“Are you all right?” my father asks me low in my ear.
I refuse to look at my dad because I know if I do, I will burst into tears and I refuse to let Enzo see me cry. “Never been better.”
He pats my leg under the table. I bite my lip to hold back my tears but they hit my eyes before I can stop them. As fast as I can, I rush to the bathroom and the moment I’m inside, I break down crying.
Enzo is taunting me. Trying to get under my skin. Two can play at that game.
But that doesn’t mean I’m not affected. It hurts knowing I’ll be married to a man like him for the rest of my life. One that is rude and controlling but also distractingly handsome. Why couldn’t he be nice? Then he’d be perfect.
I finish crying and wipe my tears away before leaving the bathroom… only to run into Enzo in the hallway.
He gives me a knowing look.
“What are you doing?” I snap.
“I wanted to see why you ran away so fast. Something tells me it wasn’t just to use the restroom.”
“You don’t need to know everything about me.” I try to walk past him but he grabs my arm. It’s not painful but it’s not exactly gentle either.
“You were crying, weren’t you?”
I snap my eyes to his. “So what if I was?”
“I like knowing you feel things. That you’re not just some rebellious feisty woman. That you can be vulnerable.”
“Why?”
“Because it makes you more real.”
I find myself stepping closer to him without even realizing it. “And do you ever cry? I want to know that you’re more than just a controlling jerk.”
“I don’t cry.”
“Because you’re a tough man?” I mock.
The slightly open expression on his face disappears and is replaced with his usual cocky one. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you?”
“And you think you’re god’s gift to this world when you’re not.”
His eyes rake over my body. “I could pin you against this wall and have my way with you if I wanted.”
“That would be rape since I don’t want it.”
“Don’t you?” He leans in closer, his lips hovering above mine. It would be so easy to let him close the distance between us and it’s terrifying why that would be easy. “Don’t you want to know what it’s like to be claimed by a real man? I’m sure all the other fumbles you’ve had in the dark wouldn’t be able to compare.”
“I never fumble.”
“So, you’re telling me that you’ve loved the other men you’ve been with?” he asks, stepping towards me so I have no choice but to step back until I’m pressed against the wall.
“Every single one of them,” I lie.
“I thought mafia girls were supposed to be good. Waiting till marriage and all that.”
“I’m a surprise.”
“So, on our wedding night, when I claim you, you’re going to be ready for me? I don’t have to worry about you bleeding, do I?”
I frown. “Bleeding? Why would I bleed?”