Page 39 of Beautiful Revenge

“I hoped,” she mutters.

“Can’t blame you for trying but you sure did make my night a whole lot harder, you know that?”

“Good.”

“I need to make sure you never leave me again. I need to hurt Dante in a way that will never hurt him like this.”

“How?” she asks warily.

An idea hits me. It’s crazy and something I never would have considered before. I’ve always hated the idea of being tied down by a woman.

But if I want to hurt Dante there’s a surefire way to do it.

“We get married.”

Aria stares at me for a long moment before she speaks. “Did you say…”

“I’m going to make you marry me,” I say as the idea forms itself in my mind. “That’s perfect. That will make you mine. And Dante will not be able to stop it. Mafia men honor a marriage. He’ll know he’s lost you forever if we get married.”

“No,” she whispers.

“Yes. It’s the perfect idea. Buckle up, Aria. We have a chapel to get to.”

Chapter Seven

Aria

“Icannot marry you.” I can’t even believe the words that just left my mouth. This is absurd. Finn wants to marry me? That is the last thing on this planet I want.

“You will.” There’s a glee in his voice that frightens me. He means what he says. “It’s smart. If we marry, it will hurt Dante beyond repair. It will be so sweet to see.”

“That’s the only reason to marry me?”

He shoots me an incredulous look. “What other reason is there?”

“Prestige. I want to marry man worthy of me and you, Finn, are most definitely not worthy of me.”

“I’m going to knock you down from your high horse one of these days, princess. Just you wait.”

“People should marry because they want to. Because they’re in…”

“In?”

I flush, feeling stupid. “Love.”

The way he laughs at that makes embarrassment flood through me. “Love? I’m shocked you’d believe in love.”

“Why wouldn’t I believe in love?”

“Because you’re so much more than that. You have a fire in you, Aria, that I haven’t seen in many people. Don’t waste it on love.”

“I’m a girl, you idiot. I want love just as much as the next person. Ideally, I want to be in love with the man I marry.”

“I thought you just wanted a man worthy of you.”

“I do.” I stare out the window into the night sky. The world feels so expansive at night. It makes me feel more alone. “But I also want love. And I definitely do not love you.”

“You could have fooled me, princess.”

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