Blood Always

14

“What does it matter to you? I thought this was business?” she spat, eyes blazing. “The arrangement is business, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to f**k you. I know you want to f**k me, too, regardless of how much you fight against it.” “You seem to know everything, don’t you?” she spat condescendingly. “I know you.” Her posture relaxed, and a vicious smile lit her face. “That’s the one thing you’ll never know. Whether we have s*x or not, you’ll never truly know me.” Her certainty took me aback. I scoured her features and could discern nothing but absolute confidence. She had no intention of letting me in. Ever. Why did that bother me so much? Like she’d said, this was supposed to be business. I hadn’t gotten where I was in life without a relentless ambition to win. If she was going to pit us against one another, my competitive nature had no choice but to prove her wrong. Maybe if she hadn’t been so goddamn sexy, I could have walked away from the challenge. But as it stood, I was ready to go down with the ship if necessary. I would fight until the end—rip open her layers, until all her pretty secrets were scattered at my feet. Gripping her arms, I spun Maria around and pulled her back to my chest. Her muscles tensed, but she didn’t pull away. I lowered my mouth and nipped at her neck, coaxing a shaky breath from her. “Challenge accepted.” OceanofPDF.com Chapter 5 Maria s**t. s**t. s**t. What have I done? “This isn’t a game, De Luca.” I tried to turn and face him, but he held me firmly in place. “Everything is a game, and I’m very good at winning.” His hands finally eased their grip, allowing me to pull away. Without a glance in his direction, I went for the scotch, pouring myself a splash. I didn’t want to end up drunk, but between this conversation and my earlier breakdown, I needed another drink. “I hope you like solitaire because you’ll be playing your games alone. I wasn’t issuing a challenge; I was stating fact. You can’t know what I don’t tell you, and I don’t share my secrets. Not with you. Not with anyone. I’ve been that way my whole life, and I’m not changing anytime soon. The faster you realize that and focus on something else, the happier we’ll both be.” He was quiet for a minute. I didn’t want to look his way, but eventually caved to the pressure. I needed to know that he’d truly heard me. What I saw raised an army of goosebumps from my shoulders to my wrists. Matteo looked like the cat who’d swallowed the canary. “August tenth. How does that sound?” What? Does he have ADHD? Or is he just ignoring me? “What are you talking about?” “Our wedding date. Will August tenth give you enough time to plan?” He joined me by the buffet piece where the scotch rested and poured himself another glass. Apparently, our discussion was over. Fine. It was pointless anyway. “We could just elope for all I care.” “Don’t all women dream of planning their weddings?” “Not me. I hate weddings.” My words were rife with disdain. Matteo’s green eyes studied my puzzle pieces, attempting to see the picture. “Did someone leave you at the altar or something?” I laughed. I couldn’t help it. The concept was totally preposterous. “No, De Luca. This is my first time to be engaged, so no runaway grooms for me.” His lips twitched. “Well, eloping doesn’t work. We need everyone to see us get married. August tenth gives you just over a month to plan. Will that be enough?” Enough for what? To organize the event? Sure. To come to terms with the end of my freedom? Maybe. To prepare myself for a host of guests clinking glasses in celebration of my marriage. Never. “My mother can plan it. She lives for that s**t. I would think she can throw it together in a month. How hard can it be?” “Then it’s settled. August tenth, you become Mrs. Matteo De Luca.” I grimaced. My stomach churned, and I wondered if the second glass of scotch had been a bad idea. “I won’t wear a white gown—is that a problem?” “Depends. I’d rather not have a goth bride. Did you have an alternative color in mind?” “Maybe gold, I don’t know. I’d never really thought about it, except that I don’t want a white wedding.” “As long as it’s respectable, do whatever you want. Now, we’ve been missing for too long. It’s time to get back to our guests.” He lifted his elbow as an offered escort, and after only a second of hesitation, I placed my arm in his, sealing my fate. *** “Have you lost your damn mind?” my mother yelled over the phone. “You want me to plan the wedding of the decade—a ceremony uniting the Gallos and the Luccianos—in a month?” “Mom, your blood pressure. Calm—” “Don’t you dare tell me to calm down Maria Antonia Ilaria Genovese. You signed me up for an impossible task without even asking me. How the hell did you expect me to react?” Her Jersey accent had gone from alarmed to supersonic in five seconds flat. “I knew if anyone could do it, you could. You’re amazing at these things.” Yup, I’d resorted to flattery.

She hmphed but calmed her tirade. “The church shouldn’t be an issue,” she offered begrudgingly. “But every halfway decent reception location will be booked.” “Let’s just do it as his estate. The grounds were lovely, as much as I hate to admit it, and we know it’s available.” “Ehhh,” she moaned. “You know I hate outdoor events—leaves too much to chance. August will be hot, and what if there’s a rain shower?” “They make outdoor air conditioners, and you can rent party tents. You got this, Mom.” “Sofia and Nico at least gave me until October for their wedding, which still wasn’t much time. What happened to year-long engagements?” After our announcement at the barbeque, I learned that my youngest sister, Sofia, was engaged to her boyfriend, Nico. I’d slipped away from the party at the first chance I could get, but while I was there, I watched them together. They never separated, like the electron and proton of an atom orbiting its nucleus, always moving, but never far from one another. It was cute in a nauseating sort of way. “My generation binge watches entire seasons on Netflix and does all their shopping on sss Prime. They want what they want now, anything beyond that is too long to wait. Delayed gratification is a thing of the past.” “Well, it’s absurd. Haven’t they ever heard of anticipation? That’s half the fun!”