CHAPTER EIGHT
Oh God! I wanted him to kiss me, or did I? This could get very complicated. There was so much going on and adding this could be messy to say the least. But I did want it. I wanted to be touched and tasted.
I leaned into him, and his scent washed over me like it had earlier at the door. Jesus, I thought I was going to pass out. I hadn’t ever been touched like this, but I wanted to be.
He began pulling me towards him as my body melted into his embrace. His lips took mine, devoured them. He tasted just as good as he smelled, with a mixture of cologne and brandy. His breath was hot and his touch smooth.
Suddenly, I felt apprehension in the kiss and he started pulling away. My hands met his face. “Don’t,” I whispered.
“I can’t give you love, Bella. I can give you many things, but if it’s love you want, I can’t offer you that.” My heart flipped. He offered to marry me and then he kissed me, but love was off the table?
“Good.” I can’t handle everything that’s going on right now and love too. “What can you offer me?” I asked. I’m lying to myself if for one second I believed I couldn’t love him. I could love him. I didn’t know him very well, but he’s exactly the kind of man I could love. I wouldn’t admit it… not to him.
What are you about to do, Bella?
“It’s not that easy.” He hesitated. His jaw tightened and his eyes went dark.
Sliding my hands to his neck, I felt his pulse under my touch, and he hardened against me. My body reacted with a tingle.
“It’s as easy as we say it is.” I stepped up on my tippy toes and rubbing against his body with my own. “No strings.” I pulled myself closer.
A deep breath released from his mouth. “I’ll wait until you’re my wife.” He stepped back and away from my touch.
“You’ll be waiting a long time then. I won’t marry you.” I hugged my chest tightly with my arms hating the emptiness.
His eyes narrowed in on me. “Really? You think you have a say, Bella? You think I’m giving you a choice?” He growled.
I backed away fast without even realizing it, and he rushed at me just as quickly. My lips parted, but I didn’t speak. Who did he think he was?
“I’ve been very…patient with your mouth. I’ve been patient with the way you speak to me, but I don’t intend on letting you get away with that again.” His fingers pressed Into my arm. “I can’t be seen as weak. I won’t be seen as weak. Do you understand?”
“Oh, I get it. You’re using me the same way Sam wants to. You want to be the boss of bosses, huh. Well, fuck you! Listen to me very carefully, Jax Moretti, I will never marry you!” I took a deep breath and ran to the front entrance to grab my bag. After snatching it into my hand with mad speed, I jutted out of the side door that led into the garage and jumped inside the black Audi. Jax followed grabbing my arm—pulling me from the car.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Away from you. I barely know you.”
“And yet you were so willing to lay down like a whore?” I smacked his cheek with everything I had. My eyes were wide and full of fire as I waited for the reaction I was sure he’d give. His face was red with horror, but he didn’t react.
“You’ll come to Chicago with me… when I leave Detroit. And you’ll do it as my wife.” His reaction dumbfounded me. I hadn’t been looking at him as a powerful man. I didn’t feel threatened by him before because he’d been kind. But I see how mistaken I had truly been.
Jax Moretti was a dangerous man.
***
The satin hugged my hips. My curves begged to be released from the seams of the dress. The full-length mirror showed my weakness. It screamed, identifying each one of them out loud. My father had decided I would marry Jax. He didn’t care what I’d thought. I’d told him how vile he’d become with me and yet he didn’t care. Papa had said that it was final, and I’d do what I was told.
Emily tucked herself into the bridesmaid dress that she’d picked off of the rack only this morning. We literally had one day to prepare. I’d just assumed I’d wear jeans. I was pissed that Papa was making me do this and that was being nice. I was feral. I wanted to rip Jax’s throat out. I wanted to jab him in the eye with a knife. How dare he speak to me like he had? I hadn’t seen him since then. He took me home and didn’t even look at me when I stepped out of the car. Seriously, the guy had two personalities that he needed to get in check really quick.
“Are you ready?” Emily asked as she leaned on my shoulder watching me in the mirror.
“I wish it was all different. I wish my momma was here.” A tear escaped from the corner of my eye.
“Stop, Bell, seriously!” She turned me around to look at her. “What are you doing? You want to marry Sam? What if he made you do that? Seems to me like this is a way better option. Or do you want me to call Sam and get him over here? I’m sure he’d be a great husband, rubbing his dick all over every chick that walked by.”
I nodded my head. “He was horrible. He called me a whore.” God, I sounded so damn whiny, but I didn’t like being called a whore. It was rude and very… It was just plain fucking rude.
“Psh… Please, he was probably just mad or had his ego burned by your awesomeness.” She rubbed my head in a soothing manner.
I laugh-cried as I bent over trying to compose myself. “I’m not so awesome, Em. I’m a joke.”
She shook her head and bit her nails as she listened. “Listen, your dad needs you to be strong right now, Bell. He isn’t doing well now. I see him all day, and I can tell this is tearing him up. Your father loves you very much.” Emily had always been the voice of reason when it came down to it. She had a way with words that could take your breath away. This was her way to support both my father and me.
I nodded again. “What if he's mean to me? I don’t want to be stuck with a violent husband, Em. I’m scared,” I admitted. Emily was the only person I’d admit that to.
She pulled me into her arms for a thoughtful hug and her dark hair tickled my nose. “He’s hot as fuck, Bell. I’m sure that he fucks like a God, too.” She pulled away with a fake smile planted on her puffy face. She’d been crying which was uncommon for her. “I’ll visit all the time, okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll bet that’ll go over great, Em.” I snorted as I patted my face and looked back in the mirror. This wasn’t a happy occasion for me. “He said he’d never love me. How can I go into this knowing he won’t ever feel anything?”
She shrugged. “So you get a sexy bodyguard and make him fall in love with you.” Her face lit up bright red.
A knock on the door jolted us from our conversation. “Bella, you ready?” Tony asked as if Emily had just summoned him with the comment about a sexy bodyguard.
“You can come in, Tony,” I said.
“Hey, you alright?” he asked.
“Nope, but it doesn’t really matter does it.” My face fell, void of all emotion.
He offered a smile. “Gotta go,” he hesitated.
The walk downstairs was long, but I got through it with the help of Emily gripping my hand.
When we arrived in the living room, the pastor was standing next to the window. Papa was sitting in the Black leather chair next to the fireplace, and Sal was right next to him staring off into space. Jax and three other men stood in the corner wearing suits and when I cleared my throat everyone turned into my direction.
“Isabella.” Papa stood and approached. “My beautiful princess.” He kissed both my cheeks.
I smiled, but I wasn’t the doting bride he wanted me to be.
Everyone stepped into place, and Jax slid beside me. He took my hand and then turned to me. I rolled my saturated eyes and faced forward. “Let me have a minute with my bride.” He clasped my hand and pulled me into the guest bathroom down the hallway.
He stared at me for a long beat after he closed the door.
“What?” I snapped.
“I’m sorry, Bella.” He took a long gasp for air as he looked to the ceiling. “I’m sorry that I called you a whore.” His eyes weren’t meeting mine. His cologne surrounded me, and I felt nauseous as I stood there with him. He couldn’t even look at me.
A tear descended my cheek, and I quickly wiped it away before he could see. I wasn’t weak, and I wouldn’t let him think I was. “Is this a joke?”
“What?” He snapped.
“You. You bring me in here to look at the fucking ceiling while you give me a joke of an apology?” I yanked my hand from his.
His head fell into his hand. “Bella, you don’t know what you’re saying,” he smoothed his hand across his face.
“Oh, because I’m a woman?” I scrunched my brows. “Because I’m not a made man? You’re just like Sam?” hearing the name slip from my lips made me sick, but I couldn’t take it back, there was nothing I could do.
His face became red with furry and stiff with anger. “Sam?”
I shook where I stood. My mouth opened but nothing came out. I felt a stab of guilt because he hadn’t been like Sam at all and until I ran away from him, he’d been very kind to me. “I’m sorry.” I bowed my head. “I don’t know why I said that.” Yes, I did. He was an ass, just like Sam. But it wasn't fair that I'd compared the two.
“Clearly you had your reasons.” He took in another deep breath and walked across the room to sit in the chair against the wall.
I approached him sitting in the chair opposite him. “I’m angry, Jax. I… I wanted things to be different.” I butted my hands in the air.
“Because I’m not good enough to marry? To protect you from him?” His eyes were so dark I prayed for light.
I shook my head, staring at the wall so I didn't have to look at those eyes. And maybe I was a little embarrassed, too. “Because you didn’t give me a choice.” Another tear slipped and I wiped it away, only that time he saw it. “He didn’t give me a choice either.” I sobbed trying so hard to rein In my emotions.
“I’m sorry for that, Bella. I wish to God I could’ve prevented whatever he did to you. Fuck! You don’t know what’s happening right now, what could happen to you.”
My eyes turned to his. “Please… never call me a whore again.” I sat up in my chair with my face void of all emotion. It was my only defense. "Never let them see you weak," Papa said that many times. “Or I’ll leave you.”
“Deal. I promise to respect you.” Total shock swam through me. He just offered to respect me.
A yell echoed through the door and my heart sank. “Papa?” My eyes met Jax’s.
He reached for my hand and ran us from the bathroom. We turned from the hallway and into the great room and there stood Sam. My heart shifted into overdrive.
“What the fuck is going on?” He stood in the middle of the room watching me. I didn’t know what to do or say. I froze. The two men with him had guns pointed in our direction. “Tell me!” He screamed with balled fist.
“Bella and I were married today.” Jax squeezed my hand but kept a calm voice.
“Married? How the fuck did you get married?”
I didn’t speak and instead found comfort in Jax’s tight grip. “Em, go upstairs NOW!” I demanded when I realized she was standing beside me.
“Hell no! This is way too fucked up to miss.” I wanted to turn around and demand that she go, but she was a big girl and she knew what was coming. So I took a deep breath and watched as the veins in Sam’s neck pulsed out of control.
“Did you not hear me, Isabella? I asked how you got married. You were promised to me.” He tapped his gun to his chest. Was he really such an idiot? I wasn’t an object. He didn’t own me.
Jax pulled me behind him, tucking me away with his own body. “You may only speak to my bride when I’ve given you permission. Do I make myself clear?” He reached his hand behind him and lifted the backside of his jacket then pulled out a gun. I stepped back from his body, but he slightly turned his torso and quickly pulled me closer.
“Oh, I see what this is.” He laughed manically. “You get the girl that I'm promised and you get the old man’s throne?”
“Enough!” Papa hissed from the other side of the room. “Get out of my home before I bury you.”
“Bury me?” He laughed again. “Yeah, we’ll see who buries who, old man.”
I felt fury. My entire body heated like a fire and my heart thudded viciously against my chest. How dare he come into my home and speak to my father like a common man. I reached over to Tony who stood next to me and pulled out an extra gun he always carried tucked away in his pants. I cocked it and broke loose from Jax bringing the gun in the air.
Everything went silent. I couldn’t hear anyone. I knew everyone was screaming for me to get back. I didn’t care what they had to say. I was going to kill that son of a bitch. The entire room went into slow motion. I could see Tony reaching for me from my peripheral and Jax lunging forward, but they couldn’t stop me.
The gun was loaded, I was sure. Tony never had a gun that wasn’t ready to kill. He’d said that many times. All I had to do was aim and shoot. I’d done that a lot of times at the range with Tony and Sal. Papa didn’t know that, but they thought it was important for me to know how to protect myself.
“Isabella!” Papa spit out.
Sam laughed at me. He thought I was weak, but I was the furthest thing from weak. I was a resilient woman and a pissed one at that. I wouldn’t be taking his shit any longer. Now I’d be giving it.
“What are you going to do with that?” Sam spit.
My body shook from a surge of adrenaline. I wasn’t scared but rather excited. “I’m going to kill you,” I sneered.
“No!” Papa screamed this time.
“Kill me? Please, Bella, you couldn’t hurt a fly. You know that.”
Jax reached for me in the three seconds it took for me to get to Sam. He tucked me under his arm and grabbed the gun from my hand. “Get the fuck out, Casconi. If I ever see you near my wife again, I’ll gut you where you stand.”
“Yeah, okay. Let’s go,” Sam spat at his goonies.
“Your days are numbered, Casconi. Your days are so fuckin' numbered,” Jax hissed.
They slammed the door behind them and pulled out of the driveway. When they left, the entire house erupted with anger, screaming, and curse words. A few things flew across the room and shattered.
“Someone tell me how that idiot got into my home!” my father demanded. No one spoke. “Tell me!” His face was beat red as he barked at everyone “There are how many men here? My daughter was able to reach a gun and approach him! Tell me how this was all possible!”
“Sir,” Sal spoke first.
“Get out of my face!” Papa screamed.
“Papa, sit. It’s okay,” I said to calm him.
“Get this over with,” he said to the man that stood ready to perform the ceremony.
Jax pulled me into his chest. “This is why, Bella.” I understood what he was telling me. I understood now more than ever why this was so important.
“Okay,” I whispered.
***
The wedding was quick, just the basics. We signed the license and it was official. Jax took the paper in his hands and snapped a picture of it with his phone.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Sending it to my attorney.”
“Why?” That was an odd thing to do.
“Because I need proof, just in case.” His eyes snapped to the man that’d just married us. “Don’t ask questions, Bella, let me deal with it.” He hurried through the motions.
“So what now?” I asked as he tucked his phone into his jacket.
“Now we go home.”
“How can I leave my father when he’s sick, Jax?”
“If you stay, Bella, you’d be at risk. I can’t protect you if you stay, you’re safer where I am.”
“What is this? What are you afraid of? What is my father afraid of?” His posture stiffened as he stood to his full six-feet-four frame. His eyes met the men that were here for him. “Not your business.” Was he serious?
“Are you kidding me? How is this not my business? You come here and force yourself as my husband, and it’s not my business! You’re an asshole,” I sneered under my breath.
“Bella, you have no idea what you’re talking about.” He remained calm, but his voice was firm.
“Fuck you, Jax,” I spit and turned towards the hallway. I took each stair one at a time thinking over all that had happened. Was this all a joke? What the hell was going on? Fiction wasn’t even this messed up. This reality wasn’t working for me. I could get on a plane to Fiji or Australia, my friend Lou lived there. I could stay with her. I missed her so much, and I hadn't seen her in so long I was sure she’d be thrilled to have me stay with her.
My hand quickly opened my bedroom door, I entered, and threw it shut, but it didn’t.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Jax crossed the room I’d backed up in. “You clearly need to be punished.”
My head shook frantically. “No, I’ll say what I want to say when I want.”
“Will you?” he asked, amused.
“Yes, I’m not one of those women who ignore everything, Jax. You probably plan on divorcing me as soon as you have the throne, so what does it matter?” I leaned against the wall he’d backed me up against. His arms reached above my head and his face leaned into mine. He was trying to intimidate me, but I wouldn’t be intimidated by him, now or ever.
“No, Bella Moretti. I’ll never let you go.”
My heart sank. What did he want to keep me around for? He’d already told me he’d never love me. “But I thought…”
“You thought wrong.”
I was in big trouble, and I knew it.
The men in my life feared for my physical safety, but I feared for my emotional safety. He was going to eat me alive.