All Chapters of The Mafia's Bride: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Chapter ElevenAS they turned back onto the main road, Carlotta caught a glimpse of a black SUV in the side mirror. Sleek. Tinted windows. No plates. And moving like a shadow, mimicking every turn Alessandro made.She might not have noticed at all if Alessandro hadn't gone so completely, unnervingly quiet.His grip on the wheel had tightened. Twice, he tapped the leather in a small, deliberate movements. Not a habit. A signal."Is something wrong?" Carly asked, trying to sound calm, though her heartbeat had already betrayed her.Alessandro didn't look her way. "I think we're being followed.""You think?"She sank lower into her seat, trying to ignore the chill crawling up her spine.Is this the excitement I've been craving for in a long time? Adrenaline. Tinted windows. The real possibility of a car chase?Without warning, Alessandro made a sharp turn. No signal, just instinct. The Hummer darted into a narrow street lined with old warehouses and dark alleys. Carly clutched the door ha

Chapter ThirteenCARLOTTA cracked one eye open. And instantly regretted it.The sun punched her square in the face like it had a personal vendetta.Her mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. And her head? Like a full-blown town fiesta hosted by a marching band of drunk squirrels with tambourines clanging, tap shoes clicking, and one particularly enthusiastic rodent was doing the Macarena on her frontal lobe."Oh, God," she groaned and buried her face into the pillow.Big mistake.Because that was all it took for her brain to start playing the greatest hits of last night in vivid, excruciating detail.The tequila.The car.The kiss.The straddling.The tongue hockey."Oh, crap..." she whispered, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling like it might deliver divine intervention.She'd practically climbed her bodyguard like he was dessert and she was on a cheat

Chapter FifteenALESSANDRO sat tucked in the far corner of the bar, half-hidden in shadows, nursing a drink he hadn't touched. His eyes were fixed on one woman behind the counter. It had become a nightly ritual over the past month. Watching her from a quiet distance, unnoticed.And yet, every night, she seemed like a different woman.She wasn't the kind of beauty that turned heads on sight. No dramatic entrances. No commanding presence that demanded attention the moment she walked into a room. Hers was subtler, a slow burn. The kind of allure that didn't strike like lightning, but seeped in quietly. Threading itself into your thoughts until you found her impossible to ignore.She moved with ease behind the bar, sleeves rolled up, hair twisted into a messy bun, smile crooked and eyes sharp. There was something magnetic in her contradictions. Flirtatious, yet guarded. Tough, but never unkind. Weary, but still standing tall like nothing coul

Chapter SeventeenTHERE were no more words. Just the silence between them, thick with everything left unsaid.Alessandro sighed inwardly. He'd been doing a lot of that lately.Carlotta stirred against him.Her fingers flexed slightly over his chest, as if testing the steady beat beneath her palm. Then, slowly, deliberately, she tilted her face up to his. Her breath ghosted against his skin—warm, laced with sleep and something far more dangerous.Their eyes met.Hers were heavy-lidded, glossy from liquor, but filled with something raw. Vulnerable. Hungry."Carly..." he warned, though his voice came out more like a plea.She didn't speak. She simply reached up and touched his jaw. Lightly at first, then with more certainty. Her thumb brushed the corner of his mouth. He could barely breathe."I hate you," she whispered again, softer this time. Different.And then she kissed him.It wasn'

Chapter Nineteen"I'M already bleeding here."Carlotta frowned as she looked at Alessandro."You've been shooting daggers at me, just so you know," he said without taking his eyes off the road.It had been several days since she last saw him at the bar—with a stunning, fair-skinned woman who looked like she'd stepped straight out of a Chinese drama. Since that night, she hadn't spoken to him.Instead, she buried herself in writing and grueling dance rehearsals. A convenient excuse to keep her distance and spare them both the awkwardness looming before the upcoming bachelor party at Buccaneer's Bar."Can you at least give me an idea of what your boss looks like?" she asked, a hint of exasperation in her voice.They've had this conversation before. But this time, she wasn't in the mood for evasions or half-truths. She wanted a straight answer."I'm sure he already knows what I look like, but I haven't even seen a shadow of him. What if we bump into each other and I don't even recognize