Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 35256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
She couldn’t do this. Refused to do this.
“Candice, you have no choice.”
She laughed. “I have no choice. It’s simple. I’ve got plenty of choices. You want to marry me and I say no.” She shrugged. “I don’t see how difficult this choice can be. We’ll come to some kind of arrangement, and you can see your child. We’ll do some visiting rights thing.”
Antwone sighed. “I lied to you.”
“What?”
“Candice, I cannot allow you to leave. You carry my child and I have a lot of enemies. If they ever found out about you or our child, then … I don’t even want to think about what they would do.”
She looked at him and knew he wasn’t lying. “What did you lie about?” she asked.
“I’m not just a businessman. I’m Antwone Bianchi, the boss of the largest mafia crime family in the country.”
Chapter Nine
Antwone knew she had a right to panic. It was why he didn’t reach out for her when she got to her feet and began to pace.
“What?” She stopped and then walked a few feet. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not lying.” Antwone got to his feet.
He reached for her, wanting to pull her into his arms, but she moved away from him, rejecting him. He should have known she would struggle with the truth.
“Why did you come to the bar?” she asked.
“I wanted some alone time to think. There are certain demands that have been requested of me.”
“Demands?”
“I’m to find a woman and have an heir.”
“Oh,” Candice said, putting a hand to her stomach. “And you can just marry any woman you find on the street?”
“They’re not going to like my choice, but I don’t give a fuck. You’re mine, Candice, and there is no way I’m letting you go. You wouldn’t want to live life as a mistress. We both know this.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you have any idea how insane this sounds? I will not be your mistress. I won’t be your anything.”
Antwone went to her, and this time he didn’t allow her to push him away. She could freak out on her own time, but not on his. He took hold of her hands, pulling her against him. Her stomach was so swollen but he just wanted to hold her. She felt so good in his arms. This is what he’d been missing so much.
She was everything he wanted. He couldn’t help but breathe her in, wanting all of her.
“Damn it, Antwone, this can’t happen. You left. You broke my heart and I’m not going to allow you to hurt me again, or my baby.”
“I will never hurt you. I promise, Candice, I will never, ever hurt you, and the only way I can do that is by keeping you close.” He knew the capos would be pissed, but he and Draven would deal with all of them.
Candice was his woman.
He wasn’t going to let her go.
She belonged to him.
She would be his wife and he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
****
Two Months Later
Candice stared down at the ring on her finger. The wedding had been a small event. Draven and his wife had been witnesses, along with a couple of Antwone’s soldiers. There had been a small party to announce their wedding, and she knew there was a lot of anger toward her.
No one at the party had talked to her. She was constantly referred to as the “outsider.” They didn’t want her there. Maria was the only woman to accept her.
There was something strange about Draven and Antwone that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. After Antwone had told her who he was and the organization he controlled, she had thought he was lying. The past two months had been an eye-opening experience.
Antwone was exactly who he claimed to be. Even at the party, there had been a moment where several of the men had insulted her, and Antwone had challenged them. The whole party had gone quiet as he told the two capos to attack him, to challenge him for the role as Boss. None of the men had followed through. They had apologized and Antwone had warned them all that if any thought to question his choice of a bride, that was fine but they would soon lose their positions. There were plenty of men who would gladly take up the role of capo.
It was strange, she was oddly touched by his declaration, but that hadn’t changed how they were behind closed doors. Candice couldn’t bring herself to forgive him.
Each time she looked at him, she’d have a moment of happiness, but then she’d recall the feelings that filled her when she woke up the next day.
Antwone hadn’t listened to her voice message until after he saw her at the diner.
Her life had changed so much in two months. Her apartment was gone. Antwone had taken care of it, and brought her possessions to his home. He wanted this to be hers as well, but she couldn’t bring herself to do that. This home wasn’t hers, and it certainly didn’t feel like theirs.