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She’d often wondered if that had been their intention all along. Had his parents hoped to settle Gio down in the same family as Gabriella and asked him to approach Ana that day? Or had his mother noticed them chatting and devised a matchmaking scheme?
Ana could never tell. After three meetings, Gio had diffidently asked for her hand in marriage over the phone and, when she was stunned into silence, assured her that she had the right to refuse. It was a small courtesy not afforded to many women in the Family. She was especially grateful that he had asked her privately before her aunt could catch wind of it. There would have been no question of refusal after that.
Not that there ever was.
That entire day after the call, Ana had debated and analyzed the decision, questioning the sanity of accepting a man whom she’d known for a mere four weeks. Until she had picked up the phone and heard his low, crisp voice, she hadn’t even known she would accept. But it had spilled out of her unbidden.
Gio hadn’t said much…perhaps just as stunned by her response.
Only as she’d begun to hang up, she had heard it. Solemn and gentle. “I won’t let you regret it.”
It had been insanity, like willingly plunging into freefall. But those six words from him had convinced her in a way none of her other logical analyses could–that if she had to marry, she could not fathom marrying anyone except him.
Heat crawled up to the tips of her breasts, where he pinched them in a sharp move, startling Ana out of her reverie. “Am I boring you?” he drawled.
The noise that came out of her then should have embarrassed her beyond belief. But she frankly could not care less. “God.”
The amusement in his voice deepened. “God, hm?”
“Gio, if you–”
Whatever plea or reprimand she’d been about to utter was lost as he doubled down, bracing one hand against the shower wall before hammering in one, two, three blows–before she was gone.
That smug smile made her pale brown eyes narrow thinly.
“What?”
“Stop it.”
But there was no anger in it. Ana felt deliciously sated, her mind perfectly blank. If she didn’t restrain herself, she was sure her expression in the bathroom mirror would be equally smug.
The past few weeks since the gala had felt like a dream, a beautiful healing after the distance that had grown between them. Not just healing, but a renewal. There was a peace and comfort that hadn’t quite existed between them before.
After crying in his arms and hearing of his pride in her, Ana felt so much more relaxed. Gio, too, seemed lighter. A smile played on his lips as he towel-dried his hair.
Her fingers reached out and brushed the nape of his neck, playing with the wet curls there. “I love your hair,” she sighed before shyly averting her gaze at his hooded look.
I love you.
The confession was there, just on her lips, begging to be spilled. But she turned away, not ready yet. Maybe she would never be. Why spoil a good thing? Gio had made no indication that he wanted love. To a man like him, love could be a burden–a distraction from his duties.
“Did everyone arrive for the summit?”
“Hm, and Russo’s already stirring up trouble.” Gio scowled, striding over to the closet, where he brusquely rifled through his shirts, irritation evident in his form.
Ana watched him worriedly. “What kind of trouble?”
“Financial, what else? Russo hates that all our businesses roll up to the Don and is sticking his nose everywhere it doesn’t belong, dropping hints at partnerships with all of our most lucrative businesses. Antonio didn’t bite, thanks to you.” Gio glanced at her with a grim smile. “But I don’t know if the others will resist.”
“Why would they jump ship to Russo? He’ll take an even bigger cut of their profits.”
“Exactly,” Gio said. “But they don’t know that. All they hear is the promise of the Family tax getting abolished. Russo is conveniently leaving out the taxes he’ll levy in exchange for his investment.”
Ana rubbed her lips, wondering what they could do. Rumors were pesky little things. Once they gained traction, there was nothing–no logic–that could control them.
“Don’t worry.” Gio chucked her chin, breaking her out of her musings. “Hopefully the summit this weekend will make a dent in his campaign. Luke has been reaching out to the Pennsylvania factions to get some numbers and rally some support. That should help.”
“Did Grandfather agree to come?”
