Page 103 of His Savage Ruin
"Marry me." His voice is rough. "Not for any damn strategy. Marry me because I want to wake up every morning for the rest of my life and see your face first thing."
"Yes." I don't need to think about it. "Yes, I'll marry you."
He kisses me again and I can feel the tension draining out of his body. He was actually worried I'd say no. That I'd walk away from him.
"Take me to bed." I pull back enough to see his face. "I want to fall asleep next to you and know this is real."
He helps me into bed and climbs in beside me, careful of both our injuries. I curl into his side with my head on his chest and his heartbeat is steady under my ear. His arm comes around me and holds on tight.
"I'm not going anywhere." He says it quietly into my hair. "I'm right here."
I close my eyes and let exhaustion pull me under. The war is over. The monsters are dead.
For the first time since my father died, I'm not afraid of what tomorrow brings.
For the first time since Lorenzo put that ring on my finger, I feel like I belong to myself.
And I chose to give that self to Matteo.
Because I want to.
Because I love him.
EPILOGUE
Dante
The restaurant is the kind of place my father loves. Old money, older traditions, and a sommelier who hovers like he's waiting for someone to order the wrong wine so he can judge them for it. I hate everything about this place but I'm here anyway because refusing my father's dinner invitations only makes things worse.
Senator Giulio Vitale sits across from me looking exactly like he always does. Expensive suit, silver hair perfectly styled, that practiced smile he uses on campaign donors and criminals alike. He's been a senator for twenty years and it shows in the way he holds himself, in the way he expects everyone around him to bend to his will.
"The Castellano girl accepted." He says it while cutting his steak with precise movements. "Her father called this morning. They're interested in moving forward with an introduction."
I take a drink of water because it's that or say something I'll regret. "I told you I'm not interested."
"And I told you that your personal interest is irrelevant." He doesn't even look up from his plate. "You're thirty-three years old and Matteo Romano's capo. You control two territories. You need a wife. You need heirs. This is not a discussion, Dante. This is reality."
"Your reality, father." I set down my glass harder than necessary. "Definitely not mine."
"Our reality." His eyes come up and there's steel in them. God, I hate the man! "Matteo just got married. You think the families aren't watching? Aren't noticing that his capo, his right hand, the man who controls New Jersey and Staten Island, has no wife? No family?"
"I do my job." I'm gripping my fork hard enough that my knuckles go white. "That's what matters."
"That's what you think matters." He takes a sip of his wine. "But in our world, a man in your position without a wife raises questions. Makes people wonder if you're serious about your future. Makes them question your stability."
"My stability." I laugh and it comes out cold. "I've made you and every politician in your pocket millions. I've kept the Romano operation running smoothly for eight years. But sure, let's question my stability because I don't have a wife. Can you hear how ridiculous this sounds?"
"You're being deliberately obtuse." His jaw tightens. "This is about more than just your capability. This is about your image and your legacy. You need a wife from a good family. You need heirs to secure your position. These are the rules of the world we live in."
"Rules you're obsessed with following." I lean back in my chair. "I'll marry when I decide I want to marry."
"When you decide." He sets down his fork with deliberate care. "You've been saying that for two years now. How much longer are you planning to wait? The Castellano girl is from excellent stock. Her family has connections in Boston and Philadelphia. She's educated and perfectly suited to be a capo's wife."
"Then you marry her." The words come out sharper than I intend. "Since you've apparently already decided she's perfect."
"Don't be childish." His voice gets colder. "I'm trying to secure your future."
"I'm thirty-three, not fucking dying." I signal for the check because I'm done with this dinner. "I have time."
