Page 79 of Twisted Knight

I shrugged. It was irrelevant now anyway. There were so many things I had to deal with before this, and one of them was India.

“I need to talk to you about India,” I started. I had asked her to stay before checking with Luca. It was his home, and I didn't even take into account the dynamics.

“India is also something that came out from all of this. She is impressive, you know. She stepped up and defended you fiercely. She even stopped the man who stabbed you.”

My heart stopped. India put herself at risk? For me? I let out a low growl. That’s something we would have to discuss. No more putting herself at risk… for anything. She was much too precious for this.

“She impressed Matteo; he approves of her.”

Not that it really mattered. I would fight the famiglia to keep her, but knowing that our king approved of her made things a whole lot easier.

“I asked her to stay here, with me. Permanently.”

“Goddammit!” Luca blurted out.

“Listen, Luca, if this is a problem, we can move out. I—”

He waved his hand dismissively. “That’s not the issue,idiota. Of course she can stay here forever; she’s family. I just lost one hundred dollars to Matteo of all people, and that pisses me off.”

I looked at him with an eyebrow raised. “Care to explain?”

He rolled his eyes. “After the incident, Matteo bet you’d ask her to stay before the week is out. I expected you to be a little slower and conflicted and to ask her on her way back to the airport. He won and I hate that.”

“Betting on my life?”

Luca crossed his arms on his chest. “Annoying, isn’t it?”

I pursed my lips. I’d done it to him too when he was toeing his way around Cassie. “That’s fair.”

Luca leaned forward and patted my shoulder with a laugh. “I’m happy for you, brother; she’s a good woman. She’ll make you happy.”

“I’m just waiting for her answer.”

He frowned. “She said she had to think about it?”

“No, I asked her to think about it. This is a serious decision she’ll be making, with lots of responsibilities.”

“Yeah, I did the same with Cassie, but the woman is so deeply in love with you. I can’t see her saying no.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “For my sanity? I hope you’re right.”

Because I was wise and smart enough to know that India McKenna was my chance at happiness, my shot at redemption.

Chapter Seventeen

INDIA

I looked at the clock once more, smoothing my hand on the see-through red lace nighty I was wearing.

Luca had texted me an hour ago saying that Dom was on his way and my nerves have been growing exponentially since then.

I had wanted to make my answer to him a great gesture, to show him that I loved him and what he meant to me.

Men were always expected to be the ones doing all the romantic stuff, making a big declaration of love, getting down on his knee to propose, and I agreed—most times—but no, Dom deserved the grand show. He needed to see that he was deserving of all the love in the world and that it was not only his role to make me feel cherished, but it was my role too. As his woman I needed to show him that he also was a treasure even if he doubted so himself.

I made him wait the whole week for my answer, and I knew that the more I waited, the more anxious he got, but I wanted the moment to be special to make a commitment to him.

Luca sent him to see Matteo in the city but asked him to stop at the condo first where I was waiting, wearing nothing more than the short lace nighty and a G-string.

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