Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 15867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 79(@200wpm)___ 63(@250wpm)___ 53(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 79(@200wpm)___ 63(@250wpm)___ 53(@300wpm)
My father wants me to settle down and get married, so one day my child can carry on the family name. Pops has been obsessed with the idea lately, and it was killing me that I couldn’t give him what he wanted. There is just no time for me to date, make some poor, unsuspecting girl fall in love with me, and marry her.
And that's how Maria fixes all my problems. Sure, I'm out a significant amount of money, but money is meaningless compared to family.
Plus, we made our fortune two generations ago when our spirit supply company was just a front for something more nefarious. We’ve been out of the crime game for a long time, but the reputation remains.
I don’t hate it. Having people terrified of my family name is useful for business. Hence, Franco being so scared of me that he offered up his daughter.
I'll marry Maria, Pops will get to attend my wedding, and he’ll be happy. As long as Maria plays along, things will be just fine. I'm not an animal. I know there won't be anything real between us, but I never wanted to get hitched anyway.
Well … until I got a good look at Maria, but surely that feeling has to pass.
As soon as our eyes met, I was drawn to her so powerfully that it almost overcame my better judgment. I wanted to give her the world in that moment, kiss her senseless, and make her mine. She's nothing to me but a beautiful stranger, but I feel like I've known her for years, like she was always meant to be my wife.
Not my wife in name only, but my real wife. It's a stupid notion, and I set it aside before I could dwell on the thought of the connection any longer. Luckily, Maria speaks, breaking up my thoughts.
"You can't really expect me to go home with you and just be fine with it. Even if I went along with this stupid plan, all of my things are still at my apartment." She huffs.
I shrug. "Your father can bring your things. My main concern is getting you home without causing a scene."
Her eyebrows lift, and she crosses her arms over her chest. "So, you're telling me that you're kidnapping me? You don't think that's illegal?"
"It's not kidnapping," I correct her. "You're going to come willingly, aren't you?"
She barks a laugh. "No!"
"Even if it saves your father's businesses?"
"No. He dug his own grave with that one."
"Hm." She isn't wrong, but that's something between her and her father. She's mine now, and there's no escaping it. Maybe I can make her new predicament seem a little less horrific, though. "What if I tell you that it's temporary? You only have to be my wife for a short time, and when it's over, you're free to go."
She looks at me suspiciously. "How long is 'temporary’?"
I think for a moment. Telling her the truth means I have to reckon with my father's mortality, and I'm just not up for that tonight. "Two years max."
Maria blinks. "Two years?"
"Two years," I confirm. "And your father's debt is erased. Plus, you won't have to worry about any sort of bills, rent, or anything else."
Maria seems to consider it for a moment, and then she says simply, "No."
My hands tighten on the steering wheel. "All right, let me phrase this another way. You're marrying me. There's no getting out of it. We can be cordial to each other, or you can approach the altar kicking and screaming, but the outcome is going to be the same. I can make this good for you, Maria, or I can treat you like a prisoner. Your choice."
She blinks at me, and I can see the fury building behind those pretty blue eyes of hers. I don't blame her for being pissed off, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let her ruin my plans. This marriage is going to happen whether she likes it or not, and if I have to be the bad guy to get her down that aisle, then so be it.
"Fine," she snaps, "but also, fuck you. Why do you even need a wife, anyway? What's in it for you?"
I chuckle. "Only my friends get to know my secrets. Are you ready to be friends, Maria?"
"No."
"Then it's none of your damn business. Hey, if you're cold, the seats have heaters."
"Fuck you."
This time, I actually laugh. "Yeah, I know. Fuck me is right."
Maria continues to not make things easy for me when we get back to my family estate by the lake, but I can tell she's calmed down some. Still, I make sure the security system will alert me if she tries to sneak out a window in the middle of the night. Maria De Luca isn't a petulant teenager, though. I think now that she isn't at the spitting mad stage, she can see the sense of my offer.