Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74035 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74035 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
I thread my fingers through his hair and moan into his mouth when his tongue licks mine and his teeth bite my lips. His hands span my ass and squeeze, pulling me closer, claiming me, and I’m instantly wet. He pulls away with reluctance.
“Fuck I missed you, baby,” he says, giving me another, chaste kiss on the cheek. “Get your ass inside and tell them what they need to know so I can have you all to myself.”
I give myself half a second to rest my head on his shoulder and nod. I have a job to do, but he will be next to me while I do it.
I slide off his lap with such reluctance I want to cry, but he eases the separation with his hand in mine. A firm squeeze reminds me that I’m not alone. I square my shoulders and head inside.
“Vivia!” I look up to see Aunt Tosca in the entrance. Her eyes light up and she opens her arms. I look to Dario. I expected that the Rossis would still think me a traitor. He only nods and smiles at me, gesturing for me to go see her.
“I heard what happened,” she whispers in my ear while giving me a huge hug. “I never thought you were responsible for what they said you were. Never.”
“Ah, cousin!” Marialena is on the steps. When she sees me, she smiles and gives me a tentative wave, as if waiting to see if I’ll still want to say hello. She may also feel nervous given what she was told I tried to do to her, but Marialena and I have always been so close.
I pull away from Aunt Tosca and feel Dario’s presence at my back. It will be okay. I know it will. We’ve come through the worst of it, now everything will be alright.
“Marialena.” My voice is choked and cracks on the last syllable. “I—I didn’t— I swear to you, I never—” I can’t even get the words out before she envelops me in a hug and Aunt Tosca joins us.
“Our enemies may try to use us against each other,” Tosca says, her eyes shining with tears. “And these men of ours might think they know better than we do sometimes, but none of them know how we stick together. None of them.”
I feel the warmth in their embrace and let myself bask in the glow of forgiveness for a sin I never committed. “Thank you,” is all I can say.
“Vivia.” I hear Romeo’s stern, no-nonsense voice from behind me. “I’d like you to come to the war room with us, please.”
“Oh no you do not,” Marialena says, glaring at him. She wags a well-manicured nail in his direction. “We know what you all do in that room and how easy it is for you to just slip on down to the dungeon if you feel it’s necessary. Uh uh, brother. Anything she has to say to you she can say to us!”
Dario clears his throat. I look from him to Romeo to Marialena.
“Not true, Marialena,” Dario says a bit more gently than Romeo. “We have business to discuss you’re not included in. The intel Vivia will give us will be confined only to the inner sanctum. It isn’t you we’re excluding, but honestly everyone outside the smallest of the inner circle for the sake of all.”
She opens her mouth to protest again when Romeo clears his throat. “That’s enough. We need to have a talk, and soon, about your place in this family.”
Here we go again with the high-handed bossiness. I’m tempted to roll my eyes but know better.
Marialena blanches. She’s the only one left of the single women in both families, and we all know what that means. It’s only a matter of time before she’ll be married off in an arranged marriage. I recoil at the thought.
“What is that supposed to mean?” she whispers.
“Come, Lena,” Aunt Tosca says, reaching for her. “Come help me get the food ready.”
“Mama!” Marialena protests. “What is he—”
Aunt Tosca takes her more firmly by the arm. “Come, please.”
I look to Dario, whose face is set in grim lines, his lips thinned. He puts his hand to my elbow and leads me past the entryway toward the back of The Castle.
I haven’t been here in years, but I remember every room as if it were yesterday. It isn’t often someone gets to play in a real, live castle, and this home is the stuff of dreams, with the courtyard and indoor pool, large Great Hall, library, pantry, and the pavilion overlooking the ocean. All food is made in the enormous kitchen by Aunt Tosca and Nonna, and we often all eat together, buffet-style, in the dining room, where there’s an actual wall made of the Rossi family wine. My own mama used to scoff at that and say they were too rich to know what to do with themselves, but she is one to talk.