by Sky Corgan
His mother wanted to invite all of their extended family, but Ryder finally convinced her that we wanted to keep things small. This was as small as it was getting.
I try not to wear a smug grin as I pass Giovanni Bianchi on my way to the alter. He was none too pleased when he found out that Ryder was going to marry his hostage. That was a whole other fight. When Ryder took me to his family home to announce the news, I genuinely feared that Giovanni was going to bash Ryder's face in the same way that Joey had ruffed up my father. The only thing that kept it from happening was the fact that Ryder's mother was there. Giovanni spared us the whole brunt of the conversation by dragging Ryder outside, but not before he called me every bad word under the sun in both English and Italian. My personal favorite was 'son stealing harlot.'
Ryder's mother took me into the kitchen and fed me homemade cannoli while we tensely listened to the two men yelling outside. Their voices were muffled, so we couldn't make out what they were saying, but I could only imagine. It was hard explaining to his mother what was going on since I was supposed to be one of Giovanni Bianchi's dirty little secrets. Before arriving, Ryder and I had come up with the story that I was one of his father's business rival's daughters. She was understandably not sure why he was making such a big deal about it, though she confessed that he was a hotheaded man. If she only knew the half of it.
Once the fires of confrontation died down, we were invited to Sunday dinner. The rest of Ryder's family was warm and inviting to me, having not much of a clue where I had come from or how I had come to steal the heart of their sibling. His father still regarded me like a stain on the tablecloth. Part of me was worried that he'd have me scrubbed out before the wedding, but Ryder assured me that his father would never go that far. All I could do was believe him.
Ryder and I join hands at the alter and unite in marriage. It's hard to believe that less than a month ago I was his prisoner, and now I'm his wife. I'm happy with how everything turned out, though. Stockholm syndrome for the win, I suppose. This is royally screwed up, when I think about it, but it is what it is.
After the wedding, Ryder and I board a plane for Italy. He shows me all of the sites of his home country. It's a beautiful place. The food is absolutely fabulous, but by the end of our trip, I notice that it's no longer agreeing with me in the mornings. We drive to the grocery store for a pregnancy test, and low and behind, all of that raw dogging it had its consequences.
I cringe as I deliver the news, holding the pregnancy test behind my back. “There's something I forgot to tell you.”
“What's that?” He sits on the edge of the bed, sliding his feet into his shoes. It's our last day in Italy, and he has another full day of sightseeing planned.
“You know how I was a virgin?”
“Yeah.” Ryder stops what he's doing and looks up at me, quickly getting the hint that what I have to tell him is important.
“I wasn't on birth control.” I wrinkle my nose, watching his expression to see if he can piece things together himself.
“Yeah, and?” his Italian impatience shows through.
“And surprise!” I toss the pregnancy test at him, then cover my eyes with both hands.
There's silence for a moment. When I peek through my fingers, he's gazing down at the pregnancy test, a smile plastered across his handsome face.
“Perfect,” he says.
I move my hands back down to my sides. “Perfect as in sarcasm, or perfect as in perfect?”
When he looks up at me, I see the pride in his eyes. “Perfect,” he repeats before standing and approaching me.
My gaze falls to his hand, which he places on my belly to rub in a soft circle. I'm not showing at all, but we both know what's in there. Our son or daughter. I smile softly, feeling like Juno. I'd bet a hundred dollars this happened the first time we had sex. We've had sex at least a dozen times since then, but I just know it was our first time. I can feel it in my bones.
“I hope it's a boy,” he says.
“I hope it's a girl.” My eyes flick up to meet his.
He catches my gaze and smiles brighter than the sun. “Then I hope it's a girl, too. Whatever makes my princess happy.”
To further support these authors, please post a review after you finish reading this book.
Sky Corgan is the USA Today bestselling author of Bully. She lives in Texas where the sun is hot and the men are hotter. When she's not typing away at her next steamy romance novel, she enjoys hanging out with friends and attending kinky BDSM clubs. Many of the events in her books are based on things that actually happened, and she greatly fancies infusing real life with fantasy.
Please see her Author Central Account on Amazon for a full list of her titles.
Sign up for her mailing list and find out about her latest releases, giveaways, and more. Plus, get a FREE book! Click here!
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AuthorSkyCorgan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSkyCorgan/
Also By Sky Corgan:
Bully
Unmatchable
Playing Dom
Damaged
Back to the Heart
Primal
Working for the Billionaires Club
The Snowman
Mixed Up
Sold Innocence
Roxy Sinclaire writes steamy, suspenseful romantic stories as the main genre, and this includes a variety of different topics. Some of these include dark romances, action packed romances, mafia romances, and many more. She currently works in customer relations in New York City, but is trying to fulfill her passion in writing and eventually have her dream job become a reality.
Please see her Author Central Account on Amazon for a full list of her titles.
Sign up for her mailing list and find out about her latest releases, giveaways, and more. Plus, get a FREE book! Click here!
Twitter: http://twitter.com/roxysinclaire
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoxySinclaireAuthor/
Website: http://roxysinclaire.com/
Email: [email protected]
Also By Roxy Sinclaire:
Pass To Win Series:
Touchdown: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 1)
Line of Scrimmage: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (Book 2)
Between The Tackles: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 3)
Fourth and Goal: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 4)
Dirty Money: A Dark Mafia Romance
Object Me: A Bad Boy Lawyer Romance
Dirty Fighter: A Bad Boy MMA Romance
Fast and Loaded: A Bad Boy Sports Romance
Tempting Me: A Bad Boy Romance
The Devil’s Dream: A Dark Romance
Trapped In His World: A Dark Romance
Deceived By The Hitman: A Bad Boy Hitman Romance
