"In just a few minutes." Gustavo smiles tersely. "But first, I'd like to discuss something with you. Please, sit down."
I take a seat and wait for him to go on.
The man takes his time, readjusting his cravat and clearing his throat a few times.
I finally start losing my patience. "What did you want to speak about?"
"My daughter…" Gustavo clears his throat again. "You must understand, she's very vulnerable. She's been sheltered for a reason. As you will soon find out, Nicoletta is incredibly beautiful. I feared if I exposed her to the male sex too early on, she'd lose her innocence before marriage. But now, she's untouched. And it needs to stay that way, no matter what."
"I understand." I nod, feeling solemn. "You have nothing to worry about."
"Of course not." The man grins jovially, but his expression darkens the next moment. "But you do. If I found out you touched her, kissed her, before the wedding, there will be hell to pay."
"Are you threatening me?" My voice vibrates with warning.
He pays it no mind. "I'm just saying that—"
"Papa!"
All three of us raise our eyes to the entrance to the dining hall where a stunning blonde girl has appeared.
She has youth and innocence written all over her face, but her smirk is, for lack of a better word, almost naughty. She looks like trouble in her pale blue dress that clings to her body in a way that's more than a little obscene.
"She's in charge of her own wardrobe," Carlucci mutters in my ear, chuckling nervously. "A little luxury for my dear daughter."
Ignoring him, I pick myself up along with my brother and we both nod at her to acknowledge her presence. I examine Nicoletta as her eyes fixate on my brother. She is stunning and so very wrong for me.
"It's so lovely to meet you, Adrian," she purrs, bowing slightly in front of Ryder. "You look like you walked right out of my dreams."
"Nicoletta," her father says. "Wrong brother." He gestures toward me.
She flushes, rushing to stand before me. "Do accept my apologies, Adrian—I got a little—confused." A pretty pink colors her cheeks and she laughs daintily.
I smile in return as I say, "It's no problem. Don't worry, Nicoletta. You're every bit as stunning as you were described."
"Thank you." She bows an insolent glow in her eyes as she takes the seat next to her father.
I see my brother staring at her, obviously entranced by her beauty. Why can't I feel the same? Why can't I just go along with Father's plans to end up with Nicoletta? It would make everything so much fucking easier.
Dinner is a ridiculously formal affair with nine courses. By the end of the meal, I'm sick and tired of Gustavo's incessant chatter and eager to return to my bedroom, but he tells me I'll have ten minutes alone with Nicoletta afterward, so I must wait.
I know exactly what those ten minutes are for. I'm supposed to propose to a woman that means nothing to me. I don't know if I can go through with it, but I also know if I don't, there will be hell to pay both from Gustavo and my father. So, I swallow my pride and say goodbye to a sullen-looking Ryder and elated Carlucci who leave me alone with the stunning mafia princess.
The moment they're gone, she turns toward me with an expectant expression.
I'm dreading this, but I don't have a fucking choice. "I know this has been sudden," I tell her. "I know you're probably scared and—"
"I'm not scared," she quickly interrupts. "I'm excited. So excited. I've been waiting my whole life to meet my husband. And from the moment I walked in here, I knew it was you."
"You mean apart from the beginning when you thought I was my brother." I smirk at her, making her blush. Before she can speak up, I continue, "Don't worry, I'm just teasing you. You look pretty blushing like that."
She blushes harder. "Thank you..."
"But it's very, very soon," I tell her next. "We've known each other for an hour. And I just don't know if it's fair to either one of us to propose right now."
Her face falls. She looks offended. "Don't you like me? Am I not pretty enough? Is there somebody else?"
I need to do damage control, right the fuck now. "Nicoletta..." I want to reach for her hand, but then I remember her father's words and change my mind. "I don't want to hurt you. I want to do right by you and be the man you deserve. Look, let me show you something." I pull out the golden chain with the wedding band that Marzia gave me. Nicoletta reaches for it, but I subtly move my hand back. Still, the motion doesn't escape her.
She pouts.
"This is from a couple that loved each other dearly," I speak up. "So dearly that the love is still remembered and celebrated today. You see, this is what I want from marriage. A lifelong commitment and a promise to stay together no matter what happens."