Ryder's Claim (Mafia Heirs 2)

"I do," he nods with a smile. "Gustavo met your brother then."

I don't remember Gustavo that well, but I nod nevertheless. "And Nicoletta?"

"Oh, she was just a girl back then." Father nods to himself. "Much too young to meet him. Why do you ask?"

"I remember her," I say. "I remember it all. There were two little girls."

"Two girls?"

"Yes, Nicoletta and another blonde girl," I say, not wanting to reveal too much and get anybody in trouble.

"She was probably a companion for the Carlucci girl," Father shrugs. "You know how overprotective Nicoletta's father is... I'm assuming he allowed another girl to accompany her. It's appropriate for a young girl to have a companion."

"Of course," I nod thoughtfully, though this situation still doesn't sit quite right with me.

"Why the sudden interest in Nicoletta? Are you worried about your brother?"

"I'm more worried about Marzia," I mutter. "She seems to have made quite an impression on Adrian."

"Don't remind me," Father groans. "That girl will be the death of me. Anyway, I should head to bed. If you want, you can go through my cabinets to find more about the Carluccis before next week. There should be some information on them somewhere."

"Grazie," I nod gratefully. "That would be great."

I say goodnight to Father and head back to my bedroom without bringing up my concerns regarding Nicoletta and Gustavo Carlucci. But the strange feeling that something seems odd doesn't let off, and I toss and turn the entire night, wondering how all these puzzle pieces fit together.

I'll find out before the wedding, I have to.

I tell myself it's to protect Adrian, and not because I want a reason to claim Nicoletta for myself.

I almost believe my own lies.

7

Nicoletta

Being in the Bernardi mansion is making things harder instead of easier.

At first, I was excited about the prospect of leaving the villa. I've grown afraid of my papa and his ever-changing temper, and I wanted to get out of there to escape his abuse. But here, in the mansion, I'm exposed to another danger. A dangerous man, actually – one that isn't my husband-to-be, but his brother, Ryder.

Every day, I'm thrown into preparations for my wedding. I try on dresses, get my measurements taken, I decide on flowers, on colors, on fabrics. It's all mind-numbingly boring, making me wish for a companion, a friend who would share this with me. There is someone – but I don't quite understand Marzia Da Costa's position in the Bernardi mansion. When I ask people, they just avoid answering the question.

It's become a daily habit for me to visit the maze in the gardens. Usually, my maid will wait outside until I return. At first, she panicked when I didn't come out for hours, but she knows I'm alone in there, so there's no reason she'd get in trouble. I think she feels sorry for me. Most of the maids do. In the end, I may have the money, but they have their freedom. And I'll forever be a captive to one famiglia or another.

As I walk through the maze that day, my fingers wander over the hedges, carefully avoiding the thorns. My scrape is healed over by now, and it's been days since I've seen Ryder.

I try not to miss him, I do. I know the connection between us is forbidden and wrong, but I can't help the way I feel.

On top of that, I'm dealing with emotions I've kept inside for years. When I'm around Ryder, I'm consumed... and it isn't just the romantic side of it. There's the lust, too – the redness in my cheeks when I remember what he did to me, the way my thighs start to stick together if I think about him for too long. He makes me drip... and I'm so fucking ashamed of it.

I pluck a daisy off the ground and absentmindedly tuck it into my long blonde braid. I keep doing this as I make my way to the center of the maze, my thoughts full of my fiancé's brother.

Why couldn't Papa have picked Ryder for me instead? I'll never feel the same way for Adrian. It should have been Ryder from the start...

I'm so engulfed by my thoughts I forget to look where I'm going. As I'm leaning down to pick another daisy, I bump hard into another figure. I don't fall. A pair of strong, muscular arms prevents me from tumbling to the ground, and deep, dark brown eyes look intimately into mine.

"What are you doing here, principessa?" Ryder asks. "You're not supposed to be without supervision."

Butterflies flutter in my stomach just like they always do when I run into him on the property. "The maid is waiting outside the maze. I just wanted some peace and quiet."

"I see." Ryder smirks. "So, you thought you'd steal my special place from me."