Page 24 of One Savage Union

Surprisingly, that fact washes away a modicum of the uncertainties and regrets I've been collecting since my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

For the past year, I’ve been adrift in a world that no longer makes sense. Not even my music brought me the feeling of rightness it used to.

The note about my father only deepened my confusion, unraveling what little stability I had left. And now, in a twist of fate I never saw coming, I belong to a man I barely know—one who radiates danger and dominance in equal measure.

Now he owns me. Legally, I am his… just as he is mine.

A shiver rolls through me, but I don’t know if it’s dread or something far more dangerous—something dark and needy that coils in the pit of my stomach.

Rocco’s grip is firm but not harsh as he leads me upstairs, his presence towering beside me. The weight of the massive pear-shaped diamond set in platinum on my left hand feels suffocating—a perfect noose around my neck. And yet, I can’tdeny the way it gleams under the chandelier, a symbol of the power he now wields over me.

I love it.

I hate it.

I crave it.

He pauses when we reach the massive oak door at the end of the hall. His smoldering gaze locks onto mine as he extends a hand, a slow, deliberate invitation.

"After you, Mrs. Fieri.”

My stomach clenches at how he purrs my new name, his voice dripping with possession. My nipples tighten, my thighs press together, and I know—deep in my bones—that this man will ruin me.

I know it.

A slow smirk curves his lips, like he knows exactly what I’m thinking.

"It's time to feed you, Lucia."

The words send heat slamming between my legs because I know he’s not just talking about food. His meaning is layered, thick with promise. My stomach twists at the realization that my plans for a marriage in name only are already obsolete. I was a fool to think I could keep Rocco or “Roc,” as Mario called him, at a distance. He’s too perceptive, too relentless. He knows my body wants him. He’s felt my shivers and heard my ragged breaths, and now he intends to claim everything I’ve been so desperately trying to hide.

I swallow hard, my pulse thrumming in my ears. I tell myself to turn around, to set boundaries, to fight. But my traitorous feet move forward, stepping into the darkened room that will seal my fate.

The heavy door swings shut behind me, reverberating through my bones. I barely have a moment to process before Rocco’s mouth crashes onto mine, his lips demanding, histongue sweeping in and stealing my breath. He consumes me, devours me, makes me forget my own damn name as he pins me against the door. My fingers claw at his shirt, my body arching against his like it belongs there.

A needy whimper escapes me when he fists the fabric of my filthy dress and rips it down the middle, the remnants of my past shredded in his hands.

I gasp, my hands instinctively flying to cover myself, but he’s faster. Rocco catches my wrists in one firm grip and presses them above my head, pinning me completely. My exposed skin burns under his gaze, my breath shallow as I watch the hunger darken his features.

"Don’t hide from me, Lucia," he murmurs, his free hand skimming down my ribs, tracing the curve of my waist. "I won’t allow it."

I don’t recognize the sounds leaving my mouth, the way my body trembles in his arms. I should be fighting him. I should be afraid.

Instead, I feel like I’m falling down a dark, delicious hole.

Rocco watches me unravel, his grip tightening, his breath warm against my ear. "You’re mine now, little one. And I intend to teach you exactly what that means."

I’m so fucked.

9

ROCCO

Istrip her clothing away until she's left in her lace panties.

Stepping away, my body holds a hunger it won't contain. Lucia's delicate hands cover her breasts, but I snatch them away.

"Don't hide from your husband. Your body is my reward, Lucia. Do you understand?"

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