Page 2 of Sexy AF
The Marogonis, who’d been childless, had taken me and Isabella in after our birth mother’s car accident and our birth father’s murder. They’d raised us as their own. I hardly remembered my life before that, honestly. My adoptive father and uncle had run a side business that I doubted was importing or exporting anything legal. I hadn’t chased that story because I was too closely connected to them.
I swallowed cold air. “Let him.”
She let out a sigh. “You don’t mean that. We both know he’s all we have.”
Tears formed in my eyes. My mother would beg me. My father would yell at me. And in the end, I’d cave. It was like I was still a child. I swallowed and nodded. Isabella hugged me. She was the first person to hug me in a year. Maybe I shouldn’t have ignored my family for as long as I had. Now it was up to me to save them all.
My sister stared at me like I was half-crazed. “I’ll have Mom grab a few outfits for you.”
Right.I followed her out without saying a word about her taste in clothes. I drove my own car, which allowed me to avoid my mother and sister’s attempt to dress me up. If Benny wanted this, he’d have to take me as I was.
As I headed to our family restaurant, my mouth watered. At least dinner would be amazing.
The moment I stepped inside, I saw Benny. Time had made him more ruggedly handsome. Half of me had hoped he’d lost some of those muscles, but he looked like he still spent hours in the gym. I headed to the table, and he stood.
Keeping my chin in the air, I took my seat. “Benny, I’m surprised you agreed.”
“Your family needs mine,” he said.
My heart pounded. I wasn’t a child anymore, wishing for him, but this was the first time we’d sat together in ten years. When my white pinot grigio arrived, Benny folded his hands, and his brown gaze met mine.
My entire body tingled, and my lips had little tremors. I remembered his kiss. He leaned forward, and I could smell his Tom Ford Fucking Fabulouscologne. The leathery scent, with toasted almonds and bitter vanilla, made him even more potent and alive.
“I want a baby,” he said. “I figure we can put aside feelings for a year, you can give me a baby, and then we can go our separate ways.”
I almost choked on my wine, and my fingers trembled. I shook my head. “I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.”
My body rocked with memories. “You told Terence Grate you fucked me after he walked me home.”
“You deserved better than him.”
Maybe that was true, but Benny had continued interfering with my life on and off. The last time, two years before, had sent me running. That was when I’d started working those long hours.
I glanced up at the ceiling as my father brought our chicken parmigiana. The regular servers were in charge of the other customers. I met my father’s glassy brown eyes and then stared at the plate of food. I was there for him.
Once Stefano Maragani had left, I said, “You broke Stuart Paczinski’s nose on prom night.”
“And his arm.”
I pressed my hand on his heart. “I have every reason to hate you.”
We ate in silence. Once he’d finished, he said, “Look, the clock is ticking. The wedding is tomorrow. See you at the courthouse.” Without another word, he stood and left.
I rocked in my seat. Isabella, my mom, and my dad came and sat with me. The next day, I would need a whole new set of defenses, since throwing myself into work to avoid Benny wasn’t an option anymore.
