Page 69 of Christmas with the Mafia
Desiree sneers. “Who are you, the maid?”
Regina stiffens beside me, and I lift her hand where the diamond rests heavy on her finger and say with satisfaction, “No, allow me to introduce you to my fiancée, soon to be my wife.”
Desiree’s lip curls as she stares with contempt at the ring, and her voice is low as she snarls, “Does my father know?”
“He soon will.”
I kiss Regina’s hand and then face Desiree with a hard glare. “So, you will respect my future wife and accept that she is only being polite. A lesson in manners is obviously something you could use, so perhaps you should thank her for her offer rather than dismissing it out of hand.”
I note my brother Julius smirking as he leans against the door and luckily saves the day as he shifts off and approaches us.
“Desiree.” His husky voice cuts through the tension as she turns and faces him.
“Come, I will show you to your suite of rooms.”
I thank God for my brother, who is stepping up for once. If anything, that surprises me because Julius isn’t usually so caring, and as he passes, he whispers, “You owe me one.”
They leave, and Regina whispers, “I can see how much you need my help now. What a nightmare, I feel sorry for you.”
“I don’t.”
I face her with a smile. “I have you, which makes me theluckiest man here. Thank God for chance encounters and quick thinking.”
“Thank God.”
She smiles sweetly, and for some reason I forget to breathe. Regina really is the most beautiful soul I have ever met. It’s an undeniable attraction for a man who buys everything he wants, but you can’t buy this.
Not a woman like Regina and if I am to keep her, I must use all of my cunning. She will only agree to my demands if I put her happiness first and for a man who detests failure, it’s up to me to give her every reason to stay.
Thirty-Five
REGINA
I now haveone thing in common with Giovanni Ravera. I adore clay pigeon shooting.
I also love the fact that I can dress comfortably for the occasion, and jeans and a cozy jumper are paired with what they call a shooting jacket and boots. Safety goggles protect my eyes, and as we stand in their impressive ocean-fronted garden, the general buzz of competition runs like electricity through my veins.
Nico and his brothers are also super competitive, and I’m relieved that Desiree hangs back with Sophia and Katrina, who appear not to share my love of firing bullets at inanimate objects. If anything, the three women are bored and hold their steaming mulled wine with expressions of pure tedium.
Giovanni calls me over to his side, and my heart lurches as Nico whispers huskily, “That’s unusual.”
“Is it?”
He gently pushes me forward, and I wonder if I’m about to be banished to wait with the women.
Vito doesn’t appear too happy about my participation. I’m guessing he believes a woman’s place is in the bedroom, and as I head toward them, Giovanni’s enigmatic expression gives absolutely nothing away.
“Regina.”
He crooks his finger at me, and I head toward him with the smile of a fool. Nico’s eyes are burning into my back. I feel him; it’s impossible not to because, for some reason, my entire body is in tune with his. There is something connecting us, more than with any man I have met before, and I wonder if it’s due to the duplicitous nature of our relationship. We are fooling his family, and I wonder if his father has guessed.
“I like how you shot the first round.”
“You do?” I’m surprised because Giovanni shot every single clay and missed none, whereas I missed several.
“You have a good eye, and I’m interested in a small wager between us. A personal competition if you like.”
Vito’s smirk alerts me to the fact this probably won’t end well for me, and I say nervously, “I don’t begin to believe I can beat you, Giovanni, but I’ll give it a go at least.”
