Page 99 of Thorns of Blood

The group gave me a funny look I couldn’t read before Romeo said, “Until then, stay away from Mother.”

Giovanni gave a barely perceptible nod. Then his face turned blank, completely unreadable.

“Would you like to dance with your brother-in-law?” Romeo asked, smiling at me.

Giovanni’s piercing eyes pinned him down. “No, she wouldn’t.”

I shoved my shoulder against Giovanni’s.

“Maybe I would.”Not.Giovanni was the only one I wanted to dance with. The only one I felt comfortable around to risk making a fool out of myself, but I didn’t appreciate him speaking for me.

“All your dances belong to me, Lia.”

I’d started to sense Giovanni was possessive, and also jealous. Not that I minded it one bit. Of course he had nothing to be jealous about, but I didn’t hesitate to use it in my favor.

“Are you sure?” I asked playfully.

He narrowed his eyes, but there was a glint in them. “Don’t provoke me.”

“Then don’t leave me hanging.”

His breath was hot in my ear when he bent his head, saying, “Can I have the honor of every dance for the remainder of our lives, wife?”

Hope surged anew, and I hugged him. I didn’t know what possessed me. It wasn’t my usual behavior, yet how could I not. I was happy for the first time in a very long time, maybe even ever.

“Every single dance,” I murmured, smiling into his chest.

“Now let’s dance until my siblings take the hint and leave.”

“That could take a while,” I teased, but we were already swaying to the next song. I stood on his feet and he pressed a warm hand to my lower back, caging me in and making it so the busy nightclub faded away.

“Icouldshoot them,” he deadpanned.

I smacked his forearm playfully. “Don’t you joke about that.”

The next two songs, I relaxed and enjoyed letting loose, not minding one bit that he took the lead. This being my first date, I had no idea if we were doing it right, but it sure felt that way. Eventually, we retreated back to our roped-off booth in the corner, where Giovanni and I talked about his childhood, all the shenanigans his sister and her friends got into, and his role in the Omertà.

“And Mateo still wants you at the helm despite not being…” I trailed off, not wanting to hurt him.

“We agreed I’ll head up operations until his son is old enough.” I lifted my head to meet his eyes, but there was no hurt in them. We were sitting side by side on the smooth velvet bench, and his closeness sent shivers down my spine. “But I’m looking into putting Romeo or Cristiano in charge. The businesses in Venezuela take too much of my attention.”

I paused, considering. “It doesn’t have anything to do with the Marabella Agreements and the fact that you married the woman responsible for it?”

“It would be this way whether I married you or not.” The entirety of his attention was on me, and I made out the affection in his expression. “Maybe in a year or two, but it was inevitable. Besides, nothing is as important to me as your safety.” His voice gained an edge, his eyes boring into me. “Absolutely nothing, Lia.”

My mouth hung open. God, this man. I never in a million years would have thought that a human being could make me feel so protected.

“How can you ever forgive what I’ve done?” I rasped, my voice catching.

The dim light above us flickered, and he leaned even closer. “What’s done is done. It’s in the past. We have to look to the future now.”

It had been so long since I had someone by my side, holding me up when I was too tired to stand or fight. And I’d found that in Giovanni.It was comforting, albeit scary, to rely on someone, but I knew in order to make this—us—work, I’d need to let go of my doubts and fears.

“Thank you,” I murmured, unable to find better words to express my appreciation.

He pulled me up and led me back to the dance floor, bending to whisper in my ear, “That’s what husband and wife do. We have each other’s backs.”

“I haven’t had your back with anything yet,” I reminded him. “I’ve never sacrificed a thing, come to think of it.”