Married to the Bad Boy(38)
“I’m really sorry.”
I take my purse and stand up from the table, eyes blinking away tears as I walk to the closet and grab my coat roughly, sending the hanger flying.
Honestly, what did I expect?
I ignore the hostess as I barge outside and walk swiftly down the freezing streets. Fuck, it’s so much colder here than New York, and it’s the kind of cold that seeps through every layer. I hug myself in the middle of the sidewalk, blinking furiously and feeling utterly alone in this foreign place.
I can’t even speak the language.
Nowhere to go.
My back slides against a brick wall and I huddle in the snow, hands wrapped around my knees. Part of me hopes I’ll freeze—maybe it’s cold enough to freeze my heart into place.
A man in a long wool coat walks past me, his gaze flicking to me sharply before he walks on. Then he stops in his tracks and doubles back.
“Elena?”
Tony. He came after me. The way he says my name fills me with hope. I know that it’s dangerous to hope, but I can’t help but lift my head to look at him.
“What?”
Tony frowns at me as he walks close enough so that his boots touch mine.
“I need assurances.” He gives me a shrewd look. “I don’t trust you.”
“I’ll pay you half up front. Tommy’s in on it, and he trusts me.”
That was not entirely true, but close enough.
“That’s not good enough.”
He bends down and takes my freezing hands, and I stand up with him. It makes my heart pound to be so close to him.
“I—I don’t know what else to do, then.”
His hand curls around my neck and my pulse beats into his thumb. Gray eyes search my face, which grows more and more hot. “How am I supposed to trust you and let you in my home?”
“Why would I do anything to piss you off? I already have one pissed-off mobster after me.”
Deep dimples carve into his smile.
“What if we don’t get along? Three months is a long time.”
“We don’t have to get along. We just have to tolerate one another.”
“This is crazy, Elena. It’s fucking nuts.”
“But it’ll work, and you’ll be fifty thousand dollars richer. In a few months, we’ll divorce. It won’t mean anything, I just need to have a fucking ring on my finger for a while.”
He considers it, lifting his head as he stares into the brick wall. I can see the cogs working in his head, weighing the advantages and disadvantages.
“If you were my ex-wife, I could probably get a sit-down with Johnny if that asshole tried anything.”
“Perfect.”
He smiles at me. “There’s still no way you’re going to get people to believe this.”
I think hard, staring into his honest eyes, and then a rush of adrenaline runs through my veins. “I’m pregnant.”
A stunned silence follows my words, which Tony eventually breaks with a laugh.
“That might work,” he says in an impressed voice. “Fuck, I’m going to hell.”
A sigh of relief runs through my body as he shuts his eyes.
“Why me?”
Why did I choose him? Well, that’s simple.
“You looked strong and—and I thought you were—well, you’re my type.”
Mischief shines through his eyes. “Am I?”
His eyes smolder suddenly and his hand wraps around my wrist, pulling me into his chest.
“Can’t you tell?”
A rush of heat fills my neck as I feel his warmth and his lips touch right under my ear. My skin shivers at the brief contact. Everything—his hands around my waist and his breath billowing over my skin—it overwhelms me. I’ve never been quite this speechless around a man before, but the sensations void all thought from my head.
“Yes, I think I can.” He sears my neck with a biting kiss, one that’s sure to leave a mark. I moan and tremble in his arms.
“Tony, I really don’t think we should—if we’re going to be living together we don’t want to complicate things.”
He pulls back with a steely look in his eyes. “What?”
“We shouldn’t have sex anymore.”
Blackness descends over his face. “What’s the point of having a fake marriage if I can’t have any of the benefits?”
I inhale a sharp breath as he plants a kiss, breathing hot air over my neck. Damn, it feels amazing. “It’s just a—a job.”
“Uh-huh. And how the hell am I supposed to bring women back home if you’re there all the time?”
My insides clench hard as I think about it. Fuck, I don’t want to think of him with other women. The thought of hearing him with another girl in his room makes me feel slightly sick.