Page 125 of The Devil's Fire

“What did you talk about when Damiano called both of you to his office?” I asked.

“Just the standard talk. Either we drop what we have going, or we get married.” She shrugged and kept on folding my clothes. Cara and I stared at her, dumbfounded.

“Seriously?” Cara gaped.

“He can’t decide that!” I exclaimed.

“Then what?” Cara asked.

“I told him to shove his options up his ass.” Arianna smirked proudly. “I’m not going to marry the guy. We’re just having fun and enjoying each other.”

“So, you’re dropping him?” I asked.

“Hell no! The sex is too good. We’re just going to keep away from each other for a few days, pretend it’s over, and then just be more careful to not get caught.”

“Damn… Dom got balls of steel to continue after almost being choked to death.” I remarked.

“Can’t blame him if the sex is so good.” Cara commented. “Go get that dick, sis.”

“I will.” Arianna winked as we all chuckled.

We were almost done packing when Arianna had called me out after finding out I wasn’t doing anything. I reminded her that Ellie told me to take it easy. Arianna and Cara shared a look and dropped everything from their hands and walked out.

“So much for helping a sister out!” I yelled at them, but Cara flipped me off.

I let out a sigh of relief when I was done packing and flopped on the bed. The softness of the bed cushioned my tired body and my eyes started to droop.

“Done packing?” I raised my head to see Damiano giving me a soft smile as he closed the door behind him.

“Yeah. I think I’m going to take a nap.” I still had time to kill since I was leaving late in the afternoon, and a nap sounded so heavenly now.

Damiano sat down on the bed and handed me a small, velvet-lined black box. I sat up and saw the glimmer of the diamond earrings he had gifted me.

“I want you to wear these at all times. Don’t take them out.” He insisted sternly.

“Isn’t it a bit too much for an everyday look?” I asked.

“No. I want you to always wear them. Put them on.” Damiano urged.

“So bossy.” I teased but put them on. “How do I look?” I put my hands on my face and dramatically fluttered my eyelashes at him.

“Beautiful.” Damiano smiled softly, tucking some of my hair behind my ear as he looked at me. “One more thing; Luca and Giovanni will stay with you until you come back.”

“Damiano, no.” I immediately protested with a shake of my head.

“It’s not up for discussion. They are staying with you.” He frowned at my protest.

“My mom will freak out at the sight of them, and I’m not exactly planning on telling her why two men are with me, posing as bodyguards.”

“They are going to stay out of sight. I need to make sure you’re safe when I’m not with you.” Damiano emphasized.

“And I will be. Didn’t you say you caught the guy already?” I asked.

“Yes, but he wasn’t working alone. Until I get my hands on the bastard that sent him, you’re not going anywhere without security.” He said, leaving no room for discussion. I sighed.

“You realize that I’m coming back a week before the wedding, which is eight weeks away. Are you really making Luca stay away from his girlfriend for seven weeks?” I tried one more time.

“I gave him time off to spend time with her. He just came back from Italy.” He explained, not giving me any wiggle room to argue back.

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