I’m not going to marry you.”

Seven months ago, if she had woken up next to Antwone and he proposed, she would have married him, no questions asked. Now? How could she? He left her. He abandoned her. There was no way she could marry him, even though a part of her was ecstatic at the prospect. Another part was too hurt to even concede.

She couldn’t do this. Refused to do this.

“Candice, you have no choice.”

She laughed. “I have no choice. It’s simple. I’ve got plenty of choices. You want to marry me and I say no.” She shrugged. “I don’t see how difficult this choice can be. We’ll come to some kind of arrangement, and you can see your child. We’ll do some visiting rights thing.”

Antwone sighed. “I lied to you.”

“What?”

“Candice, I cannot allow you to leave. You carry my child and I have a lot of enemies. If they ever found out about you or our child, then … I don’t even want to think about what they would do.”

She looked at him and knew he wasn’t lying. “What did you lie about?” she asked.

“I’m not just a businessman. I’m Antwone Bianchi, the boss of the largest mafia crime family in the country.”

Chapter Nine

Antwone knew she had a right to panic. It was why he didn’t reach out for her when she got to her feet and began to pace.

“What?” She stopped and then walked a few feet. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not lying.” Antwone got to his feet.

He reached for her, wanting to pull her into his arms, but she moved away from him, rejecting him. He should have known she would struggle with the truth.

“Why did you come to the bar?” she asked.

“I wanted some alone time to think. There are certain demands that have been requested of me.”

“Demands?”

“I’m to find a woman and have an heir.”

“Oh,” Candice said, putting a hand to her stomach. “And you can just marry any woman you find on the street?”

“They’re not going to like my choice, but I don’t give a fuck. You’re mine, Candice, and there is no way I’m letting you go. You wouldn’t want to live life as a mistress. We both know this.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you have any idea how insane this sounds? I will not be your mistress. I won’t be your anything.”

Antwone went to her, and this time he didn’t allow her to push him away. She could freak out on her own time, but not on his. He took hold of her hands, pulling her against him. Her stomach was so swollen but he just wanted to hold her. She felt so good in his arms. This is what he’d been missing so much.

She was everything he wanted. He couldn’t help but breathe her in, wanting all of her.

“Damn it, Antwone, this can’t happen. You left. You broke my heart and I’m not going to allow you to hurt me again, or my baby.”

“I will never hurt you. I promise, Candice, I will never, ever hurt you, and the only way I can do that is by keeping you close.” He knew the capos would be pissed, but he and Draven would deal with all of them.

Candice was his woman.

He wasn’t going to let her go.

She belonged to him.

She would be his wife and he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

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