Page 15 of His to Hold

I’m surprised he’s letting me make the choice, but I don’t even need to think about it. “The kitchen.”

While I love the dining room with its huge oval table and comfy high-backed wooden chairs, it’s a formal space meant for dinner parties. There’s a chandelier hanging over a table, permanently set with fancy porcelain plates and silver cutlery. The room is beautiful, but it isn’t cozy like the kitchen. There’s more chance of easing the tension between us if we eat in a more relaxed setting. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.

“The kitchen it is.”

Antonio leads the way along the corridor toward the back of the house. I glance at the black and white photographs on the wall as we pass. Most of the faces staring out from them are familiar, and I feel a pang of regret that I haven’t seen my husband’s family for so long. I particularly miss Matteo and Gio, the youngest of the brothers who isn’t cut out for the world he was born into.

As I spot someone I don’t recognize in the family portraits, I stop dead. “Who’s this with Alessandro?”

Antonio’s younger brother has his arm around a pretty girl, who’s resting her head on his shoulder. There’s a look of peace and contentment on her face I can’t help envying. They make a stunning couple. Alessandro must be serious about her if she made it onto this wall.

“That’s Emilia.” Antonio carries on walking. “His wife.”

My jaw drops. “His wife?” I jog to catch up with Antonio. “Alessandro got married?”

“Six months ago.” He glances down at me. “Nobody mentioned it?”

I shake my head. Antonio’s men sometimes barked orders at me, but they didn’t talk to me otherwise. We certainly didn’t chat about what was happening with the family over coffee and cake. Rico made it clear from the start that anything going on outside the walls of my luxurious prison was none of my business. War could have broken out and nobody would have bothered to tell me.

“I can’t believe he’s married.”

Alessandro’s a decent guy, but I didn’t think he was the type to settle down, not yet anyway.

I follow Antonio into the kitchen, and an incredible aroma of garlic and red wine hits me. Unless I’m very much mistaken, Janetta has made us Peposo, my favorite Tuscan stew.

“Did I miss any other big news?”

As I climb onto one of the high stools at the island in the center of the room, Antonio opens the bottle of Chianti that’s sitting on the countertop. I can’t prevent my lips from turning up at the corners. Janetta knows that’s my favorite wine, not his. It’s a subtle indication she’s on my side and I need someone on my team, even if they’re unlikely to show it openly.

“Depends what you consider big news, I guess.” Antonio pours two glasses of wine and slides one across the marble countertop toward me. “Leo got married a couple of days ago.”

It’s lucky he told me that before we started eating dinner because I might have choked. It’s the last thing I expected to hear. Leo Volante is a complete asshole, especially when it comes to women. He’s fucked his way through half of New York and doesn’t regret discarding his conquests once he’s done with them. He hasn’t got a gentle bone in his body, except when it comes to his mother. With a serious penchant for violence and a mile-wide streak of arrogance, he’s not an easy man. I can’t imagine what sort of woman would take him on.

“That’s monumental news. Who’s the blushing bride?”

Antonio purses his lips in what I take to be disapproval. “There wasn’t a lot of blushing going on.”

Ah, Leo’s new bride must have a mind of her own. That’s almost guaranteed to land a woman on Antonio’s shit list.

“So who is she?”

“Vinnie Bianchi.”

My eyes feel like they’re about to pop out. “Wait, what? Are you talking about Carlo Bianchi’s son?”

“Daughter.” Antonio drags a stool around to his side of the breakfast bar so he doesn’t have to sit shoulder to shoulder with me. “Venezia Bianchi. She goes by Vinnie.”

“So Carlo’s mysterious second son is actually a daughter?”

“That’s right.”

For years, people have wondered about Carlo’s second child, supposedly a son he sent away to be raised abroad. It takes me a moment to process the fact he has a daughter and that she’s married to Leo. I want to ask how that came about since the Bianchis and Volantes are mortal enemies, but Antonio scowls and I take that to mean the topic is now closed.

As he picks up his glass and rolls the stem between his fingers, I can’t help staring at Antonio’s hands. They’re strong and masculine, capable of choking the life out of a person. His fingers are long and elegant. Heat rises to my cheeks as I consider the incredible things they’re able to do.

Antonio clears his throat. When I glance at him, his expression is one of expectation. I furrow my brow, confused. What does he want from me?

“Dinner’s in the oven,” he says eventually.

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