Page 95 of My Solemn Vow

Antonella looks at me, and I know it’ll come out eventually. But fuck, Dad will be pissed at me for blowing this in less than thirty minutes of having another D’Medici in the house.

“Leticia.” Antonella draws her attention. “Not tonight. But we will tell you later. When have I ever lied to you?”

“I don’t like this.” Leticia narrows her gaze on me. “I saw your eyes do something. If you’re getting her messed up or on some shit, I’ll be really pissed. I may have absolutely no skills to take you down myself, but do not think I cannot come up with something.”

“I swear to you. The only trouble Antonella will find herself in is whatever she chooses to walk into. She will always have a choice for an out.” I step closer to Leticia and offer out my hand. “I’ll tell you in two weeks when you come back for dinner again, you have my word.”

Leticia scrutinizes me a bit further before switching her beer to her left hand and shaking on it. “Deal.”

We separate, and awkward silence descends for all of sixty seconds before we’re saved by my little raptor.

Kerrianne comes tearing into the kitchen, sliding on her socks across the floors. “I thought you said she was Antonella’s cousin.”

“I am.” Leticia pulls her long blonde hair over her shoulder and stands like Antonella.

The resemblance is there but nowhere near as strong with Leticia’s blonde hair to Antonella’s dark brown.

Leticia looks at Kerrianne, eyebrow raised, and taps her pointer finger against her lips. “I like your outfit.”

“Thanks! Tortoises are my favorite.” Kerrianne beams. She’s wearing a T-shirt with little tortoises mixed into the paisley print.

“I heard there’s a tortoise here. Is he yours?” Leticia isn’t as natural with Kerrianne as Antonella is, but their conversation turns to ‘let me show you my tortoise,’ and Leticia waves over her shoulder at us as she leaves to visit Captain.

“I’m so sorry.” Antonella apologizes as she walksover to the oven and grabs oven mitts. “She doesn’t know how to let things go.”

“It’s okay. You two are close, and I’m serious about you having a life. Eventually, she would need to learn the family secret. But I should have been clearer that you should talk with your cousin and truly talk. Obviously, with discretion but...” I take the oven mitts from Antonella and use them to pull her cooking vessel out of the oven. “You don’t need to hide away from her. You’re allowed, encouraged, to have a life.”

Antonella’s cooking smells divine. It’s had me salivating all afternoon. But in the last hour, it’s really started to develop a robust aroma.

“Well, it’s nice that you’ve said that because Leticia and I had planned, earlier this year, before well... this happened... to reinstate a family tradition my mom and I had. I wasn’t sure you’d...” Antonella stops talking as she pokes the roast with a fork. She shakes her head. “Ten more minutes.”

I re-cover the roast and put it in the oven, then try to bring her back to what she was saying. “I wasn’t sure you’d?”

“I wasn’t sure you’d agree to it.” She admits with a sigh. “In my defense, it’s not like —”

“You don’t need a defense.” I take off the oven mitts and grab her by the waist, pulling her close to me. My cock pulses thinking of how I had her today and how I want more.Focus, Valor.“As long as it’s safe, and you’re not actively trying to undo the truce... there’s nothing I can think of that you couldn’t do with the right level of security.”

“Take Kerrianne shopping and then to lunch with us?” Antonella winces. “I thought it’d be nice to include her because then she could get you and your parents something without all of you knowing by default. But completely understand if it’s a no.”

“It’s not a no, but why does this sound like lunch is deep in D’Medici territory?” I narrow my eyes.

“Oh, that’s because it’s deep in D’Medici territory at La Fatal Piedra.” Antonella wraps her arms up over my shoulders. “But the days we wanted to go, Berto, Gregorio, and Eduardo will all be in Italy for their yearly pre-Christmas trip. I would be the highest-ranking D’Medici in the entire city, and I don’t even have that last name anymore.”

“Okay, but you’re taking a full team of security, plus Jack and Declan.”And I’ll probably be hiding in an SUV down the street. It seems strange to want to be so deep in the heart of the Gold Coast, but she said family tradition. It must be a part of it.

“That’s fine. I’m not asking you to pu —”

“Put Kerrianne in danger. I know.” I rase an eyebrow. “I like my wife and have every intention of keeping her too.”

“First you’re falling in lust with me, and now you even like me.” Antonella fakes a gasp, shaking her head before letting out a sigh and pulling away from me.

I grab at her, wanting to pull her back, but she picks up her beer and knows exactly what she’s doing when she pushes her tongue out to taste the rim.

My cock gets ideas, and I can’t pull my eyes off her. Antonella is playing with fire.

Let’s sink our teeth into her and give her a wolf. We can keep her forever. Wouldn’t even need to —

“Ope. Looks like I was wrong, and dinner isn’t ready yet,” Leticia says loudly as they’re coming back down the hall. “Though your dad might eat Antonella if it isn’t done soon.”