The space between them disappeared. She arched into him, tilting her head as his lips traced a slow path down her jaw, then lower.

Goodness, she wanted more.

***

Valentina De Luca was never meant to be a Caruso bride. That was her sister's role—until Alecia ran off with her fiancé, leaving behind a family drowning in debt and a deal that couldn’t be undone. Now, Valentina is the one offered up as collateral, forced into marriage with Naples’ most dangerous man.

Luca Caruso has no use for a woman who wasn’t part of the original bargain. To him, Valentina is nothing more than a replacement, a means to reclaim what was promised to him. But she isn’t as fragile as she seems. And the more their lives tangle, the harder she is to ignore.

Everything begins to go well for her, well, until her sister returns. And with her, the kind of trouble that could ruin them all.

The Mafia's Substitute Bride

The DeLuca estate felt heavier than usual that morning. Not in any literal sense, of course, but in a suffocating way a house did when everyone inside it already knew to keep their heads down. Conversations barely happened, the footsteps sounded softer than usual. Nobody stayed where they didn’t abs...

Selfish goals