Page 3 of Stolen Vows
The man behind the steering wheel has a shaved head and overflows the seat with his bulk.The woman in the passenger seat isn’t much better.She may have feminine curves and long hair, but her suit strains to contain her bulging muscles.
I take a deep breath and scratch my nails over my scalp, tucking a few wayward strands of hair back into my messy bun before donning my most disarming smile.After introducing myself, I memorize their names and thank them for their time and expertise.
My father may have hired them to protect me, but his money means nothing if they hate me, so I slather on as much charm as I can.
It works.It always works.Within minutes, the man opens up and tells me of his wife and kids.The woman takes longer, since her interests lie mostly in working out and learning different fighting styles, but I find as many commonalities between us as I can and praise her for her dedication just enough to disarm her.
By the time we reach the street of high-end boutique shops, my cheeks hurt from smiling and my entire body throbs from traveling, but the new connections ease some of the angst in my soul.
No matter which store I enter, my bodyguards follow with watchful eyes.I stay vigilant despite their protection.
Many people covet my father’s wealth and power, and since I seem like his biggest weakness, I always carry a bright red target on my back.
After several hours of mundane shopping, I stride across the sidewalk toward the opened back door of the SUV.
The setting sun glints off a nearby building, momentarily blinding me.I turn my head and pass my bags full of newly purchased items to the attendant.As he steps toward the trunk, the hairs on my nape rise.I scan the busy storefronts and stumble when I glimpse a familiar set of shoulders in the crowd, but the man disappears behind a bus before I can confirm who it is.
Fear sweat gathers on my brow.
Unsettled and uncertain, I drop into the SUV and shut the door.
I must be losing my mind.There’s no way I just saw Mario Luciano, my father’s ex-best friend and consigliere, in the streets of New York City.
He’s dead.My father hunted him down and killed him after he betrayed my entire family.
My heart must be playing tricks on me.I shouldn’t have woken emotions I buried long ago by smelling the charred yarn of my doll’s hair.
He was my uncle in every way except blood.My parents trusted him.I trusted him.
He was always larger than life to me.Always the calm in the storm.Always the one I ran to first, whether in excitement, fear, or pain.
His greed ruined everything.
Because of him, I’ll never trust another human being again.
I swallow the lump in my throat and hide my expression by fastening my seat belt.With my smile plastered on my face and my exhaustion tucked away, I lift my head and meet the driver’s gaze in the rearview mirror.
Alarm skitters down my spine, but he offers me a flash of a smile, shifts his attention out the windshield, and pulls out into traffic.
I berate myself for seeing things that aren’t there.
The bodyguards my father paid ridiculous amounts of money to protect me aren’t out to hurt me.
And the man I once daydreamed over, who betrayed my father and shredded my happiness, isn’t following me through the streets of New York City.
My first crush and bitter enemy, Mario Luciano, isn’t back from the grave and watching me like he always said he would.
Chapter 2
Mario Luciano
Valentina Denaro is as much of a liaras her scheming, backstabbing father, with her sweet smiles and flirty eyes.As she climbs into the back of the SUV with the grace of a queen and the curves of a goddess, I lean against the corner of the building and will my cock to soften.
She grew up well.Shame rises in me, but I shove it down.Part of me wants to scold myself for lusting over her, but she’s no longer the cute little bouncy girl I once cherished as though she were my own daughter.
She’s no longer the niece I lovingly calledpaperottaas she followed me around like a little duckling.
That was a different life.I was a better man.She was innocent.Life was full of family and hope.
