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Chapter 1

Cipriana

In a moment of pure panic, my world submerges into blackness.

“Hel—”I try to scream, but water swirls down my throat, making me choke.

All I see amidst wavy darkness is a sparkle of light coming from overhead. Arms flailing, scuba gear dragging me down, I can hardly remember how to adjust the air levels in the device that’s supposed to help me float. Now my inability to swim is on full display… I’m a spastic fool. Who screams underwater when there’s a perfectly usable hose of airright there?

When a strong hand grips my arm, I grip back with both of mine.

Desperate bubbles leak out of my nose and mouth as I’m whisked up to the surface. “Huuu!”I inhale like I’ve been without air for minutes – even though it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds – and I fling my arms around Gil, my scuba instructor.

“Okay,screw this.” I cough, knowing my face looks stupid when I do. “That’s enough, I’m done.”

Gil laughs at me. “Oh, c’mon. You haven’t even finished your first active drill yet.”

I catch his eyes lingering on mine for too long, which makes me think he’s either a serial killer or he’s into me, and since he didn’t let me drown in a hotel pool, it’s probably the latter.

“Nope.Done!I don’t know what the hell I was thinking doing this.”

“What do you mean?” He effortlessly swims next to me as I doggie-paddle like an idiot to the edge of the pool. This gear weighs aton!I don’t care what anyone says about ‘thewater distributes the weight, it’s not that bad.’ I may as well be swimming with a bear cub on my shoulders.

“Hey.Hey.” He lifts me from under the arm when he sees me going down again, and to his credit, smoothly readjusts the air device to keep me afloat. “You said it yourself… you wanted toactuallysee what you’re saving. You’re never going to spot a dolphin or a whale sitting behind that desk eighty hours a week.”

I grab onto the ledge, feeling a huge weight literally lift off of me. Safety, finally. No idea what this dude sees in me. My jet-black hair is probably plastered all over my face, considering it’s crisscrossing over my eyes, and my ex always told me I was an ugly crier. Even though I’m not crying, panic still probably falls into the same category.

“That’s enough for today, Gil. It’s been fun.” I use my arms to pull me toward the ladder.

“It’s been all of ten minutes. You paid for two hours.”

Correction, mydadpaid for two hours as a gift – and that alone gives me a mix of guilt and anxiety. Plus, I don’t want to give this guy a bad rap, because my dad isnotsomeone to get on the wrong side of. He’s the criminal lawyer for the five families. Yes,all five. Valentino, Rigiano, Barone, Scatilli, and most currently… the Lucrazis. How the hell he hasn’t managed to get himself killed in the crossfire is beyond me.

My wet feet slap against the stone walkway as I squirm out of the scuba gear. It’s so freakin’ humid in here – the glass floor-to-ceiling windows are all fogged up like at one of those lodges when it’s cold outside, and I still feel like I’m suffocating. Gil follows me to the table, rushing to pull my seat out for me.

Cute, I guess. The gesture makes me consider him for a second.

Oversized ears and a kind smile, handsome enough, if I’m being honest. Kind of like a less triple-jointed Michael Phelps.But it’s not about that. He exudes the same problem my ex did. There’s no real edge to him. No fire.

I know I’m not supposed to think like that, but I can’t help it.

“Okay, level with me, Capri.” He tosses a towel at me and folds his arms on the table. “I’ve been consulting for J. Witt for five years now.”

“Uh huh, I know this. Best law firm in the world, right?” I dig through my tote for a bag of comfort-food chips, so I can forget what a goof I just made of myself.

“You have the same story as Jacky – not going the corporate route so you can save the planet.”

“Don’t be a dick.” I narrow my eyes at him.

“I’mnot!I’m the same way!” Gil defends himself. “But you know… the passion fades when you’re stuck in a room full of suits all your days.”

“Mhm. I thought I’d have freed at least one Willy by now. Instead, I edited my thousandth agreement yesterday.Woopie.”

“Which leads you to me.” He smiles.

“I guess. Turns out I’m built for paper cuts only, it seems.”

“C’mon, once you cool off, let’s get back in and give it another try. I’ll be right by your side the whole time.” He tilts his head as if he’s convincing me.