Page 38 of His to Honor

“You’d better not start with my woman.”

A wave of relief washes over me as Matteo saunters into the room with his sister.

“What’s going on?” Livvy asks, her brow furrowed in confusion.

“Lorenzo wants Giulia to sample his new Chianti, but she seems to think we’ve poisoned it.” The sardonic tone in Damiano’s voice makes me feel like a total fool for harboring any suspicions. I raise the glass to my lips.

“You’re not meant to drink it straight away,” Livvy advises. “You need to assess the color and clarity first.”

Doing as she suggests, I hold the glass up to the light and study the wine carefully.

“Well?” Lorenzo prompts.

“It’s red.” Damn, I feel like an idiot. I have no idea what I’m looking for. “Dark red.”

“And the clarity?” Lorenzo doesn’t try to conceal the amusement in his voice.

“Well, there are no bits floating in it if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Now the aroma.” Livvy crosses the room and perches on the windowsill.

I tentatively sniff the air over my glass.

“No, get your nose in there!” Livvy scolds. “Get a good sniff of the stuff, but don’t snort it.”

Livvy isn’t even old enough to drink alcohol back home, but she seems to know what she’s talking about, so I follow her instructions.

“Well?” Livvy asks. “What are you picking up?”

Lowering the glass, I shrug helplessly. “It’s strong and fruity, like wine.”

Lorenzo throws his head back and laughs. “Ah, Giulia, you are refreshing.”

I suspect he means uncultured, but I’m not about to call him out for it.

“Just drink it.” Matteo puts a protective arm around my waist. “This tasting bullshit means nothing. All that matters is if you like it or not.”

Lorenzo staggers back, a hand to his chest as he pretends to be wounded by the remark. “People pay good money to come to our wine tastings.”

“You charge people to smell your wine?” With Matteo’s reassuring presence, I feel bolder. “You really are the mafia.”

For a moment there’s silence, and I worry I’ve misjudged the Volantes’ sense of humor. Then Damiano and Lorenzo both laugh. Livvy snorts in amusement and Matteo drops a kiss on the top of my head as he squeezes me tight.

“I like her.” Lorenzo pats Matteo on the shoulder as he walks past us. “Let me know what you think of the wine, Giulia. If you enjoy it, I’ll bring a case to your wedding.”

It’s a bit soon to be talking about weddings, but he’s gone before I can say that. Damiano and Livvy follow him from the room and I wonder if Matteo gave them some signal to leave. He goes to the door and shuts it behind them. Then he comes to me and runs the back of his fingers down my cheek.

“Did you have fun with my cousins?”

“The tour was interesting, but they probably think I’m a peasant.”

“Because you’re not a wine connoisseur?”

I nod. “Yeah, I mean this place is great, but I’ve never really been into wine.”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. They don’t give a shit if you can detect notes of blackberry or whatever. They just wanted to see what you’re made of.”

“I know.” For most of the tour I had the feeling my every gesture was being studied. “They were very charming, especially Lorenzo.”

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