Page 69 of Vows of Blood

LUCA

When I finally release her, Sienna's lips are parted, looking dazed and drowsy, and her cheeks are flushed. She looks so achingly sexy and fuckable, that I wish I could drag her out of here right now.

Every man in the vicinity is studiously looking anywhere but at us, and I can feel their envy.

And their nerves.

Good.

I keep her pressed against me, one hand splayed possessively across the small of her back, and let my gaze drift across the room until it lands back on Sophia. She's frozen mid-conversation, champagne glass suspended halfway to her lips, watching in horror as Tony makes his way to her from one side, with Nico on the other.

They’ll make sure she understands that if she ever raises her voice to Sienna again, let alone a hand, no prior friendship or business relationships will save her.

Unsmiling, I dismiss her entirely, turning my attention back to the woman in my arms. I made it clear to Sophia that our relationship was over, but it seems she hasn’t quite gotten the message.

"We’re almost done," I murmur against Sienna's temple, turning into her, not wanting anyone else to see the gleam of arousal in her bright eyes.

"You don’t have to leave on my account." She tilts her chin up, defiant even now, and pride swells my heart. Sienna doesn’t realize it, but she’s perfect for this. Feisty enough to hold her ground, yet soft enough to smooth out my rough edges.

I guide Sienna toward the far end of the ballroom, where four men have gathered, standing removed from the rest of the crowd. These are the ones who matter. The heads of the other ruling families who, along with mine, control everything from the ports to the politics in the Midwest.

They watch our approach with varying degrees of curiosity and concern.

"Gentlemen." I stop before them, keeping Sienna close. "I’d like you to meet Sienna Fox."

Conti extends his bony hand first, clasping hers with old-world courtesy. "Ms. Fox. I've heard a great deal about you."

I grit my teeth but don’t ask whether that’s from the news headlines or my father’s poisonous lies.

"Nice to meet you," she says, and I feel rather than see her nervous smile.

His hooded eyes crinkle with what might be genuine warmth. "I heard you were quite the hero at that unfortunate business at the restaurant. Helping Kate until the paramedics arrived."

Sienna tips her head shyly, accepting the compliment with graceful modesty, neither preening nor deflecting too hard, and I’m filled with pride. She's handling this better than I could have hoped.

Conti turns his attention to me. "Your father has been... vocal about recent events, how things should proceed." He glances toward Sienna.

Clearly, she is not part of my father’s plans.

I give the men a wry smile. "My father still likes to think he can control everything. Retirement will take some getting used to."

A ripple of amusement passes through the group, though nobody laughs outright. They all know the tension between me and my father. They've all, at various times, been caught in the middle of it.

“And while I appreciate his concern, this is my decision, not his.”

Two nods, not four.

I still have some work to do.

"Alfonso has suggested that with Kate's passing, the transition should be reconsidered. Or at least, delayed." Massimo, closer to my age than the rest and just as eager for modernization, chooses his words carefully, but I hear the question beneath them that he doesn’t ask.

He wants to know if I agree.

Over my dead body, will Alfonso pass the torch to someone else.

"My plans haven't changed." I scrutinize each of them in turn. "The transition should continue as agreed. Nothing that's happened alters what needs to be done."

An awkward pause. Marchetti looks at the others before saying what everyone else is thinking. “But Kate…”