Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
“I’m fine! Would you get off me?” I try to yank myself free, but his grip is like a mountain.
“You just fucking screamed. What’s happening?” He raises his gun and scans my room.
“You scared the living crap out of me, that’s what’s happening. What the hell were you doing sitting across from my door like that?”
He looks at me then, lips pulled into a confused frown. He grunts in frustration and shoves the gun into the waistband of his sweats, only slightly relaxing his hold on me.
“I was guarding you.”
I lean back to get a better look at his face. “You were doing what?”
“Guarding you,” he says, almost snarling the words. “You think I was going to leave my wife alone? After what happened yesterday?”
“First of all, I’m not your wife.”
“Give it a few hours.”
“And second, did you seriously sleep on the floor like that?”
His jaw works. “I shouldn’t have fallen asleep.”
I take him in again. There are bags under his eyes and stubble on his chin. His hair’s messy, and his clothes are rumpled. He’s clearly not joking.
The psycho really did sit out in the hallway all night long.
“You’re a crazy person,” I murmur, finally extracting myself from him. “We’re in your house. Did you seriously need to sit outside my door like a dog?”
He turns away. “Yes. I seriously did. It would’ve been easier for us both if you had just slept in my bed.” He glances back. “Or let me sleep in yours.”
I don’t even know what to say to that. The thought of his big, beautiful body sleeping beside mine sends a strange shiver down my spine, half excited, half terrified. “The problem is, I’m not sure what you’d do to me if I got anywhere near your bed.”
His lips part ever so slightly. Is that a smug little grin? “We both know the answer to that one, princess.” He walks out of the guest room then.
“Wait!” I storm after him. “Hold on a second. This whole marriage thing. Are you serious about going to the courthouse today?”
He checks his watch. “The appointment’s in two hours.”
“Aren’t there supposed to be wait times? How’d you get a judge this fast?”
“Money.”
Right. It’s always money. “I don’t have clothes. I don’t have a dress.”
“You don’t need anything.”
“Luca, I’m not going anywhere in this—” I gesture down at myself. “I look like a child wearing her dad’s gym clothes.”
He turns, and his eyes roam down my body. I’m very aware of my bare legs. “You look like my wife wearing my clothes, actually.”
“Cool, that’s what we’ll tell the judge. He’ll think that’s completely normal.”
“I don’t care what he thinks.”
“Luca—”
“Call your sister.” He waves a hand dismissively. “She’ll bring you what you need.”
Right. That’s not a bad idea. “And I need breakfast,” I mutter, staring at the floor. “Unless you want your new bride to pass out from low blood sugar at the altar.”
“There won’t be an altar. We’re signing paperwork—”
“Luca!”
He’s grinning now, the smug bastard. “How’s eggs and bacon sound?”
“And coffee.” I pause and rub my sore face. “Lots and lots of coffee.”
Elisa hangs off my arm as we follow Luca and three of his men down a hall through the back of the courthouse. Raf is with them, talking quietly to the group. I wonder if they’re discussing business. Or maybe how much my hand in marriage costs. He better get a lot for me. We pass by other people heading to and from appointments, some smartly dressed and clearly lawyers, while others are in street clothes. The building is crowded for a Friday afternoon, but it’s Philadelphia. Crime likes to keep busy in this town.
“Are you nervous?” Elisa whispers softly. “I’d be nervous. I mean, I am nervous, and I’m not even the one getting married.”
“I’m fine,” I grumble, unwilling to admit that, yes, I’m straight-up terrified.
“And you’re sure you’re okay?” Elisa frowns at the bruises on my neck.
“They’re fine.” I touch my face. The swelling isn’t as bad as I expected. “Luca made me see a doctor.” The man had shown up before I went to sleep, prodded at me, and pronounced me probably not going to die.
“You look cute at least. I really came through, didn’t I?”
I glance down at myself. A white sundress, low-cut, way too short, but cute, and at least it fits me. It’s not exactly a wedding dress, but it’s pretty close. Elisa had to scrounge this up from the back of her closet since I don’t own anything remotely this cute.
Grease doesn’t exactly wash out of white.
“It’s fine.”
“Did you notice the way Luca was looking at you?” Elisa raises her eyebrows. “Seriously, the guy couldn’t take his eyes off you. It was kind of cute.”
“He’s fine.”
She bumps me lightly with her hips. “Is everything fine to you right now?”
“What else do you want me to say?”