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He dropped his hand. “No. I got it when Serafina was kidnapped. The memories of what followed hurt more.”
It was the most personal thing Samuel had ever shared with me, and it made me feel even worse for accusing him of cheating. “I’m sorry for accusing you of cheating. I just thought…”
I trailed off, not sure how to say it.
“You just thought?” he asked, his gaze boring into my eyes.
“You are a man, a man who had many lovers before our marriage.”
“I did,” Samuel admitted, turning around to me. “And I have no need for further conquests. What you said sounds like something your mother put in your head.”
“She probably did,” I muttered. I sighed, then narrowed my eyes. “So you say because you had so many girls before marriage, you can be faithful now. By that logic, I’d have to go look for a lover, considering my lack of experience.”
Samuel climbed back on the bed and cupped my face with a dominant smile. “This world doesn’t give girls the same freedoms as we get, and while this is certainly not a fair concept, I like that you are mine alone and will always only be mine.”
He kissed me. Soon, his kiss became more demanding, and we ended up having sex again. Afterward, I snuggled up to him with my cheek pressed to his strong chest. Samuel had no trouble allowing this kind of closeness. His fingers were even stroking my arm gently, making me feel cared for and very drowsy.
“I thought about your wish to dance.”
I held my breath.
“I think it’s a good idea. As long as Leo’s observations don’t give me reason to change my mind, I’ll allow you to take dance lessons.”
I pushed up and kissed his lips with a big smile. “Thank you!”
His eyes scanned my beaming face, and he brushed a strand away from my face. I kissed him lightly, then put my head back down and cuddled even closer to him. He wrapped an arm around me. “I feel safe in your arms,” I admitted in a small voice.
Samuel released a deep breath. “I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
The following day, I helped with another meeting at the community center. The dance studio couldn’t offer me a tryout session so quickly after I’d canceled my last, so I had to wait two more days.
During the meeting, I found out Samuel had indeed spoken with Fiorentino’s father and made it clear they wanted his son to prove his worth.
Fiorentino beamed as he told me. “Tomorrow, Samuel and his father will oversee the first training of new initiates.”
“What happens there?” I asked curiously.
Fiorentino seemed unsure of what to share, and maybe he didn’t know everything, considering he wasn’t yet inducted.
“There is fight training, knife fights, shootings, some questioning.”
I frowned. “Questioning?”
“Some light torture. Nothing an initiate that’s been brought up in our world can’t withstand.”
Fiorentino nodded. Was he prepared, considering his father had never meant for him to become a Made Man?
Geno sank down beside me on a chair, propping his elbows up on his legs. “His father had to harden him. Even if he didn’t become a Made Man, he needs to be able to keep the secrets he witnesses to protect his family.”
“Will you be doing the questioning?”
He nodded. “But not alone. Pietro and Samuel will definitely be involved.”
I swallowed, thinking of my husband and father-in-law torturing teenage boys.
“It’s hard to imagine,” I admitted.
Geno let out a dry laugh, his eyes holding mine with mirth in them. “Not for me. I only know the business side of your husband, so I can tell you he is very capable with a knife.”