After the dance with my brother, I wanted nothing more than to find a quiet corner to get a grip, but Leonard ’s father limped toward me.I gave him a smile as my brother slinked away after a curt nod. Mr. Moretti held out his hand. “Will you give this old man the honor of dancing with the bride?”“Of course, Mr. Moretti,” I said with a small curtsy.“Mansueto, please. We’re family now.”I nodded and took his hand, wondering how this was going to work with his cane. He smiled wistfully. “We’ll have to dance in one spot if you’re all right with that, young lady.”Again, I nodded and stepped a bit closer. He handed his cane to a man I didn’t know and lightly touched my back. Then we began to sway to the music.“You’re very quiet. From what I hear, you’re not a quiet girl.”My cheeks heated, wondering who had given him that piece of information. Christian? Definitely not my mother.Mansueto’s eyes were kind, but like his son, his reputation was chilling. “My son’s reputation makes me pr

Her voice tore through my rising arousal. “Of course.”The gruffness in my voice made Matilda risk a glance up at my face. Then she hurried into the bathroom. Terrifying my young wife before I had to claim her was a fucking stupid thing to do.Loosening my tie, I walked over to the bench and sank down. My wedding ring, similar to my last one, seemed to mock me. I set my tie down beside me, listening to the sound of running water. Matilda would need patience and care. I had never had much of either to begin with. Since the mess with Nine , even less than before. I propped my arms up on my thighs, trying to reach a state of mind that would allow me to treat my young wife right. I didn’t want her to resent me.The door opened, drawing my attention to it and Matilda . She wore a dark blue silk nightgown that reached her knees and hugged her slender frame. Her hair fell down her shoulders in soft brown curls, freed of the too-cute sunflowers. Matilda didn’t move from her spot in the

“Do you take the pill?” I asked. It wasn’t the most romantic thing to say in a situation like this, but before today, I couldn’t bring myself to ask my teenage wife that question.A quick nod.I climbed on top of her and guided my cock to her opening, but she shrank back. I wanted to roar in frustration. “Matilda ,” I said imploringly.“Can you hold me?”My heart skipped a fucking beat. I nodded and lowered myself to my elbows then wedged one arm under my wife’s shoulder blades and hugged her to my chest. “Like this?” I murmured.Her face was inches from mine, and she looked up at me, seeking my help, my protection, my closeness. I kissed the corner of her mouth then her lower and upper lip as I shifted my hips so my tip nudged her entrance. She held her breath. I stroked her bangs from her sweaty forehead.“Breathe out.”She did, and I pushed into her about an inch.Her face flashed with discomfort, and she gripped my bicep.“If it’s too much, you tell me, and we’ll figure something

I wasn’t a fan of physical contact at night and had often not even shared the bed with my deceased wife. Not that she would have ever dreamed of wanting to have me close at night. She never bothered to hide her reluctance to have me near her, least of all when we slept together—unless there was something that she wanted from me.Matilda had asked for my closeness and I’d denied her.The early morning light illuminated her puffy face. Her lashes stuck to her skin with dried tears. She was close, had moved closer in sleep until we were almost touching. I felt the unreasonable desire to touch her—and not in a sexual way. Propped up on my elbow, I watched her peaceful sleep. As with many nights before, Nine ’s blood-covered body had haunted my dreams. I hardly ever dreamed about the people I’d killed, and yet my dead wife still filled my nights.Matilda stirred, lips parting in a soft sigh. I pushed myself up and swung my legs out of bed, turning my back to her.The bed shifted. I thr

We broke away from the moment feeling embrassed the moment we realized we had been caught. "Sorry to interrupt the moment, but I need to speak with the both of you." Scorpion said with a smirk on his face.He stepped further into the room, grabbing a chair and making himself comfortable. He pulled out his phone. "I need you to listen to this." He said directing his statement to Vincent .We both paid close attention and soon realize the audio note playing was Orion's voice. "I need to sign the deal with the mob family if we want to elevate this position that we are in. I have sat down long enough and watched Vincent be incompetent and now that he is out of the picture, there is no stopping me." He boasted.I looked at Vincent who was listening, a look of shock on his face. "He is trying to ruin my company!" He stated."Exactly Vincent . Listen I need you to understand that Orion is becoming a menace. I know he has grown powerful, but we need to stop him. We need to put him in his p