Page 41 of His to Keep
“He was injured, kitten. He didn’t remember who he was.”
“He was hurt badly?” Hating the thought of my brother being injured when he had no family there to support him makes me cry even harder.
“It seems so.” Gio strokes my hair gently. “If he’d known where you were, if he’d been able to come for you, he would have.”
“You think so?”
Gio nods decisively. “I know so.”
He tightens his arms around me. I lay my head on his chest and listen to the slow, reassuring beat of his heart. I match my own breaths to the rhythm and slowly bring myself under control.
“Are you okay now, kitten?” Gio asks.
“Yes.” I peer up at him, surprised by his caring side. “I don’t want to speak to him yet. It’s too soon.”
Gio nods, as if he expected that. “I sent him away.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. I told him to give you space. Until you’re ready, you don’t have to see him again.”
Gio’s fierce protectiveness makes me smile. This is a man who’ll do battle with anyone to keep me safe, even my own brother.
“Thank you.” I sit up a little straighter. “That was Niamh Donnelly with him, wasn’t it?”
“It was.”
“Do you think they’re together?”
Gio shakes his head. “No, apparently she and your other brother had a special relationship.”
“I always wondered if Jamie was involved with her. He refused to marry Cara Drummond because he was in love with someone else.”
“Speaking of Cara Drummond,” Gio says carefully. “Your brother has her.”
“Has her?You mean like a prisoner?”
Gio shrugs. “I don’t know. He just said he’d secured an important asset and that it was her.”
My stomach roils. Talking about Cara as an asset doesn’t give me confidence he’ll be kind to her. “He wouldn’t hurt her, would he?”
“I didn’t get the impression he would, but you know him better than I do.”
“I knew him four years ago.” Sighing heavily, I shift on Gio’s lap, turning to face him fully. “Look, let’s not talk about him now. We just got married. We should focus on that.”
“You sure? You don’t want to talk about it?”
“You want to spend our wedding night raking over everything that happened to me, analyzing my feelings about it?”
I am not up for a therapy session.
“No, what I really want is to fuck my wife, but I won’t push you into anything.”
“Our courtship may have been unconventional,” I say, “but I want a normal wedding night.”
“You’re really sure?”
While I applaud his dedication to ensuring my wellbeing, it’s annoying that he isn’t taking me at my word. I nod determinedly. For tonight, at least, I want to put all thoughts of my dead family, my years of captivity and Alexander’s resurrection to one side.
