Emilia:
Part One
Trassato
Crime #3
By Lisa Cardiff
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: May 16, 2017
Freedom and a
meaningful life away from the violence of the Trassato Crime Family is all I
ever wanted…
But what I want
doesn’t matter now that I’m caught in a tug of war between two men in the
dangerous world of organized crime.
Marcello
Masciantonio is the man my father expects me to marry. He wants me because I’m
the daughter of Dominick Trassato, New York’s most powerful crime boss. He says
he’s my future, and I want to hate him, but I can’t deny the spark that burns
between us.
Salvatore
D’Amico is perfect. He supports me. He understands me. He’s willing to betray
my father and give up his family to have me. He doesn’t care about the power
that comes with being part of my family. He wants me for me.
My choice is
simple, right?
Wrong.
Everyone has an
agenda, including Salvatore and Marcello, and just when I think I have
everything figured out, I realize I don’t know a damn thing.
Truths are lies.
Freedom is lonely. But worst of all…
My love triangle
is actually a hate triangle.
Marcello
placed his hand on my lower back and guided me forward.
I let
him because I didn’t have a choice. From the minute my eyes collided with his,
I felt as if a tornado had swept into my life and flung me around without
regard for the consequences.
When we entered the great room, my heart was still pounding, and
my muscles were doing a good impersonation of overcooked noodles. At least a
hundred sets of eyes gawked back at me, but the only one I could see was
Sal.
Marcello’s
arm shifted, sliding around my hip, pulling me tight to his side. He grinned
down at me with a look I could only describe as possessive. Then his gaze cut
to Sal and the air buzzed with unexpected tension.
I didn’t have time to dwell on it because my father handed
Marcello and me a glass of champagne and stepped forward, his hands raised in
the air. “Family and friends, it is with great pleasure that I announce my
beautiful daughter’s engagement to Marcello Masciantonio. From the moment, I
met this man, I hoped he’d make a wonderful partner for my Emilia. From
everything I’ve heard, he is loyal and smart. I’m overjoyed he’ll be my son
soon. I know my wife would’ve felt the same. Salute.”
The
clinking of glasses echoed through the room, and I stood in front of everyone
who was anyone in my life, completely unresponsive and lightheaded. A toxic
concoction of panic, dread, and restlessness seeped into my veins, and I
painted a nauseatingly fake smile on my face. As best as I could tell, no one
noticed or cared. They saw what they wanted to see—a compliant daughter
accepting her fate.
“To my
beautiful fiancée. I can’t wait to start our life together.” Marcello tapped
his glass against mine and I lifted it to my lips, letting the sweet bubbles
pop on my tongue before sliding down my barren throat, nearly choking on it and
the strange reality of life.
He set
our glasses on a nearby table and cradled my face with his big calloused hands,
a diabolic gleam in his eyes. Where his hard body touched mine, my skin became
hot, needy. In retrospect, I should have given him what he wanted in my dad’s
office, and maybe he would have spared me from making a scene in front of
everyone. Apprehension clawed up my chest, and I shook my head slightly, hoping
I could convince him not to kiss me when I couldn’t fight back without turning
this whole party into a spectacle I’d never live down.
Rather
than yielding to my not so subtle plea, he tightened his hold on me, and his
lips slanted against mine. I stiffened, and he whispered against my mouth,
“Relax and put your arms around me, little Emilia. It’s only a kiss. I won’t
hurt you, and you won’t hurt me since you promised to keep your biting
tendencies in check.”
My
mouth parted at his joke, and he took advantage. His tongue thrust inside,
kissing me, teasing me. I whimpered, and my arms tightened around his shoulders
like he was the only thing keeping me standing.
My
stomach danced, and my nipples hardened. Every brush of his lips or curl of his
tongue turned my world upside down. All the reasons why this was a bad idea
slipped my mind, and all I wanted to do was drink in everything he had to
offer, damn the consequences. When we finally separated, my hands remained on
his shoulders and our legs tangled like lovers. Marcello smirked, and I shut
down from what could only be shock.
Light, tittering laughter pierced my kiss-induced haze,
reminding me where we were. The implications of what I’d done settled deep into
my bones and flames licked my face. I elbowed him, desperate to regain my
sanity and keep this man at arm’s length. My eyes flitted sightlessly around
the room, seeking out Sal, and he was nowhere to be found.
I
inhaled deeply, shoving away the guilt taunting me. Sal knew how I felt about
him, and he understood what I needed to do to make the future we planned
together a reality. Both of us had to play this role for another month, then
we’d be free to do whatever we wanted. No price was too high for our freedom.
We could do this. A few kisses wouldn’t change anything.
After spending
years practicing law and running a real estate development company with her
husband, Lisa decided to pursue her dream of becoming a writer and she must
confess that inventing characters is so much more fun than writing contracts
and legal briefs. A native of Colorado, she lives with her husband and three
children in Denver.
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