Page 68 of Mafia Darling

She nibbled her lip and twisted her hands in her lap. “I can’t tell if you’re mad or not.”

I wasn’t certain, either. “Francesca.”

“My sisters wanted to see the dungeon. Giulio agreed to take them down. It’s not a big deal.”

The words confirmed what I thought, and I felt my chest heat in frustration. “It is a big deal, amore. A very big deal. This is not an amusement park or playground. This is a dangerous place with dangerous men. Bad things happen here. You understand, no?”

Her brows lowered. “Of course I understand. I’m not a child, Fausto. They asked and, frankly, I said no.”

“And how did that work out?”

I could see the guilt in her expression. It was a look I’d seen many times. She made a face. “They didn’t listen to me, apparently.”

I gestured with my hands. “See?”

“I guess I should’ve expected it,” she said with a tiny chuckle. “They are my sisters, after all. But they won’t ask to go down again.”

“And what happens when they ask for something else they shouldn’t?”

“What do you mean?” She tucked one long leg under her opposite knee, distracting me for a second with all her golden skin.

I focused on her face once more. “I need you to understand how this is going to work, dolcezza. You will be my wife, not the boss. You don’t order my men around and you don’t interfere in my business. Everything goes through me, whether it’s the estate, the ’ndrina, or my family.”

Her jaw fell open. “Are you kidding?”

“Not even a little bit.”

“I have no desire to interfere with your business, but you’re talking about our family. You really think I’m going to be that kind of wife, the one that shops and lunches and doesn’t ask questions? Don’t you know me at all?”

“Don’t you know me at all?” I countered. “Because if you do, then you must know I will not be managed, Francesca. I will not have my balls cut off by my wife.”

“I don’t want to cut off your balls. I happen to like them very much.”

I lifted a brow at her. “That’s good because they are staying exactly where they are, which means you answer to me. That is how this works.”

“That is not how this works, Fausto. This marriage will be a partnership. We will be equals. I respect you and you respect me. The end.”

I took a deep breath, struggling to remain cool and level-headed. “We are not equals. I make the decisions and accept the danger. If someone must die or go to jail, it will be me. This is to protect you and our children.”

“That is not protection; that is bullshit Italian misogyny. What happened to, ‘I am giving you nearly everything, Francesca,’ and ‘I can’t live without you, Francesca’?”

I ignored her terrible imitation of my accent, which sounded like an American pizza commercial. “You are not getting involved in my business. It is too dangerous. You will ignore whatever happens and allow me to handle things as I see fit. ”

“Ugh!” She grabbed a square pillow off the bed and threw it at me. I didn’t move as it bounced off me. She said, “I am not going to be a good little housewife, waiting for you at the end of every day with a cocktail and dinner on the table. If that is what you picture our marriage being like, you might as well take your ring back.”

“I wasn’t thinking that before,” I said with a sly smile, “but I am now. Will you do it naked?” I let my gaze travel the length of her. “Yes, I like that very much.”

“Stop it, you sex fiend. Do you want to marry me?”

“You know the answer to that question.”

“Then I have a request to make—and your answer will prove if you’re ready to treat me as an equal or not. Because I am telling you that this marriage will not survive if you think of me like an underling. I expect a partnership, Fausto. If you’re unwilling to give me one, then I don’t want to marry you.”

My muscles tightened. After all this time, after all I’d shared, she was still testing me? I snarled, “I don’t like ultimatums or threats.”

“I don’t want to threaten you any more than I want to be ordered around. But we have to straighten this out before we get married—if we get married. Are you ready to hear my request?” I gave her a single nod, too furious to elaborate, and she said, “I want you to promise me that Enzo won’t be killed while my sisters are here.”

I didn’t move. I didn’t even blink. It was like ice filled my veins, a calm washing over me. “You think to dictate Enzo’s future to me?”

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