Lahat ng Kabanata ng SUBSTITUTE BRIDE FOR THE MAFIA DON: Kabanata 271 - Kabanata 280

Andrea's POVMy hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer even though we were already pressed together. His lips moved against mine with a desperate intensity that stole my breath, like he'd been starving for this and couldn't hold back anymore.The kiss deepened, his tongue sweeping against my bottom lip, and I opened for him without thinking. The taste of him flooded my senses—mint and coffee and something uniquely Dante that made my head spin.His hand slid from my jaw into my hair, his fingers tangling in the strands, angling my head so he could kiss me deeper. A small sound escaped my throat—half gasp, half moan—and I felt him shudder against me.This was nothing like I'd imagined a first kiss would be. This wasn't sweet or gentle or tentative. This was desperate and hungry and consuming, like we were both trying to pour weeks of pent-up tension and want into this single moment.His other hand moved from my waist to my lower back, pressing me impossibly closer. I could feel e

Andrea's POVThen there was Marcus, the charming journalism student who'd pursued me relentlessly my junior year. We'd gone on a handful of dates, and he'd been perfect on paper—smart, funny, attractive, ambitious. But when he'd looked at me, I didn't feel that electric charge I'd felt under Dante's gaze. When he'd touched my hand across the dinner table, I didn't feel my skin ignite the way it had when Dante's fingers had wrapped around my wrist.I'd tried. God, I'd really tried to move on, to find someone who made me feel even a fraction of what I'd felt during those confusing, intense days in New York.But no one measured up.No one had Dante's intensity, his darkness, the way he'd looked at me like I was something precious and dangerous all at once. No one made my heart race with just a smirk or a nickname I pretended to hate. No one kissed me like the world was ending and I was the only thing that mattered.I'd eventually stopped trying to date altogether, telling myself I was fo

Andrea's POVI settled back into my seat and watched New York City pass by through the tinted windows. We'd left the airfield and merged onto a highway, the skyline visible in the distance. It looked different from how I remembered—bigger, more imposing, more real now that I was older and understood more about the world.The drive gave me too much time to think. Too much time to wonder what I was walking into. Too much time to imagine scenarios of seeing Dante again.Would he be at the mansion when I arrived? Would Luca have warned him I was coming? Would he care?Maybe he had a girlfriend now. Maybe even a wife. Four years was a long time. He could have moved on completely, built a whole life that had nothing to do with the girl he'd kissed once on a balcony.The thought made my chest ache, which was stupid. I had no claim on him. We'd never even really been anything. Just a week of confusing tension and one kiss that I'd run away from.But those birthday gifts...They had to mean so

Andrea's POVSince when did he call me that? He'd called me Bambi, called me Andrea with frustration or heat or teasing, but never "Miss Andrea" like I was some dignitary he'd just met.The formality felt wrong. Felt like a wall he was putting between us, a distance he was deliberately creating.And it stung more than I wanted to admit.But I wasn't going to let it show. Wasn't going to let him see that his coldness affected me. I was twenty-two years old now, not eighteen. I'd survived heartbreak and moved on with my life.At least, that's what I was going to pretend."Thanks," I said, keeping my voice light and casual. "It's good to be back."We stood there in awkward silence for a moment. He didn't move from the doorway. I didn't move from my position by the refrigerator. The kitchen suddenly felt very small despite being massive, the air between us charged with four years of unspoken words.I told myself I wasn't going to let it bother me. I was here to celebrate my graduation, to

Andrea's POVWe got ready for the club, and Dee and I looked hot. Like, seriously hot.I'd helped Dee into that black dress we'd picked out at the mall—it hugged every curve perfectly, the hem hitting mid-thigh and showing off those incredible legs. She'd paired it with the strappy heels and minimal jewelry, letting the dress speak for itself. Her hair was down in soft waves, her makeup smoky and dramatic. She looked like a goddess.I'd gone for a deep burgundy dress with a low back and a slit up one thigh, paired with black heels that made my legs look longer than they actually were. I'd curled my hair and done my makeup with a bold red lip, feeling more confident and sexy than I had in months.Luca hadn't been at the mansion—still handling business somewhere—but I had a feeling he was going to lose his mind when he saw Dee in that dress.We took the Lamborghini to the club, because why not? The drive was exhilarating, the city lights blurring past as Dee navigated through Manhattan