Page 70 of Obsession & Oath

It’s the truth, as much as it feels odd to admit it now. I never wanted to be tied down, never thought a life of stability or commitment would be something for me. But given my commitment now to finding a wife…

Given the… fragile, new, exciting nature of our relationship…

It’s hard to get a read on what she wants me to say.

“But, uh…things change.” I meet her eyes for a moment, unsure if I’ve said too much.

She looks away briefly, her fingers still lingering on the flowers, but there’s a small smile on her lips, like she’s deciphering something between the lines.

“Things change, huh?” she repeats, voice lighter now, almost like she’s testing the words herself.

“Well, if they didn’t, I imagine you’d still be wasting away in the dungeon,” I deflect.

Carmen rolls her eyes but doesn’t press, though I can see the curiosity still lingering in her gaze.

Instead, she pulls a few of the gardenias from the stall, holding them up to me with a small, mischievous grin. “Do you think I could convince you to buy these for me?”

It’s like a dare, a challenge in her eyes.

I don’t even think twice. I pull the flowers from her hand and give the vendor a few euros. The gesture feels like something I should’ve done already, a simple acknowledgment of…well…just a gift.

“Consider them a token of my affection,” I say, handing them to her, not bothering to hide the smirk creeping across my face.

She takes them with a soft laugh, eyes glinting with amusement. “Why, Grasso, I wasn’t aware you knew how to court.”

I lean in just slightly, my voice lowering a little. “My technique is slightly less conventional, of course. But I haven’t heard you complaining about it yet.”

She looks up at me with that teasing, daring glint in her eyes. I can already feel the words on the tip of her tongue, the playful challenge, but before she can get them out, I hear a voice that interrupts us.

“Dante!”

The tone is smooth in a way that cuts through the air with the precision of a blade. I glance over my shoulder with a slow, almost reluctant recognition.

Rina.

She stands across the square, her posture perfect, her waist-length dark curls swaying gently in the breeze.

Her dark eyes lock with mine, and there’s a flash of something like amusement, like she’s been waiting to see me for a while. She strides toward us with confident purpose, unbothered by the crowded market around us.

I can feel Carmen tense beside me, trying to slip into the shadows like she’s been caught doing something wrong.

“I thought that was you,” Rina calls out, her tone a bit too sharp, though she’s smiling when she gets close, immediately pulling me in to greet me with a kiss on either cheek.

I force a smile onto my face as she pulls away. “Just taking a walk through the markets.”

“And here I thought you might be avoiding me.” Her eyes flicker to Carmen, and I can feel the undercurrent of her assessment in the way she looks at her.

I instinctively move a step closer to Carmen, although I’m not entirely sure what I aim to protect her from, and drape a casual arm around her shoulder.

“Not at all,” I say, my voice flat but steady. “I’ve just been busy with other things.”

Rina’s brow arches, her gaze sliding back to Carmen. She doesn’t even bother hiding her annoyance now, but I can see her calculating glare.

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” Rina practically purs as she holds out a hand to Carmen.

Carmen looks like she wants the earth to swallow her whole. I can practically feel her trying to shrink away from Rina’s gaze.

“Carmen is a guest of the Grasso di Ferro,” I say quickly. “She is staying with us for the foreseeable future.”

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