Page 7 of Deadly Vows

It’s common knowledge that the Pasquinos are a powerful family. But I’ve seen levels to their reach that I never could have imagined before. My family isn’t nearly as powerful as the Pasquinos. The Trovolis specialize in money laundering and gambling, whereas the Pasquinos specialize in bigger things—like arms dealing. To top their reign off, they have several legal fronts to their businesses, including hotels and banks. Their reach expands to corners of the world we could only dream of. In their eyes, we are little flies begging for a piece of their success. And somehow, despite all that, I was chosen to be Luca’s wife.

My new home is a plane ride and a few hours from the private airport. Our night was filled with love-making that tired me out into the late hours of the morning. Luca, being the gentleman he is, let me sleep in, missing our brunch with our family and my opportunity to say goodbye to everyone. Part of me is happy he took the initiative on such a thing. Another part of me feels like it was an unspoken power move.

I belong to him now. Whether my family likes it or not.

I silently watch him as the car pulls onto a private road. His eyes are focused on his phone screen. He’s barely spoken to me since our night together, business already catching up with him. He spent most of the flight sending emails and most of the drive on the phone. And now that he is off the phone, he is busy texting. Maybe Ari was right. Maybe he won’t have time for me now that our wedding day is over.

I look away from him out the window as the architecture of our new home comes into view. My eyes widen slightly. It’s much bigger than I thought it would be. Luca seemed like the type to live in a penthouse apartment that overlooks the skyline, not a mansion that you can only reach through a private access road.

“Do you like it? I got it a few months ago with us in mind. It will be the perfect place to raise our family,” he says next to me. I tense when he gently grips my hand, his eyes focused on the house.

“Don’t worry though, I want you to myself for a little bit,” he says, accompanying his words with a kiss on my cheek.

The car comes to a stop in the center of the stone driveway. There’s a water fountain on display, the marble matching the high walls of the house. There are also trees surrounding the area, but further in the back, you can see the overlook of mountains and neighboring homes. I bite back my chuckle at the realization that our nearest neighbor is literally miles away on another mountainside. I am completely isolated.

“It’s beautiful,” I say softly.

Luca is clearly excited about the prospect of living here with me. He even takes my hand in his as he leads me out of the car and up the immaculate steps to the double doors. He releases my hand, only to push open the doors and reveal the lavish interior. The center of the house has a double staircase, centered by a chandelier. The windows stretch to the ceiling on each wall,giving so much natural light that I doubt we’ll need to use the ones overhead. I note that my heels echo off the floors as I step into the house, looking around at my new home.

I turn my attention to Luca, who is watching me, gauging my reaction.

“You bought this a few months ago?” I ask. He nods.

“I had a few renovations done in the meantime, but I figured you would want to start our lives in a home—not an apartment,” he says. “This is your home now, Elise. It is yours to do with as you please.”

I hide my shock, looking around the home in awe.

“Thank you, Luca,” I say with a weak smile. It’s overwhelming, such an elaborate gift. And I hate myself for being unable to see past this elaborate gift’s red flags. The isolation, the control of Luca choosing this place without my knowledge or consent. Each of these stands out to me, but I won’t acknowledge them now. Not when Luca has yet to do anything other than be a kind and understanding husband. So, I swallow my fears, allowing my husband to dote on me.

Luca places his hand in mine, pulling me towards the stairs with a grin.

“You’ll have plenty of time to turn this place into a home. But first, let me show you my favorite room.”

One Week Later

My husband is an entity that I don’t quite understand. My first week in our home has been overwhelming. Luca gave me free rein to do as I pleased with decorating, but that’s about it. Luca himself vetted the staff brought in. He hasn’t allowed me to leave yet, insisting I bring all the vendors here to choose whatI want to furnish our home with. And he hasn’t allowed me any personal visitors. He hasn’t even allowed me a phone to contact my family. He’s completely isolated me, everything he does making me fear for my future with him. He’s completely changed from the gentleman I saw on our wedding weekend, treating me more like I am a possession than his wife. His temper is slowly rearing its head, so I’ve been trying to stay out of his way. But I know it’s only a matter of time before the man I’ve heard rumors about shows his true colors.

I slowly open my eyes as the sound of running water pulls me from my blissful slumber—sunlight streams in through the open window, aiding in waking me up. I wince as I stretch, the soreness from our night bombarding me. Luca woke me up for sex, taking me several times through the night. Each time was pleasurable for us both, but my body has yet to grow used to his stamina. I have yet to have a day to let my body rest from him. But he is my husband, and this is my duty.

Just as I sit up in bed, the door to the bathroom opens and Luca exits with a towel around his waist. He has another towel in his hand, ruffling it through his dark hair as he walks across the room. But he doesn’t reach his destination as his steel-colored gaze falls on me. A smile finds its way onto his lips, and he drops his towel, making his way towards the bed, his eyes heavy with lust. I then realize that during my stretch, the blanket fell around my waist, exposing my breasts.

“Good morning,” I whisper as he approaches.

His gaze is so intense that I slowly bring the blankets up, clutching them to my chest. Luca’s eyes follow the movement, his mood darkening. He doesn’t speak as he slides on top of the bed, hovering over me. His body is still warm from the shower, with some water droplets around his neck from still-damp hair. His hand reaches behind me, gripping my hair as he pulls me in for a kiss. The kiss is rough, his lips pressing against mine as heclaims me. He finally pulls away leaving my head spinning and my cheeks flushed.

He studies me, his expression blank until he moves, tracing a finger around my now-exposed nipple. I hadn’t realized during the heated kiss that the blanket fell from my grasp. I shiver as my nipples bead to his touch, my body reacting in the way he’s trained it to over the past week.

“Don’t hide from me what’s mine.” He isn’t looking at me, but at my breasts as he speaks. His frigid tone sends a tremor up my spine. There’s no sense of amusement as he speaks to me, his words laced with irritation.

When I don’t respond, he looks up at me, gripping my chin. “Do you understand, Elise?”

“Yes,” I squeak.

He studies me for what feels like an eternity until finally releasing me, and I release a trembling breath as he gets up to go into the closet.

My mind is frazzled by the time I finish dressing myself for the day. When I finally sit down to brush my hair out, my mind is everywhere but on the task at hand. When I think about our marriage, it forces me to realize that Luca and I don’t know anything about each other. We mostly have sex and go about our separate lives. In my father’s house, I wasn’t allowed around the “family business”, but I was hoping that those old-fashioned ideals would change with this new marriage. Especially since not everything Luca does has to do with the darker sides of this business. Maybe, if I ask him, he’ll let me have a low-key job where I can contribute in my own way to the Pasquino business. After all, I am the new lady of the house.

“What has you so lost in thought you can’t hear me calling you?”

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