Page 17 of Mafia and Protector

Jessica had gone deathly pale at this question. Perhaps she wasn’t looking forward to the process of making children with me. Tough—she was going to become my wife today and I would be claiming her body tonight whether she wanted it or not. Jessica whispered, “I am.”

For God’s sake, she could at least have tried to sound a little more convincing. The girl before me today was a completely different person from the girl I had met at the contract signing. She blew hot and cold and could change from demure to prickly in a heartbeat.

But I wasn’t going to play her game. She would be my wife and submit to my will, or she would reap the consequences.

We joined our right hands and made our vows to one another. When it was Jessica’s turn, I listened in satisfaction as she quietly said the required words. “I, Jessica, take you, Rafael, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”

It was time to exchange the rings and her hand shook uncontrollably as I slid the wedding band onto her slender finger. “Jessica, receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

When the priest announced that I could kiss my wife, I didn’t give my bride a chance to shrink away from me. Instead, I firmly grasped her in my arms and pressed my lips against her reluctant mouth.

As her sweet summery scent drifted into my senses, I felt her trembling in my hold—and I knew that I was definitely looking forward to later when I would have her in my bed.

CHAPTER 5

RAFAEL

At the hotel selected for the reception, we stood at the entrance to greet the endless line of guests, and again my bride avoided looking at me as much as humanly possible.

After we had finally done our duty to the arriving guests, we made our way to the head table. Every time I thought about my bride’s behavior today, the blood heated in my veins.

As soon as we sat down at the table, Jessica reached for a glass of champagne.

I shot out my hand and I grabbed it away from her. “You’re too young to drink,” I growled, disregarding the fact that her parents had likely permitted her to drink wine with meals at home.

“So, I’m old enough to be married off to you but not to drink at my own wedding?” she snapped.

“Correct.” At last, I had got a whole sentence out of her. To be honest, her drinking didn’t bother me. Right now, however, I needed some outlet for my irritation with her.

Jessica glowered at me, but I couldn’t have cared less at this moment.

Anyhow, I didn’t want her drunk tonight—I wanted her to remember me taking her as mine, marking her with my cum, and making her submit to me.

All too soon, it was time for our first dance. As the music started, I stood up and held out my hand to my bride, but she deliberately looked away from me.

Christ, what the hell was she playing at? Her obvious unwillingness at the church had been bad enough, but she was my wife now whether she liked it or not. I couldn’t understand the point of her games.

I reached down and took hold of her slender wrist, hauling her up to her feet and toward me.

“What are you doing?” she asked in a high voice.

“What does it look like? You’re not going to get out of dancing with me that easily.”

I tugged her behind me to the dancefloor, not slowing down my long-legged stride for her.

I could see she was struggling to keep up with me, but my grip around her wrist gave her no chance to slow down.

Once we were on the dancefloor, I pulled her small body into my hold. Despite not being a romantic, I would never have imagined my first dance with my bride being like this, with her caged in my vice-like grasp and being practically dragged around the floor by me.

“You’re holding me too tight,” she murmured.

“That’s what comes of being difficult,” I retorted.

“I wasn’t being difficult. I just didn’t want to dance.”

“When will it get through to you that your wants are irrelevant now? You will do what is expected of you today as my bride, first at this reception and then in my bed tonight.”

Her face blanched at my words. And I felt a surge of triumph that I was finally getting some reaction from her, rather than the distant, haughty bride she had been so far.