Page 50 of Thorns of Blood

He let out a hearty laugh that startled me, and my eyes whipped to him. It was the first time I’d seen a man laugh sofreely and happily. José, the only man I bothered to interact with daily, never laughed like that.

The skin around Giovanni’s eyes crinkled as he retorted, “Not yet, you’re not. But you will be, soon.”

Giovanni and I spent the next hour floating on our backs, practicing freestyle and my new favorite one, breaststroke. The whole time, he never let go, and to my shock, I found myself leaning into his touch.

It was shocking.Revolutionary. And mostly just… nice.

But I wasn’t ready to evaluate any of it.

Instead, I became the best student, absorbing everything he said or showed me.

“Okay, time to take a break.”

“No,” I protested. “I still haven’t made it to the other end of the pool alone.”

“But you learned breaststroke and how to float on your back when you need rest,” he chided. “You won’t become an Olympic swimmer overnight.” He tugged me toward the ledge, his hands coming to my waist.

I stiffened, and his movements stilled.

“Giovanni…”

“Yes, wildflower?”

I pulled myself out of the pool, beads of water rolling down my skin. I turned to find him standing with his towel, drying off. You’d have to be blind not to notice that his body was a masterpiece. Endless bronzed skin. Bulging muscles. The perfect amount of dark hair dusting his chest and abdomen, disappearing beyond his Tom Ford trunks.

He looked like a Roman god.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

His eyes glowed with amusement, his husky voice sending shivers down my spine. “You’re welcome.”

NINETEEN

GIOVANNI

In the hours following our swimming lessons, I made some business calls while Liana rested, then had everything set up for a sunset surprise.

The second we stepped onto the lower deck, Liana’s eyes landed on the scattered daffodil petals lining the candlelit path to our table. She gasped, taking it all in, until her eyes landed on the priest I had flown in.

Her awed expression was quickly replaced by one of disbelief.

“No, no, no…. No way…” She shook her head, her eyes glued on the man. “We never agreed on a date and time. Absolutely not.”

I’d never intended to marry a woman who would do anything I demand, but damn, I didn’t think I’d marry someone who’d sooner kill me or jump into an ocean to escape me. But there was an attraction between us, and I’d wanted this woman for the past eight years. So there was no way I’d pass up this opportunity. It was a good starting point to this marriage.

Right? Fucking right.

“Simple vows and a wedding band, wildflower. Nothing to be scared of,” I comforted her, although judging by the terror on Lia’s face, it was as if she’d only now discovered that I murdered her favorite person.

Romeo being Romeo had to say something. “Here we go. Should I get the life raft ready?”

I shot him a glare, tempted to strangle him. Unfortunately, I needed a best man, and he was all I had out here.

She scoffed, her bottom lip trembling slightly as she mumbled to herself. “…plenty of time. What’s the rush?”

“We don’t have time to waste,” I said, returning my attention to Liana. This woman was ruthless—dangerous, if her taking out half my men the other night was any indication—but at this moment, she looked as terrified as a lamb on its way to be slaughtered.

“I have places to be,” the priest grumbled impatiently. No wonder he was readily available. He clearly had no manners. “I don’t have time for cold feet.”