Kiss.
And just like that, I’m married to New York’s cruelest villain, who’s stolen my heart.
CHAPTER 40
CRISTIAN
After Benita’s death, I swore to never marry again.
I was a busy man, had too much on my plate, and didn’t need any distractions. But Natalia changed everything when she walked into my office that night.
She’s my glass of liquor after a long day of work.
Everything I need to come home to.
I ache to spend time with her.
She views me as more than Monster Marchetti. She doesn’t care about my name or position in this city. She just wants me—her husband.
And I see her as more than a pawn and my daughter’s best friend.
She makes me laugh—a rarity.
She’s pushing experiences on me.
Hell, we hosted a movie night at our house, and she invited people over. Shockingly, I enjoyed it. Not that I didn’t fake the opposite, though.
Natalia proves that even a cold man like me, a man at my age, can break out of his shell.
I will be a good husband to Natalia because she deserves nothing less.
Bora Bora.
She dragged my ass to Bora Bora.
When I’d told Natalia she had full control of our honeymoon, I hoped it’d be somewhere easy. A short flight, plenty of room to handle business, and a way to return to New York fast, if needed. Oh, and somewhere I could bring my goddamn gun.
But I should’ve known my wife.
We’re in an overwater bungalow in the middle of the ocean.
Benita and I never took a honeymoon. I was too occupied, taking over my father’s empire and learning the ropes of being in charge.
But I want to do this husband thing right, and after everything Natalia’s been through with me, she deserves a damn honeymoon.
Her decision does give us a distraction-free week in paradise to spend with each other. Natalia might be the only person in this world to get me to do something like this.
Natalia moans my name and writhes underneath me as I stare down at her.
There’s no better sight than watching my wife orgasm, to know that I satisfy her this way. I thrust into her two more times before coming inside her and collapsing onto her body. I rain kisses along her chest as we catch our breath.
“What if I get pregnant?” she asks, running her fingers through my hair—a new relaxant for me.
“What about it?” I ask against her skin.
“Would you be mad?”
I slowly pull out of her, rear back, and stare down at her. “Hell no.” I run my hand up and down her leg. “Do you want a baby, sweet Natalia?”
She bites into her lower lip and slowly nods.
I grin. “We’d better work on that. Shall we?”
Her face lights up. “Really?”
“Really.” I smack a kiss to her lips before slipping my tongue between them. “We can have as many babies as you want.”
For a moment, all I hear are the ocean waves outside until she lowers her voice and says, “What if there’s already one?”
I jerk back, nearly causing whiplash, and she turns her head to look away from me. Her breathing heightens, now growing louder than outside, and I run a hand over her cheek.
“Natalia, sweetheart, are you pregnant with our baby?”
She opens her mouth, then shuts it, then opens it. “Yes.”
A rush of excitement speeds through me like I just scored the biggest deal of my motherfucking life. And I grin. I grin like I haven’t grinned in fucking decades.
“Does … does the smile mean you’re happy?” she whispers.
“The smile means I’m loving my life right now.” I dip down the bed until my face is above her stomach and place a single kiss on it. “This is your dad. I promise to be a good one to you, but your mom? She’s going to be the best mom in the world.”
Natalia laughs, and tears well in her eyes.
I am the boss of the Marchetti family.
A father.
A husband.
And I will kill anyone who attempts to threaten that.
CHAPTER 41
NATALIA
THREE MONTHS LATER
“I wonder how many proposals my father has to get before he decides to finally marry me off,” Gigi says, scanning the room of those celebrating Benny’s engagement at the mansion.
I pat her arm. “Your dad won’t marry you off unless you’re okay with it.”
“I know.” Gigi straightens her stance and runs her hand through her curls. “But eventually, either he’ll have to find someone or I’ll need to choose someone.”
“Or you can be single for the rest of your life and live here with me.”
Gigi hasn’t returned to Italy, and if I had it my way, she’d stay here. Having her here with me is nice. The more time passes, the less awkward it becomes—my marrying Cristian.
She shakes her head. “Unfortunately, living with my father, who is now married to and bumping uglies with my bestie, doesn’t sound like a future dream for me.”
“Oh my God.” I take a sip of my ginger ale. “Don’t say it like that.”
Nothing like a good ginger ale at a party.
Do you know what else there’s nothing like?
Morning sickness.
Cristian had better be happy he keeps his gun far away from me. Sometimes, when I’m puking my guts up or I have heartburn that could cripple a rhino, I want to shoot him for knocking me up.
She gestures to my growing belly. “Don’t get knocked up by my father, and I won’t.”
“Shush. Don’t act like you’re not excited to be a big sister.”
Monster Marchetti has surprised me.
He’s been involved in every step of this pregnancy and baby planning. It’s sexy, discussing baby names with him, attending appointments, and hearing him talk nursery furniture and paint colors with our interior designer.
She scrunches her red lips together. “That I am excited about, but I can do that from my own place.”
“Your dad married your best friend. Use that as an excuse to marry anyone you want.”
“Look, you love my father, so you see the best in him. But he’s big on loyalty. I need to marry someone loyal to the family … or join a nunnery.”
I hold up my arm. “I vote nunnery. You can atone for the family’s sins.”
She throws her head back and laughs before her face softens. “And poor Benny. He wants to marry like I want Vinny to reincarnate.”
“Neomi seems nice,” I comment.
Tonight is my first time meeting her.
She was nice to us.
Benny? Not so much.
She hugged Gigi, then me, but then looked at Benny as if she’d rather have a kidney ripped out than hold a conversation with him.
“She’s not Benny’s type,” Gigi says.
“What is Benny’s type?”
“Benny prefers women he can boss around, and Neomi is not that woman.” She cracks a smile. “I was at a club where she was once. A guy grabbed her ass … and she stabbed him in the shoulder.”
“Oh, damn.” I whistle. “Benny is in for a treat.”