Page 84 of Venomous Vows

He didn’t have to do that. There’s nothing else tying him to my sister and definitely not my father. I might be still pissed at him, but I don’t want anything bad to happen to him either.

“Why did you do that?” I ask, needing to know the answer more than anything in the world right now. I recall everything that Adrian has told me thus far, but it’s still mind-blowing that he wishes to help and for me to be a main part of his life when we didn’t have the best start.

All of it is a whirlwind of denial, if I’m being honest. That there’s an endgame to all this that I’m not privy to. That Adrian might get the last laugh when this is all done.

“Because the last thing I want you to have to worry about is planning a funeral. And I’d keep that grief from you as long as I could.”

All the air leaves my lungs at his admission because it’s so selfless that I’m bound speechless at these words. The way he protects me without asking for what he originally did.

He may want me as his wife, then his mistress, then his wife again, but he’s never once forced himself on me. He’s taken liberties to make sure I’m safe from harm and has gone above and beyond to make sure it’s fulfilled.

Pushing my cheek out with my tongue, I hold Adrian’s gaze. “Dinner, you said?”

“Unless you had other things in mind?”

My skin flushes red, but I push through my shyness because I might run my mouth, but being in Adrian’s hold is something else altogether. “Dinner sounds nice.”

“You haven’t eaten all day.”

I’d ask him how he knows that, but I already have a feeling that I know. “I have to get the business sorted since…Celine is gone.”

“Do you need help?”

I shake my head. “No, but I would like a word with Celine.”

Adrian doesn’t hide his look of disapproval but nods. “Phone call.”

“Adrian—”

“Only offer,piccola diavola. She doesn’t get near you again.”

I exhale my frustration about the matter because I’m too tired to get into a fight. Hopefully, I can change his mind when all this mess with The Disciples has worn off. “All right.”

Adrian gestures toward his car and I amble forward. He opens the back seat door for me and I climb inside. When I’m sitting on the other side of the back seat, he drags me toward themiddle so that I’m flush against him as he gets his cell phone out and starts rapidly firing out something.

The man speaks about how busy I am all the time. He should rip a page out of his book and study it a few times.

Soon he pockets it and his large palm falls on my upper thigh where his thumb strums along the material of my leggings.

He doesn’t say a word, and it’s the most comfortable I’ve been in a long time.

With my childhood bully, who’s about to transform into my husband.

26

ADRIAN

My brotherapparently wants to die.

Especially since he planned some makeshift, bullshit bachelorette party for Elena that I wasn’t made aware of nor would I have given the okay to.

It’s not that she should be denied the celebration. Hell, it only means she’s learned to go through with it. But without my knowledge and knowing how much security is present with her, has sent me personally to the club that my dumbass brother sent her up to.

It’s packed for a Saturday and I’d love to know how Zane got her to leave the bakery at all. She’s been nonstop at it for weeks and I’ve barely seen her. But since I took Celine out of her grasp, I knew it’d leave more work for her to figure out.

And while I do feel somewhat guilty, I don’t for keeping women like Celine out of her life who are weak-minded and self-serving. The only reason why she didn’t die was because of her sob story and limited means.

Tack on that she’s Elena’s good friend and I don’t think my future wife would appreciate learning that her so-called best friend is suddenly found in a ditch somewhere.

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