Mafia's Redemption: Terzo - Chapter 17: Chapter 17

TERZO
Fuck me.
I stared at my bride, who was walking in my direction in her pretty, lacy mini bridal gown with a sweetheart neckline. She had a short veil that barely covered her beautiful face.
“Shut your mouth, Siciliano. You might catch a fly.” Lake elbowed me playfully with a chuckle.
I quickly shut my mouth before my stunning bride arrived.
“Hi.” Our gazes met. Her smile met her eyes, but there was still fear, and she still had her guards up. “You look beautiful.”
“So do you. I mean, you cleaned up pretty well.” She smiled shyly as she gave her bouquet to my sister, who served as her maid of honor and witness.
I made sure I looked like a groom who made an effort to look better on his wedding day. I did my haircut and trimmed my growing beard. I put on an Italian tux because I wanted to look good in the picture.
I was getting married in the first place, legally, and I wanted to remember what it felt like on that wedding day because my life couldn’t guarantee if I ever got another chance.
As soon as the officiant started the ceremony, the chapel was decorated with flowers and chandeliers, and details passed like a blur. Everything around me faded.
I knew this was not her dream wedding. Most girls preferred extravagant, memorable weddings attended by their family and friends, posted on the internet, but this was the only wedding I could give her right now.
We exchanged vows. The moment I slid the ring onto her ring finger, I was hit by a strange, strong realization that this marriage was real. I was going to have a wife, and I was going to be a husband.
My heart raced, and I suddenly became aware of everything around me.
I will respect you as my wife, and I will do anything to make you happy and cherish our time together.
“You may now kiss your bride. Congratulations!” the officiant announced.
I looked at my bride, so beautiful it hurt to look at her, and that I dragged her into this. Her eyes were so magnificent and expressive as she stared back at me.
From today onward, I will protect you with my life. My vows struck me in a violent intensity.
I took a deep breath and smiled. I was instantly assaulted by her sweet and seductive perfume. My heart beat faster than I had felt it in a while. I leaned forward and cupped her small face gently as if she were the most delicate flower I’d ever held.
Her cheeks became more flushed, and she trembled against my touch. Then our lips met. It was a soft kiss at first until it felt so right.
The kiss turned deep, firm, and sensual. I forgot for a moment that we were still in front of the officiant until cheers erupted around us and flashes from the camera, capturing that moment.
When I gently eased away, my wife’s eyes were still closed, and she was catching her breath. I held her for a moment before she regained control.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I felt a little overwhelmed.” She bit her bottom lip innocently, yet, my body reacted to it, my cock hardening in my pants.
We posed for more photographs that felt like it took hours. When I felt blinded by the flashes, I raised my hand. “That’s enough. I’m sure you got everything you want.”
When the limo arrived, I bid goodbye to my sister and Lake. They congratulated us one more time. I guided my bride inside the limo. She went silent at the end of the seat, looking outside the window.
She jolted and yelped as I put my hand on her thigh to get her attention. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. We’re going to the hotel suite I booked. Whatever is in your head right now, forget it. I’m not gonna force myself on you. I may have done terrible things, but I never violated any women. I have sisters. I had a mother, and I respect them.”
“Thanks.” She turned to me. “I wasn’t thinking like that. I was thinking of what’s next in my life now that I’m married to you. Is my life always gonna be in danger? Can I ever sleep without thinking that someone might want to kill me?”
“Nobody is going to kill you, Dani. The offer still stands. After you meet your father, you can decide what to do with your life. I won’t hold you back.” But I still own you, and I protect what’s mine and keep them at arm’s length.
She studied me for a while. “Then what will happen to you and my father?”
“I don’t care as long as I know you’re safe.”
She stared at me as if I had gone insane. Honestly, I didn’t know what I’d been doing for the last couple of days. It felt like I was floating, daydreaming, or I was hallucinating and dreaming all at once.
Nothing seemed real. I was sure it was not drug-induced because I only took mild painkillers, but it just happened that I got too comfortable with my living arrangement that I forgot the danger outside world and in my little apartment.
We arrived at the hotel, and I selected an expensive honeymoon suite for us, even just for a night. Her breathing caught the moment I pushed the door open. Then I walked into an open double-door to the king-sized bed at the end.
I held her arms and whispered, “I’ll take the bed.” It was a king-sized bed draped in a luxurious silk sheet, and would definitely fit both of us in there.
She sucked in a breath and shivered. I hoped it wasn’t a bad sign. I left her and took off my suit jacket, and pulled the bow tie.
She stepped in slowly as if calculating her steps. “I need a drink.”
Then I kicked off my shoes one by one before I went to the mini bar. I poured us Champagne into two glasses.
“To Mrs. & Mrs. Siciliano.” I raised the glass.
“To us.” She grabbed the glass with a shaky hand and clinked it with mine.
I took a sip while she drained it empty. “Do you want more? You seem tense.”
“I am.” She offered the empty glass. “But I don’t wanna get drunk and suffer a hangover in the morning.”
I took the glass and set it down on the counter. Then I took off the small veil covering her head. I pulled out those pins one by one from her hair.
She sighed and relaxed a little.
“Don’t be nervous around me, Dani.” Once I was done with her hair, she ran her fingers to loosen the curls. “Turn around.”
She did as I asked her to. Then I unlatched the hook on her dress and zipped it down. I couldn’t help but run the back of my finger on her exposed, soft, and smooth skin. She held her breath and let go shudderingly.
“You wanna soak in a tub?”
“No.” She turned around. Her dress loosened around her shoulders, exposing a good, ample amount of her cleavage.
I stared at her, letting my greedy eyes wander over my wife. “You’re beautiful, Danielle Leone Aristide. Your name suits you.” I ran the palm of my finger over her cheekbone, down to her lips, and watched her swallow. She seemed nervous, really nervous. The Champagne she drank hadn’t affected her nerves.
“Fuck it.” She then took a deep breath and began unbuttoning my shirt. “You’re my husband. I’m your wife, right? I slept with a stranger before. Technically, you’re not a stranger, so what am I so nervous about?”
I held her hand. “Look at me.”
She paused and met my gaze.
“I don’t want you to talk about other men anymore, especially when they get to touch you. You’re my wife, and I don’t share you with anyone else.”
She gaped. “Does that apply to you as well?”
“Of course.”
“So you will stop sleeping with Katie?”
I chuckled. “I haven’t slept with her for over a year.”
“Good.” She had a hard time unbuttoning my shirt, making me chuckle. I guess she had trouble with small details. “Fuck!” She didn’t hesitate. She ripped my shirt open, buttons flew everywhere. She looked at me with wide eyes in satisfaction.
“You’ll pay for that.” I undid the cufflinks with ease and took off my shirt. “Don’t.”
She was about to undress herself, but I’d love to do it myself.
“That’s my job.”