In my registration for a tryout session, I hadn’t mentioned my last name out of worry that they would give a flimsy excuse not to have me there. The name Mione was notorious in Minneapolis after all.
So when I entered the reception area of the dance studio with Leo and another bodyguard, the eyes of the tall woman behind the counter grew wide, and so did the eyes of the handful of gathered customers who also waited for the ballet lesson.
I flushed. In many eyes, recognition flashed up. Samuel’s and my wedding had filled the tabloids for several days. I moved toward the lowered counter and smiled. “I’m here for the tryout session.”
“Emma… Mione, I assume?” the woman said in a sharp accent.
I nodded, trying to ignore the whispers that arose behind me. Leo stepped up beside me while my other bodyguard walked around, checking every room.
“Not the female changing rooms!” the woman shouted angrily.
Leo leaned forward on the counter, baring his teeth. “Then I suggest you tell whoever’s in there to leave so he can check it’s safe.”
The woman stiffened, but she did as he said. I could feel more heat travel up into my face. Maybe that was why it was better not to do courses in the outside world.
I looked around uncomfortably. A young man gave me a smile. His gait was a little off as if his knees were stiff. “I’m Albert. Natalya is a great teacher.”
I smiled in turn.
Leo pointed at the ring on my finger. “You know what that means in our world?”
Albert looked confused. “Don’t we live in the same world?”
Leo and the other man laughed darkly. “No, not even close.”
Albert flushed. “I’m into men, not women, so you should have pointed at your ring, not hers.”
I bit my lip. Albert was treading perilous waters.
Leo shook his head and exchanged a look with the other bodyguard. I was flustered by the time I was finally allowed to enter the changing rooms to put on my leotard and skirt. When I caught my reflection in the mirror, emotions bubbled up. I hadn’t felt the heavy dose of nostalgia in a long time. I squared my shoulders and headed back outside. Leo was right in front of the door while my other bodyguard stood beside the front door.
The other customers had left for the classroom, and I followed the sound of their voices into the bright room. I allowed my gaze to take in the floor-to-ceiling mirrors and barre where most of the dancers stretched. The last time I’d been in a room like this had been before my accident, but I felt a strange sense of belonging and homecoming I hadn’t expected as if this was the final missing puzzle piece.
Natalya came my way with a very small, tense smile. “You mentioned in your email that you have years of ballet practice.”
“A long time ago.”
She nodded. “How about you stretch too so you are warmed up for class? We’ll see how much of your past lessons you remember. Muscle memory is a wonderful thing.”
I gave her a smile, then said in a very low voice, “I’m sorry for the inconvenience with my bodyguards.”
Her gaze flitted to Leo, who leaned beside the door and regarded everything with utter boredom. “Maybe your bodyguards will eventually realize we don’t pose a danger.”
My bodyguards weren’t the people I had to convince. Samuel would be an incredibly hard nut to crack, I feared.
Fifteen minutes into the dance training, I was already out of breath, and muscles I hadn’t used in a while ached from exertion. Even my arms, which I used frequently to lift out of my wheelchair, obviously needed time to get used to the intensity of training. Despite feeling out of shape, I felt a sense of right and of reuniting with a part of myself that had laid dormant. As I let my wheelchair glide to the music, I realized that I’d truly missed dancing and that it was still a part of me that I wanted to explore in this altered fashion.
That night, when Samuel and I packed our bags for our trip to Indianapolis the next day, I broached the subject. “Everyone’s very friendly at the dance studio, and I would love to continue.”
Samuel looked up from his drawer with ties. “Leo mentioned you seemed in your element, but the dance instructor wasn’t too happy about their presence.”
I nodded. “I think Leo’s presence intimidated most of them. Don’t you think having two bodyguards is overkill? I’m sure it would be fine if Leo stayed in his car in front of the studio. There’s only one entrance.”
“No,” Samuel said, his tone brooking no argument.
I opened my mouth, but he gave me a hard look. “My sister was kidnapped right under my nose. If we’d had more bodyguards with us, that wouldn’t have happened.”
“But why would anyone kidnap me?”
“Because you’re my wife. You’re Danilo’s sister. There are two Underbosses in your immediate family. It would make the Bratva’s, the Famiglia’s, and the Camorra’s day to get their hands on you.”
“You really think the Camorra would try something like that again? And the Famiglia has never targeted women.”
“I don’t trust any of them. We once thought nobody would step as low as to attack a bride on her wedding day.”
I nodded slowly. No girl in the Outfit would ever live that day down. “Okay. If that’s what it takes for me to keep dancing.”
“It is.”
I decided not to push Samuel. I didn’t want to risk him changing his mind about me taking ballet lessons.
The following afternoon, we took a private jet to Indianapolis with Renato in tow. He and Samuel spent most of the one hour and forty-five minutes chatting quietly.
Renato certainly looked like he could charm the pants off a girl. I still didn’t like the idea of him marrying Giorgia, even if that meant I would have my best friend in Minneapolis. I’d have to talk to Danilo and Giorgia about this—not that I thought I could change anyone’s mind. This was probably already a done deal.
I closed the romcom I had been reading when we landed in Indianapolis, then peered out of the window at the familiar sight. I had lost count of the times I’d been at this airport. In the first few years after my accident, my mother had taken me to specialists all over the world in the hope of giving my legs their previous functionality back. I had been relieved when she’d finally given up. It had been a sort of closure I’d needed to really start feeling comfortable in my new skin.
Samuel and Renato rose from their chairs and came toward me. Renato glanced at my book, then shook his head. “A book like that is what makes life for men today difficult. Women expect too much.”
I pursed my lips. “I’ll tell Giorgia to lower her expectations for you.”
Samuel chuckled at Renato’s less-than-amused expression and clapped his shoulder.
When Samuel, Renato, and I arrived at Danilo’s mansion, I spotted Giorgia’s brother’s car out front. I only felt a brief sense of homesickness when I moved toward the front door with Samuel by my side.
“Behave,” Samuel muttered under his breath a moment before my brother opened the door. He definitely hadn’t meant me. That he had to remind Renato of it rubbed me the wrong way. I had to talk to Giorgia first before any insane deals were struck.
Danilo gave Samuel and Renato terse nods before he bent down and pressed a kiss to my cheek. I gave him a smile. “Are you all right?” he murmured as he scanned my face. I had trouble sleeping since Samuel came home stinking drunk, but of course I couldn’t mention that to my brother. “I am.”
“Giorgia and her brother are in the living room.”
“I thought her mother wanted to come too?” I asked.
“Her brother is the master of the house. He has the last word on her future, not her mother,” Danilo pointed out.
I moved toward the living area, where I found Sofia in conversation with Giorgia while her brother checked something on his phone. Giorgia pushed to her feet and rushed toward me, hugging me tightly. I too had missed her and only realized how much I did as I clung to her.
“I can’t wait to live close to you,” she whispered.
I pulled back. Sofia had gotten up as well and so had Giorgia’s brother. I greeted him with a smile and Sofia with a hug. “I hope my brother behaves himself.”
Her eyes twinkled with amusement. “It’s a work in progress.”
I laughed.
“What about Samuel?”
I shrugged. “Definitely a work in progress.”
The men entered at that moment, and Giorgia’s brother immediately went to them. They greeted each other with handshakes, but the atmosphere was way too testosterone-fueled for my liking.
Sofia cleared her throat. “I’ll go into the kitchen and let them know we’re ready for coffee and cake.”
Renato sent Giorgia a smile that had her brother scowling. It was a little too intimate.
“Giorgia and I need to chat while you exchange your official pleasantries,” I muttered and motioned for Giorgia to proceed.
I led Giorgia into the lobby and shook my head. “Really, him?”
She pulled a face. “He’s the best option, Emma. I don’t have an Underboss jumping at the chance to marry me. I’ll be eighteen soon. My mother is losing her patience with me and so is my brother. They are ready to marry me off to that old bastard in Italy. He looks like a toad and is way too old. Just the thought of having to touch him…”
Giorgia looked like she was about to be sick. Then she blew out a breath. “Even if Renato is intolerable as far as I can tell from our short encounters, he’s at least quite good-looking, so I won’t be repulsed if we have to consummate the marriage at some point.”
I nodded because I totally understood. “You don’t mind that it’s a deal because you both are desperate?”
Giorgia shook her head. “Most arranged marriages are deals, right?”
I shrugged. But some deals were more tasteless than others. I still wondered why Samuel had agreed to marry me. That argument of strengthening the bond between our families was nonsense, that was for sure. “Samuel mentioned that Renato isn’t the faithful type.”
Giorgia chuckled. “He’s a Casanova and way too sure of himself. He’s cocky and annoying. He’ll drive me up the wall.”
“That doesn’t make him sound like marriage material.”
“He’s not, but I picked him. Mom will be annoyed that she won’t get her way, and I’ll figure out a way to deal with Renato once we’re married.”
I sighed. “I’m just happy you’ll live close to me.”
She grinned. “See, that makes marrying him worth it.”
When Giorgia and I returned to the living room, the men sat around the table and were already discussing wedding dates from the look of it.
“It looks like you’ll become my wife, Giorgia. Your brother showed me your doctor’s statement that you’re fertile. So let’s hope you’ll be pregnant with my heir by the time I turn thirty.”
My lips curled in disgust. That was also part of the deal? Giorgia had to provide an heir for him to inherit everything? I sent Giorgia a disbelieving look. She gave me an embarrassed smile.
“That’s a tasteless deal.” It burst out of me. “You’re behaving like a pig.”
Renato scowled. “I can’t see how my deal with Giorgia is any less tasteless than the deal between your brother and your husband that forced Samuel to marry you.”
My heart did a thud as I blinked at Renato.
Sofia sent Danilo a look that made it clear she knew about the deal, and Samuel looked ready to murder his friend. Apparently, everyone knew except for me. It reminded me of how my mother had lied to me after my accident under the pretense of trying to protect me when it had been just as much about protecting herself from the truth. This too felt like everyone had kept the details of the arrangement from me to avoid an unpleasant confrontation.
SAMUEL
Fuck it. I scowled at Renato, who grimaced and gave me an apologetic look. Too late.
Emma paled, looking like she was about to cry.
“Emma—” Danilo and I said at the same time, but I stepped forward. Emma was my wife. It was more important that I cleared things up between us.
“Let’s have a word,” I told Emma and put a hand on her shoulder. She shied back from my touch, and I dropped my arm to my side.
“You can talk in my office,” Danilo said quietly. “And I’ll have a chat with Renato.”
For all I cared, he could rip Renato a new one, even if Renato wasn’t his soldier.
Emma and I headed toward the office in utter silence. It was the first time I was allowed to be without Danilo in his office.
I closed the door, then immediately turned to Emma, who looked like she was teetering on the edge of a breakdown.
“Renato is an idiot. He shouldn’t have said anything.”
Emma fixed me with a hard look. “Did he lie?”
“You know that arranged marriages are always deals.”
She shook her head. “You owe me the truth. What did Danilo do to make you marry me?”
I gritted my teeth. “It was a long time ago. I’m glad I married you.”
“What did he do?”
I had feared the truth would come out eventually. “My sister Serafina refused to marry him after she was kidnapped. But he had a right to her hand. We wanted him to accept Sofia instead so Serafina could heal from her ordeal. He said he would only agree to marry Sofia if I married you.”
I worried about what Emma would make out of this deal.
She turned her wheelchair so I had to look at her brown hair. Her voice was thick with tears when she spoke. “You must have hated to be blackmailed into marrying me.”
I walked around so I could look at her. She was clutching her hands, and tears were running down her cheeks. “Your brother didn’t blackmail me, Emma. We had an agreement, one like almost all marriages in our world are based on. I understand your anger. Sofia was angry too when she found out.”
Emma swallowed thickly. I hated not seeing her face, so I squatted in front of her and took her hand despite her tension at my closeness.
I hated seeing her so broken up. “You were too young for me, and Sofia was too young for Danilo. That’s why neither of us wanted to marry you girls.”
Emma looked me straight in the eye. “Danilo is attracted to Sofia.”
I frowned. “He definitely wasn’t back then, or I would have put his dick into a vise.” I moved closer. “And you know I’m attracted to you. Or do I need to show you more often?” I allowed my expression to become hungry, but Emma didn’t crack a smile.
I realized I needed to give Emma more than just a sexual innuendo. And in the few weeks since our marriage, I had already seen that she was a good match for me beyond the bedroom as well, even if her worry meant I had to be more careful about my drinking habits.
I cleared my throat. “I’ve never regretted marrying you, and I know I won’t. I’m fucking glad your brother asked me to marry you. You are the woman I needed in my life. Your resilience and your ability to let the past rest and just enjoy the present is something I aspire to succeed at as well.”
Surprise crossed Emma’s face at my words. I straightened, feeling as if I’d bared my soul with that simple admittance. Emotional declarations always made me want to wash my mouth out with soap, but I could tell it had the desired effect.
She let out a small sigh. “I’m not perfect. I too get caught up in events from the past sometimes or want to give up on certain things if I’m frustrated. But I agree, I think we’re a good match.”
I nodded. “We are, and we’ll be even better together once we know more of the other. It takes time.”
She tilted her head. “Sometimes I’m not sure you really want me to know more about you. You have very high walls. It’s hard to break through them.”
She had a point. I wanted a wife whom I could trust, but at the same time, I knew I’d have to bare my soul to her on many levels to reach the kind of trust my parents had. It was an uncomfortable thought for me. “I know. I’m working on it.”
“And please promise me you won’t hide anything from me to protect me. I can handle things, and I want to handle them.”
“I know you can.”
That night, I showed Emma just how happy I was about our bond—with my fingers, tongue and cock—despite her worry about Danilo being under the same roof. For all I cared, he could hear me giving his sister several orgasms. Thankfully, I didn’t hear anything of the sort from Sofia’s and his bedroom.
When Emma had fallen asleep, I went downstairs. Light spilled out from Danilo’s office. I needed a drink. The flask I’d taken with me was already empty. I knocked briefly, then entered the office. Danilo sat on the sofa with a tumbler in his hand and across from him was Renato. “I need a drink too.”
Danilo scanned me. My hair was slightly disheveled, and I was only in pajama pants and a shirt since it was past midnight. His expression darkened further when Renato wiggled his eyebrows. I accepted the glass of whiskey that Danilo held out to me, then sat down in the armchair beside Renato. I was still pissed at him.
We chatted about casinos and brothels, staying away from the topic of our wives. I was more than glad not to discuss my marriage with Danilo. Eventually, Danilo stopped drinking while Renato and I began a new bottle of whiskey that he offered us. It was past two in the morning, and I could tell that Danilo would have gone to bed if he trusted us alone in his office.
“I thought you wanted to leave early in the morning?” he asked.
“We do.”
“Then you’ll need a driver.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “I can drive.”
“I doubt you’ll be sober enough by morning.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “That’s none of your business.”
“But my sister’s safety is my business. A drunk driver ruined her life.”
I gritted my teeth. “Stay out of my fucking business, Danilo.”
“Come now, let’s not get into a fight over this. I can assure you Samuel can hold his liquor better than anyone else I know.”
I sent Renato a dark look. Did he really think that was a compliment?
I didn’t finish the drink in my glass.
Danilo hovered when Emma, Renato, and I got into the rental car. But he obviously realized I wasn’t still drunk—I hadn’t even been drunk last night—and let us leave without another argument. I had a feeling he had said something to Emma about my drinking, though, because she was a little tense during the ride to the airport. I didn’t ask. It wasn’t a topic I wanted to discuss with her or anyone.
