Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“You paid those men all the money Marianne took?”
“Yes, I canceled that debt and then some.”
“So now I owe you.”
I shook my head. I owed her more than she would ever know. “I am not asking you to marry me because you owe me.” I cupped her face. “I cannot stand the thought of you out there alone. Without me. I want to protect you. Care for you. I want you to care for me. Calm me with your body and your lovely voice. Laugh with me and remind me not to be so serious all the time.”
She whispered the one word I couldn’t give her. “Love.”
“I can’t promise you that. This is what I am capable of. Caring for you. Protecting you. I vow to build a life with you. Be faithful to you. I will take my vows seriously.” I captured her lips, kissing her. “And that, Effie. That spark between us. It is what connects us.”
She was silent.
“Marry me.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Yes. You can stay here in the hotel. Live here. Be escorted by my men when you leave. But I will not see you again. I will carry on with my life and you will have yours, but it will be limited. As my wife, you will have everything.”
“Except love.”
“Men like me don’t love.”
She shook her head slowly. “You really believe that.”
“I know it. I offer you my name, my fidelity, my protection, and my bank account. It is all I have.”
Effie frowned, tears in her eyes. But she didn’t cry. She extracted her hands and walked away, stopping to face me.
“I disagree. I think you have so much more to offer. And what you can’t see is worth more than your bank account and everything else put together.”
The bathroom door clicked shut behind her.
EFFIE
I stared in the mirror, studying my reflection.
How could I look the same when my whole world, the life I knew, was changing? From the moment Roman Costas stepped into my diner, nothing had been the same. Everything I knew was gone. Any semblance of the life I’d had disappeared.
Now my choice was to marry the man.
So that I could stay alive.
I hung my head, cursing Marianne. Where she was, what she was doing, I had no idea. No doubt she forgot about me the moment those thugs dropped me in the trunk. She went on her merry way, once again shirking responsibilities and not caring who she was leaving behind or what she had done. She’d been like that her whole life, but not even I suspected her capable of doing what she had done to me.
Marrying Roman Costas. I had vaguely recognized his name when he introduced himself. I knew he was important. Powerful. His presence indicated he was scary.
How I had ended up here, I still didn’t understand. But I would forever be grateful to him for saving me.
Grateful enough to accept his marriage proposal? Or, really, his demand.
I wasn’t sure Roman was used to asking for anything. He was too much of a control freak. He took. He ordered. He commanded, and he got what he wanted.
I lifted my head and met my own gaze. He said he wanted me.
I thought of his declarations that he didn’t love. I disagreed. I didn’t have much experience with men, but the way he looked at me sometimes said more than simply caring. I pulled at the neckline on my shirt, exposing the tiny marks he’d left behind. Love bites, sucking kisses to my skin. Those weren’t from a man only interested in protecting me.
Were they?
He loved his nonna. That was undeniable. He spoke of his brother with affection. His new sister-in-law. Even Aldo and Vi. Surely a man who felt fondness for that many people was capable of romantic love?
He certainly enjoyed the physical aspects of our relationship. He admitted to needing me in a way he’d never needed another person. He said I calmed him.
That had to mean something?
My own feelings for him were complex and unsettling. I had never wanted another man. Never needed to feel anyone’s touch the way I craved his. Despite the fact that he was a dangerous man, he made me feel safe and protected. I knew, without a doubt, he would never hurt me. He went out of his way to make me comfortable. I loved how he teased me when we were alone. When he could just be Roman. Part of me wondered if he felt that way with anyone else. He wasn’t the powerful mob man with me. The business tycoon. The lethal enemy. The brother who had to be strong. The grandson who had to be vigilant. The friend who couldn’t give all of himself to the relationship because he couldn’t show any weakness. With me, he was simply Roman.