There is no point pondering it now. I can’t do anything about this until I talk to Sierra. So, I do what she does. I plaster a happy smile on my face as we bob for apples, share candy, and watch Casper in our home theater.
After tucking a sleepy Rowan into bed, I strip out of my costume, changing into jeans and a long-sleeved Henley, before hunting down my woman. I don’t have to search far. She is pacing in front of the fire in our living room, looking like she’s ready to shred the world to pieces.
Or maybe just me.
She has removed the angel wings, but she’s still wearing the white and silver dress, and I long to tear it from her body and do all manner of devilish things to her. Her head whips up when I close the door to the hallway, giving us complete privacy. Alessandro has already retreated to his room, wanting to stay out of the line of fire, I’m sure. Though there will be no avoiding it if I find out he is at fault in any way.
Her eyes narrow, and her hands ball into fists at her side, and I’m pretty sure sexy times are off the table right now.
“What is going on, Firefly?” I ask, approaching hesitantly. I love Sierra’s feisty momma-bear side, but the look she is currently giving me is on a whole other level, and honestly, I’m a little afraid.
“You tell me,” she snarls, shoving at my shoulders when I stop in front of her.
“I have no clue what the issue is, but if you tell me what’s troubling you, I will fix it.”
She harrumphs, and I can almost see the steam billowing from her ears. “Why is there another woman, a girl, living in this house, and why does she claim to be your fiancée?” she spits, looking like she wants to rip my throat out.
Oh. Fuck.
“Calm down, Firefly. It’s not whatever you are thinking.”
And that was definitely the wrong thing to say.
“Calm down!” she yells. “Don’t you dare tell me to calm down. You fucking lied to me! You told me you were getting renovations done in the west wing when this whole time you’ve been hiding your other woman in there! Do you have any idea how much it hurt to be accosted by her outside when I had no clue who she was? Yet she appeared to know exactly who I am. How is that? Huh? How does your other woman know about me when I didn’t know of her existence?”
I would like to know the answer to that question too. Anais shouldn’t know anything about Sierra or Rowan, and heads will roll for this. I am going to throttle Alessandro. Where the fuck was he when this was going down? “There is no other woman,” I say, working hard to hold on to my calm demeanor. This is bullshit, and she should know it. What else do I need to do to prove to Sierra that she is the only woman for me?
“Don’t fucking lie to me, asshole!” She shoves my shoulders again, and I’m getting mad. “I saw her! I spoke to her. Anais just loved telling me how she was your fiancée.” She slaps a hand across her chest. “Her! Not me!”
“She’s the liar,” I snap, rubbing a tense spot between my brows. “She—”
“Was any of it real? Or were your professions of love just a ruse to get me back underneath you?”
That’s it. The tenuous hold on my brittle emotions snaps, and I lose it. “You know it is fucking real!” I roar. “And if you’d stop acting like a brat for five seconds and let me explain, you’d realize that!”
Her nostrils flare, and she beats her fists against my chest. “Fuck you, Ben. Fuck you and your condescending cheating ass. I’m out of here tomorrow. I’m taking Rowan, and you can stay the fuck away from both of us.”
She moves to walk away, and I grab her arm. “Like hell you are.” Sweeping her legs out from under her, I toss her over my shoulder.
“Let me down, you fucking asshole.” She beats on my back, but I barely feel it.
I slap her ass firmly as I stride out of the double doors and into the wide hallway. “I’m not letting you down until you’ve seen reason. This bullshit ends right now.”
She proceeds to fight, thrash, and pummel her fists against my back as I storm across the length of my house toward the west wing. I continue to spank her naughty ass even though it only enrages her more.
Well, I’m fucking pissed too.
Finding an exposed part of my shoulder, she sinks her teeth into my skin, drawing blood. My cock hardens behind my zipper, and I’m a crazy mix of rage and lust as I shove through the doors to the other wing, relieved to find Salerno alone in the living room.
He looks up from his tablet, sending me an amused grin as he watches Sierra wriggle and fight on my shoulder.
I slap her ass one final time. “I’m letting you down, but if you don’t behave, I’ll tie you up and shove a gag in your mouth,” I threaten.
“I’d like to see you try, asshole,” she spits.
Salerno chuckles. “What do we have here?”
I haven’t told Saverio about Sierra or Rowan because I wanted him nowhere near them. I just said I had guests staying for a while to keep him over on his side of the house. The deal was they were to remain inside, within the west wing, and to stay away from the windows.
Something his little bitch of a daughter had an issue obeying.
The instant I met her, I felt relieved the Russians attacked Vegas and Salerno needed to use his favor to secure protection and safety.
I hadn’t given much thought to the favor over the years, especially the longer it went on and he hadn’t called it in. I would have found some way out of it, if he had used it to try to force my hand into a marriage arrangement, because, the second I met Anais, I knew there was no way I could stomach living a fake life with the spoiled Salerno principessa. It’s clear Saverio has indulged her every whim, and it’s done her no favors. Even if his reputation and his territory weren’t in tatters, he would struggle to get anyone to agree to a match unless they went into it blind.
I wonder if that is why no marriage agreement is already in place. Something that is strange for a girl who is nearly eighteen.
Sierra stiffens in my arms, and I’m guessing Saverio’s voice has triggered something in her memory. “It’s okay,” I assure her, sliding her down my body. “He’s here as my guest.” She turns in my arms to face him. “He isn’t a threat to you,” I add. I would kill him before I’d let him come anywhere near Sierra.
“Ms. Lawson. Now this is a surprise,” Saverio says, putting his tablet down.
“Not a pleasant one, I assure you,” Sierra says, still holding on to her anger.
I’m quite happy to let her unleash the rest of her fury in his direction. His daughter is the one who started this, after all.
Though I didn’t help by concealing their presence here. I should have fessed up after she arrived, but things were going so well, and I didn’t want to fuck things up. My motives weren’t entirely selfish though. I also didn’t want her to feel unsafe in her new home, and I know Salerno’s presence here would’ve spooked her—understandably so.
We are negotiating on a property on Salerno’s behalf right now, and they should be moving out in a matter of days. I thought I could get rid of them before Sierra even realized they were here.
Guess I’ve only made it worse, and now she’ll be back to doubting me again. All the progress we have made will be undone.