Page 51 of My Solemn Vow

“And wings.” Antonella runs the joke another time, the basket of wings on the table untouched.

“I’m a burger first, then wings and fries intermixed kinda guy.” I shrug. “Setting a good example for Kerrianne. She’s a typical kid and wants the best part first and then fills up before she can eat the protein and veggies.”

“Yeah, it’s so hard because at that age, they’re so particular about food, and it can be hard to help them establish good habits while not —” Antonella cuts herself off. “I’m rambling. You don’t need me to tell you how to parent your daughter.”

“You’re right.”

As soon as I say it, I know how it sounds. But it doesn’t make it less true. I don’t need someone else, especially a human, telling me how to parent my daughter. And yet, she knew exactly how to handle this morning with Kerrianne at Sean’s funeral.

Antonella looks away from me, focusing on her dinner, and I do the same.

There’s so much more I could learn about her. Namely how she could pull a weapon on her own family member... for Kerrianne. She’s not loyal enough to her family that she’d let them take an ‘easy’ target from our side of the chessboard.Because she’s not a loyal person in general or because she’s not loyal to them for some reason?

We’re both narrowing down on our food, and the waitress stops by to ask how we’re doing.

“Excellent, thank you,” Antonella answers as if we haven’t eaten in silence.

Antonella dips her fry in the blue cheese dressing that came with the wings and stalls before putting it in her mouth. She looks up at me, and our eyes lock.

She draws a deep breath and sighs, shaking her head. “For one night, let’s pretend we’re not Valor Cavanagh and Antonella D’Medici? We’re Valor and Toni. Two people on their first date and hanging out? We’ve got a lifetime to unpack the feud between our families, but I don’t think either of us wants to be in a long-term relationship with someone we don’t even know.”

“Committed,” I add.

She furrows her brow but knowingly adds it in. “Long-term, committed relationship with someone we don’t even know.”

“One thing to know.” I smile at her, attempting to do exactly as she asked by letting go of what stands between us in order to be two people — strangers — trying to find love. “I don’t share. I’m the oldest sibling, and I’m not a fan of sharing.”

“As an only child, I completely understand.” Antonella smiles back.

I gesture to the wings, offering her first pick. We ordered a flight sampler of five flavors, four of each. She starts with a medium spicy one.

“What’s your red flag?” Antonella asks. She quickly adds, “And no, it can’t be that you’re a single dad.”

She puts the whole wing into her mouth and pulls the bones out clean.

Fuck me, that’s . . .

I clear my throat, willing my dick to calm down. “Uh, can it be that I found that so hot I want to take you home right now,throw you down on my bed, and fuck you until I know what it’s like for you to scream, whisper, and moan my name?”

Antonella drops the bones on the plate, and her whole body stiffens. She chews, swallows, and then, in a tone low enough that I think it was meant to be an inside thought, mutters, “Is he trying to kill me talking like that?”

I whisper back, “My real red flag is that I’m a control freak when it comes to my relationships. I will dominate you if given the chance. I don’t want a meek woman. I need someone willing to put my ass in check and who isn’t afraid to tell me when I’m being a dick.”

The sly smile she passes me precedes her sultry words. “Well, aren’t you lucky. Because my red flag is that I have both a problem with authority and like it when my partner puts me in my place. I don’t need to be saved, Valor.” Her pupils are wide, and that ‘look’ is in her eyes. “But that doesn’t mean I’m disinterested in seeing how far we could take this.”

My resolve is gone. The original intention was to leave this as a ‘get to know you’ and maybe ‘figure out if we have any interests in common’ dinner. But I can’t. Not when she’s saying things like that.

I reach into my pocket, pull out two one-hundred-dollar bills, and throw them on the table. Standing, I hold my hand out to Antonella.

She glares at me and then the wings. “Rude. These are delicious.”

“This restaurant isn’t going anywhere, and the wings never change.” I narrow my gaze at her and curl my fingers in encouragement before relaxing my hand again, beckoning her to comply. “Come, Antonella.”

Antonella takes one last sip of her beer and then places her hand in mine.

On the way out of the restaurant, I give the manager a two-finger wave and don’t bother with anything else. I’ve gotAntonella tucked into the passenger seat and the SUV on the road in less than a minute.

I try and fail to keep my hands to myself on the drive. I let my hand leave the steering wheel and find its way to her leg. But the fabric of her skirt is in the way.