Silent Vows

7

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Noemi. Can I get you some wine?” Conner asked coolly, as though this were his house, and I was the guest. I imagined he was at home anywhere he deigned to be because he deemed it so. His presence was so commanding that I wasn’t sure the winds of a hurricane would dare stir a hair on his head for fear of his wrath. I nodded. My gaze snagged on the black ink staining the back of his left hand. I hadn’t noticed it at the coffee shop. A rose. It extended up beneath the cuff of his expensive suit, and I couldn’t help but wonder how much of the body beneath was similarly marked. I sipped from my wine, suddenly parched. Conner and my father launched into an easy conversation, leaving me to my thoughts. The difficulty of including me in a conversation made it understandable, especially considering men like these rarely included women in their affairs anyway. I wondered, if this man knew I didn’t speak, why had he chosen me? Or was that the whole point? He liked the idea of a silent wife. Was I about to fall into the hands of a man even more oppressive than my father? What would happen if he found out after our marriage that I could speak? Would I have to stay silent forever to keep myself safe? My heart leaped into an Olympic sprint, making my head spin. Conner was speaking to my father, but I could only hear the hypnotic undertones of his deep voice because my ears were ringing so loudly. Then a firm hand slowly clamped down over my bouncing knee, forcing my body to stillness. My father couldn’t see what was happening beneath the table, and Conner continued to speak as though the rough skin of his palm wasn’t holding me captive, but every fiber of my being was focused on the place where our bodies touched. Slowly, ever so slowly, his thumb traced back and forth over my knee. Was he … comforting me? Not exactly. From him, the gesture felt more like he was commanding me to calm—a somewhat authoritarian gesture—but it worked, nonetheless. My pulse eased back to a normal rate, erasing the threat of cardiac arrest. Finally, I took in a long, steady breath, filling my lungs with much-needed oxygen. Then just as casually as it had appeared, his hand was gone—as though this type of communication was normal between us. As though I hadn’t just www.ajpdf.com met the man ten minutes before. I got the sense that time and space meant nothing to Conner Reid. He made the rules in his world, and the rest of us were meant to adjust accordingly. Conner was just as imposing as my father, maybe even more so. What did that mean for me? A life of terror and pain? I wasn’t so certain of that. For some inexplicable reason, his brand of domination didn’t strike fear in me the same way my father did. Was I simply the hopeless romantic he’d accused me of being and letting his beauty blind me to the truth? The uncertainty of my situation terrified me, but as for Conner, I wasn’t so sure how I felt. He affected me profoundly—that I couldn’t deny. So much so that it was hard to pinpoint exactly how I felt about him. But he was my new fiancé, so I was bound to find out soon enough. www.ajpdf.com SHE WAS DIFFERENT AROUND HER FATHER THAN SHE’D BEEN AT THE COFFEE shop. Or was she just acting different now that she knew who I was? It was impossible to say, but the change in her was obvious. A week ago, she’d been bolder, even in her silence. I’d half expected a shell of a girl, fragile and grieving, when I first met her. Noemi wasn’t remotely broken. I wasn’t even sure how she’d been deemed traumatized, to begin with. It had only taken one brief interaction for me to know the loss she’d suffered wouldn’t be a problem. More than that, I’d felt an instant draw to know more about her. My www.ajpdf.com curiosity was so great that it unnerved me. After our brief exchange, a craving for more gnawed at my insides. It was so unsettling that I’d lost my temper with that asshole bodyguard of hers. I never should have hit the guy, but I was so on edge that I lashed out. Served him right for getting in my face. I’d been a little worried afterward that my actions might cause her father to withdraw his consent, but that wasn’t the case. I’d called Jimmy the minute I was back in my car and told him to move forward with the arrangements. By the end of the day, he’d confirmed that the deal was done. From that moment on, I wondered what her reaction would be when she learned my identity. I knew she’d be surprised, but I hadn’t expected her to be so shaken. Was it the shock of seeing me again that got to her or her father’s presence that caused the tension? Considering the f*****g Italians and their tendency to be overprotective with their daughters, daddy issues shouldn’t have come as a shock. Hell, maybe that was the reason she’d agreed to the marriage. A chance to get out from under his thumb. I liked the idea of her silence, but seeing her stiff and unsettled grated on me. I found myself hoping she’d return to her feistier self once we were alone again. I shouldn’t have. The whole point in choosing her had been to minimize the disruption to my life. That and her beauty. I’d have been lying if I said her stunning looks hadn’t played a role in my choice. When she walked into the dining room in that dress hugging her sleek curves, something deep inside me stirred awake. Something primal and raw. Her eyes were mossy green, and they sparked even more radiantly next to the green fabric of her dress. Her brown hair was straight and thick, falling just past her shoulders, and her sultry lips were a f*****g wet dream. On second thought, if I had a daughter like that under my roof, I might keep her under lock and key, too. My hand had rested on her knee for no more than twenty seconds, yet I could still feel the silky texture of her skin against my fingers all through dinner. Twice, I’d had to grip my napkin to keep my fingers from wandering back to her for more. Feeling her still beneath my touch would have been a hell of a lot more enjoyable than the mindless chatter I had to endure with her father. The asshole never once engaged her in the conversation, though he didn’t seem to have the same reservations about involving his son. Like I gave f**k all about www.ajpdf.com the kid’s senior year of high school. The man was a total fuckwit if he thought I was there for him. But this wasn’t my first rodeo. Seated at his table, I was bound to follow his lead. If he didn’t address her, neither would I. At least, that had been my plan.