Marco

 Whacking it did nothing for my desire. I couldn’t take my eyes off her during the entire ceremony. Visions of her in that white wedding dress played through my head, and by the time the service was over and the crowd started to dissipate, I knew that this feeling in me wasn’t temporary. She tried to avoid my gaze at the wedding and was trying to hide herself from me as I passed her table, but I was attuned to her. My body was already gravitating to her, even though I didn’t think it was a good idea.

When my cousins and Duke Malcolm sat down near her, I did all I could to stay seated. Jealousy was back in full form along with a heavy dose of possessiveness. I watched to see what would happen, pushing away my silverware, so I wouldn’t accidentally take my knife and stab him with it. My cousin Flavio’s eyes had been glued to her cleavage and they needed to be knocked back into his head. Duke Malcolm and my other cousin, Giovanni didn’t seem to pay her any mind, which satisfied me. She smiled at Flavio, playing with her napkin, fidgeting. When she got up, I felt like I could breathe again. Danielle wasn’t interested in him. My eyes followed her to the other side of the room and to her family. The tight black dress hugged her curves as she strode toward them. I caught sight of her bared thigh and could hear the thud of my dick hitting the table. Her large globes bounced in rhythm with each step. I bit my lip, trying to stave off coming in my pants. The woman had me so hard that I didn’t even consider that she was related to a bunch of losers or that she was looking for a rich man. Hell, I was a rich man. All I wanted was her spread out in my bed with her mouth parted as she screamed out my name.

She looked over her shoulder, her eyes meeting mine, and I winked. Don’t know what possessed me to do that, but I had to have some exchange between us. She instantly blushed then turned back to her family. A round of hugs were shared and I was feeling out of sorts because I couldn't touch her.

I was so hard up, it was all I could do to stay still. I felt someone tap my shoulder and it was Ms. Rossi. "Hello there, Lord Denali. Thank you for the invite."

"Thank you for attending, Ms. Rossi,” I replied to her with a smile before turning back to the crowd around Danielle. They seemed to really focus on her like she was something special. Internally, I was getting the same feeling, but my head was arguing with me.

"Danielle is great company at the table," she said, and I felt where this was going. She noticed my attraction to her, and she wasn't the only one. I tried to play it off as annoyance, but my parents weren't buying it either. They cornered me before I left the wedding area. They didn’t demand anything or even freak out. They just smiled and said to be careful.

"Well, make sure she doesn't try to rub off on you,” I bit out angrily, turning toward her and giving her a look of derision. I hated how weak and wrong I felt for even saying something like that about her. She’d spurned me and tried to ignore me. Obviously, she wasn’t that greedy for money. Then again, she could be trying to gain my interest by refusing me. This wasn’t me, I was a smart businessman who continued to make a fortune with my acumen and here I was being torn apart by desire and stubbornness.

"Rub off?" she asked, taking the empty chair next to me.

"You know the gold digging attitude," I bit out. She was related to the gold digger bride and her reading choice said a lot about her, even with an attempt of baiting me to give chase.

"Um. I didn't get that vibe in fact she seems ready to run every time you look at her. What makes you think that?"

"Besides the bride getting herself knocked up right away, she was staring in awe at my home and paintings and reading Pride and Prejudice, the gold digger’s handbook." She erupted into a fit of laughter that pissed me off.

"First, everyone stares at your home that way. I’m not a gold digger, as you put it, and I think this house looks historically gorgeous. Second, it's clear you haven't read that book before. The heroine in the story is the exact opposite of a fortune hunter. She refuses an offer of marriage by the hero because of his behavior and he’s one of the wealthiest men in the country. He's mistaken about her and vice versa. It's a classic love story that even to this day captivates so many. It takes a strong woman to show a man that he’s wrong and a good woman isn’t worth losing."

Damn it, I should have looked up the CliffsNotes of the book, so I wouldn’t have looked like an ass. "Really? Shit."

"The fact that she can read it is a credit to her intelligence. It was written around 1812 in England, so it takes a lot of comprehension." She was right. The language had been very different, especially for Americans. So she was smart, beautiful, feisty, and, apparently, a bit too independent for my liking. She was going to fight me on everything.

"Damn it, it was the only thing holding me back." I spotted her back at the table sipping on a drink with my cousin flirting with her. I couldn't make out her interest, but she was smiling at him.

Ms. Rossi followed my gaze. "Let me get back to the table. Maybe you should dance with her."

"Oh, I plan on it, " I stated boldly, never taking my eyes away from Danielle.

"If I was you, I wouldn't approach her with that look on your face.”

“Why? What’s wrong with my face?”

“Nothing when you’re not looking to murder someone, but you’ve got murder on the brain.”

“As it happens I do. My slick ass cousin has been eyeing her breasts since he sat down.”

“I’ll protect her. Now, they are bringing in the food, so we all should be getting back to our seats.”

She left me there and I tried to spend the next thirty minutes focusing on my food, but it tasted like nothing when I wanted to go over there and taste those lips that just kissed the fork as it slipped into her mouth. It had been six years since I’d been with a woman, and for a man in his mid-twenties, it was a long motherfucking time. It wasn’t until I saw her that I missed sex. To me it had been just a way to get off, but after getting almost trapped by a woman with her lies, I lost any interest in sex. Now all I wanted was to fuck my baby into Danielle.

Things were getting a little too chummy over there. I couldn't take my eyes off of her and every time she smiled at him I got angrier. I had to go make my move before my fucking perverted cousin stole her. There was no way I could let that happen. I got up from my seat and approached their table. Her expression was comical and nervous. I liked that about her. I wanted her interested and a bit worried about what I planned to do to her.

“Dance with me,” I commanded. There wasn’t any asking in my opinion and thankfully she didn’t give me any shit about it, coming willingly as I stretched out my hand for her to take. The feel of her small hand in mine dominated my head. She was so fragile and I needed to protect her. I guided her to the middle of the dance floor. The DJ must have seen us because the music became slower until it transitioned into a slow song. I twirled her around to George Michael’s version of Somebody to Love. With the crescendo, I pulled her close, holding her so our bodies met and the heat between us became combustible.

Leaning closer to her, I whispered a promise against her ear. “I’m going to make love to you tonight.” I felt her body shiver and I was right. She wanted me as much as I wanted her, at least sexually. I’ll get her to see me for the man I normally am, not the asshole I’ve been since I met her cousin. It was clear Nicole told her about my reaction to the news of Vincenzo getting married.