Page 100 of Immoral

I take several breaths, count to eight, then curse Gianni further for putting his habit in my head. "He just kissed Veronica Galanis."

She wrinkles her nose. "Eww. Yuck."

Another emotion-filled laugh comes out of me. It's the perfect response but doesn't reduce the hurt. "You aren't a fan?"

Arianna scrunches her face further. "Of Veronica? No way! She's a self-absorbed, psychotic leech. Gianni couldn't tolerate her for very long, either."

A tiny part of me calms. "No?"

Arianna shakes her head. "No. She came to one of my papà's parties years ago. Something happened that night, and Gianni told her to leave. For several weeks she showed up at our house. The guards stopped letting her in after the first encounter because Gianni banned her from entering the premises."

More relief fills me, but I'm not going to roll over and act like nothing just happened. I blurt out, "If that’s the case, then why did he just kiss her?"

Arianna bites her lip, deep in thought. I count to five, and she cautiously asks, "Did he kiss her, or did she throw herself on him?"

"What makes you ask that? See, I knew you'd stick up for him," I snap.

She throws her hands in the air. "I'm not! I just know what happened with Killian and his ex and—"

"What are you talking about? Did he cheat on you? I'll kill him!" I hurl.

She shifts on her feet, takes a deep breath, then looks at the ceiling. She meets my eyes and states, "No. He didn't. But his ex came into the pub and threw herself on him."

"And he let her?" I bark, disgusted with him as much as Gianni.

"No! She was drunk. He tried to push her off him. It...it's a long story."

"So you have to worry about this woman all the time?"

Arianna huffs. "No. I wouldn't put up with that. He banned her and her friends from the pub. Plus, I taught Killian a lesson."

"How?"

A blush crawls through her cheeks. "I don't want to get into it. The point is that he didn't want her. Sometimes these women are so forceful, throwing themselves on men, it puts the guys into a situation they don't want to be in."

I snort. "I'm sure that's what your brother will claim."

She puts her hand on her hip. "Maybe you should talk to him and find out what happened. He's crazy about you. You're the only one he's always gone back to. I'm not sticking up for him, but I know him. He's always been into you."

The past comes back to haunt me, and it hurts. I huff. "Interesting you think so, because he sure as hell didn't show me that all these years."

She nods. "Yeah. I know. I love all my brothers, and like I said, none of them are saints. He's a moron, but he finally got smart and married you, didn't he? And Gianni's changed since marrying you. I see it. My brothers and Killian see it. Even Papà notices."

I cross my arms, biting my tongue from any further revelations of my fears. No matter what Arianna claims, she's his sister. Blood will always be thicker than water. And right now, I don't want to hear anyone stick up for Gianni. When Veronica finds out I'm married to him, there'll be hell to pay. This is the biggest event I've ever gotten to be a part of, and now isn't the time for her to have a hissy fit. I take a deep breath and order, "Don't tell Veronica I'm married to Gianni."

Confusion fills Arianna's expression. "Why? She needs to know not to touch him again."

I release an anxious breath. "I can't afford for her to not be on her game. She's bad enough normally. If she's still into your brother and finds out about us, she's going to be a major thorn in our side for the entire week."

Arianna rolls her eyes. "She's such a drama queen."

"You have no idea."

"Okay, but I think you should go talk to Gianni."

I stay silent and count to twenty then shake my head. "No. I don't want to hear his excuses. I have a job to do, and so do you. Are you ready to do it?"

Hurt fills Arianna's face. "Yes. Of course. I'm not trying to get out of my duties."

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