Stepbrother's Debt(28)

She hesitated in taking it.

“Do I need to remind you that you owe me, Paige?”

Sliding her hand in his, they turned toward the stairs. “Is that what I have to look forward to? You reminding me every moment that I owe you?”

“No. What you’ve got to look forward to, baby, is remembering that at any moment my father could end your life. Only when we’re really married are we safe.”

She tensed up, chancing a look toward him. “I don’t want to die.” She hated admitting the truth. Paige really wished she didn’t care about living or dying, but she did.

“Then you’re going to have to play along with everything that is happening.”

“How? What do you need me to do?” she asked, turning to look at him.

Death wasn’t something she wanted to look for. If marrying Donnie kept her alive, then she’d take it. He wouldn’t kill her, and she had to believe him.

“Then behave like you’re in love with me. Don’t look at my father with disgust. You may hate him, but don’t show it. The Family will see it, and like vultures they will pounce on it.”

“So I’ve got to act completely besotted with you in order to stay alive?”

“It’s not a hard price to pay for staying alive.”

“I know it’s not a hard price to pay, but I just wished you didn’t have to deal with me.”

He took her hand, shocking her, as he placed her open palm over his cock. Donnie was hard as rock.

“Believe me, Paige. This is no hardship to me. I want you, and you want me. We’ll find a mutual pleasure in each other.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. With this kiss he didn’t linger, but he did make her yearn for more of his touch.

He was going to try to get under her skin, and in that moment, to Paige’s shame, it was working. It was working far more than she would have liked.

Gritting her teeth, she stared at him, wondering if there was anything else he was going to do.

Donnie smiled. “Act happy for everyone and we’ll be good. I won’t leave your side. I promise.”

They made their way down to join the party. The doors were open from the dining room, leading out into the garden. She spotted Luiz, Tonio, and Jake as they were spread throughout the party. None of them looked angry. She noticed Luiz was standing close to Maria. Rafael, Maria’s husband, held onto her arm.

The woman looked thinner than the last time Paige had seen her. The sight made her feel guilty for Maria.

“The woman of the hour,” Anthony said, raising his voice over the noise.

Within seconds the room fell silent as all eyes landed on them. Paige gripped Donnie’s arm tighter. She smiled as best she could, resting her head against his arm.

“I have an announcement for all of you. As you know Paige is the daughter of my current wife, and it would seem love has bloomed between my son and her daughter. In one month, she will be a Martinez, bound to my son and to The Family.” Anthony took hold of her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles, before gripping her face. The threat was still there, and she smiled, pretending nothing was happening, when the truth was, she was falling apart. “We look forward to her joining the family.”

“I have a ring,” Donnie said, presenting a ring. “This is the ring that was passed to my mother, and after she died, it was given to me.”

“Our traditions remain the same,” Anthony said. “The first wife of the eldest son has the ring that has been passed down generations.”

Donnie held her finger, and slid the diamond engagement ring onto her finger. Biting her lip, she did her best to smile. The weight of the ring was shocking to her, scarily so. This was binding her to him for the rest of their lives.

Don’t be afraid.

Don’t be afraid.

He cupped her cheek, pressing another kiss to her lips. The crowd erupted, and they were swarmed by congratulations.

There wasn’t anything she could do.

From that moment on, she was well and truly trapped.





Chapter Seven




Donnie stood with Paige as they made their way around the room. He accepted thanks from everyone, shaking hands, and holding her tightly against his side. She wasn’t leaving his side, not once.

They moved to stand beside Luiz, Maria, and Rafael. Luiz shook his hand as did Rafael. There was going to come a point when that bastard wouldn’t be around. From the look on Luiz’s face, the moment couldn’t come soon enough.

He glanced at Maria and spotted several bruises around her wrists. They were only apparent when she moved enough for the cuff of the dress to ride up. She always wore long clothes that hid as much skin as possible.

Rafael was a cruel bastard, and Donnie couldn’t wait until he was dead. There needed to be a cull in The Family. No one else had the guts, and all of their fathers didn’t have a clue their own sons were plotting against them. It was unheard of, and that was what was going to make it work. They were not trying to get better than themselves or take The Family down for good.