Chapter 19
The moment the words left my mouth. I was asked for my blood. Now I understood why Isabella had given me the dagger, why it had been strapped to my inner thigh like a hidden gem.
I mentally cursed my fate, my breath hitching as I prepared to reach for it, but before I could move, Dante dropped to one knee in front of me. A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
I went rigid as his fingers traced a slow, burning path up my thigh teasing, deliberate, like he had all the time in the world. My pulse thundered, betraying me. He didn’t stop until he reached the scandalous slit in my gown, right where my skin was too exposed, too bare.
“Use your lips, bro!”
Laughter erupted, echoing through the grand hall. I curse the person who said it. One of his bastard friends? His damn brother?
I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the heat licking up my spine, heat that had no damn business being there.
Dante’s lips twisted into a knowing smirk. His eyes, dark and merciless, lifted to meet mine.
My stomach flipped. As his lips suddenly touch my thight. A humiliating rush of warmth curled low inside me.
I gritted my teeth, furious at myself. Why? Why the hell was I reacting like this? This was Dante Romano a ruthless, arrogant bastard who thought he could claim me like a possession. I should feel nothing but hatred.
And yet… my body refused to listen.
His lip brushed against my skin, just above the dagger’s hilt. Too soft. Too intimate. I sucked in a sharp breath, my fingers curling into fists.
Then, in one smooth motion, he pulled the dagger free, his lips grazing my inner thigh as he did.
A traitorous shiver ran through me. I hated myself for it.
Dante stood up, holding the blade between his lips. Cheers echoed in the hall. His gaze never leaving mine. There was something in his eyes something dark, something possessive, something that made my stomach tighten.
He brought it to his own finger, slicing through the skin effortlessly before extending it toward me.
य.
I took the blade, my eyes never leaving his. my hand shaking slightly, and pressed it to my own fingure. The sharp sting of pain made me wince, and a single drop of blood beaded at the tip.
Dante caught my bleeding finger between his, bringing it to his lips before whispering against my skin
“Mine.” He wishper near my ears.
“Blood for blood,” the Consigliere announced.
I had just sworn my life to the mafia.
Dante reached into his pocket, pulling out a black diamond ring.
It was stunning. Dark, unique, and dangerously beautiful just like the man in front of me.
“Do you, Dante Romano, take Elara Ashford as your wife, to protect, to own, to command?”
“I do,” Dante said without hesitation.
My breath shook as the Consigliere turned to me.
“Do you, Elara Ashford, take Dante Romano as your husband, to serve, to obey, to belong?”
I gluped. This is it. Mother your daughter is finally being married. Are you going to bless me? I thought
Dante tilted his head, waiting, with his raised eyebrow.
“I do.”
Dante slide his fingure around my chin, tilting my face up to his. His touch was harsh like he was already staking his claim.
‘Good girl, he murmured, his breath warm against my lips.
The words shouldn’t have sent heat straight to my core, but they did.
Chapter 19
“You may kies the bride
Oh i almost forget the kiss part. This devil was to kiss me infront of everyone. How will i look in the eye on my in–laws now.
And then he kissed me.
It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t sweet.
It was devouring
Dante crushed his lips against mine, his hand sliding to the back of my neck as he owned me with his mouth. The kiss was all teeth and dominance, raw and consuming, like he wanted to brand himself into me.
The room erupted into cheers and whistles, but I barely heard them over the roaring in my head.
I tried to fight it at first but then the way his lips moved against mine with such brutal precision, the way his tongue teased the seam of my lips, demanding entry
Me and my body?
My traitorous, fucking, weak body melted into him.
bante growled low in approval, his grip tightening as if daring me to pull away.
I hated him for that.
But I also wanted… more.
1 gasped, and that was all the invitation he needed. His tongue slipped inside, tangling with mine in a way that sent white–hot sparks down my spine. The taste of him, dark, rich, intoxicating, made my knees threaten to buckle.
His free hand slid down my waist, fisting the fabric of my gown, pulling me flush against his solid chest. I felt the heat of him, the raw power beneath the tailored suit
You are my wife Elara. Don’t forget that he whispered against my lips before biting my bottom lip, tugging, claiming.
11e pulled back, his forehead resting against mine, his breathing ragged.
“That’s how a Romano takes his wife.” I could here My father–in–law saying it out loud.
Dante’s thumb brushed against my swollen bottom lip, his smirk deepening at my reaction, at the way he had unraveled me with just a kiss.
Bastard.
“Let’s keep the rest for our wedding night, shall we?” My face become more red then it was earlier. My heart hammering aginst my chest. Dante’s grip on my waist tightened for just a second, his breath teasing my car as he leaned in once more, close enough to make me shiver.
“I’ll enjoy unwrapping my present later, wife”
Fucker.
Mr. Romano chuckled from his seat, lifting his glass. “To the Romano heir and his queen.”
Once again deafening cheer erupted. Glasses clinked, Cigars lit. Powerful men raised their drinks to celebrate our union.
Dante chuckled darkly, his fingers trailing down my arm before he finally let go but not before leaving me shaken, breathless, and completely at his
mercy.
AD
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