Page 29 of Savage Betrayal

For a moment, I’m captivated by her, unable to move as I feel the soft warmth of her body pressed against mine, the confidence with which she waits for me to make the first move, to lead her to our wedding song.

I don’t know why, but I hadn’t anticipated she would be a dancer.

My hesitation is fleeting, and I regain my composure as the music starts to build, ethereal in its haunting notes. Sweeping her around the dance floor in a traditional Viennese waltz, I try to focus on my steps, not the way she glides before me as if carried on angel wings.

Though we haven’t practiced this dance before, she responds to the lightest of signals, spinning and twirling in my arms as I guide her across the ballroom. A hush falls over the guests, who watch with rapt attention.

And when the music finally fades, I lower Tia into a dip. She stretches her arm elegantly over her head, extending the line with a beautiful flourish as if we’d been practicing this very move for months.

Applause follows her back onto her feet as I right her, and for a moment, I hold her, spellbound by the energy vibrating between us. Then I lift her fingers to my lips, brushing a soft kiss across her knuckles.

As the rest of our guests move onto the dance floor, I leave her standing there, making my way to the bar for a stiff drink.

“Whiskey. Neat,” I tell the bartender, leaning an elbow on the counter as I turn back to look at the dance floor.

I half expected Tia to be standing alone, but before she has a chance to look lonely, her sister—the one who stood as her maid of honor during the ceremony—joins her amidst the crowd.

Tia releases what must be the first genuine smile I’ve seen since the night I met her. The ones she’s been delivering all day have been quite convincing, but I can see the difference as soon as she smiles at her sister.

Clever girl. Too clever.

My suspicions rise as, once again, I’m privy to the intelligence that lurks beneath Tia’s innocent demeanor. She might have everyone else fooled—even my father. But not me.

She’s stunning, yes. But I’m still not convinced that she’s being honest with me.

“A beautiful first dance,” Don Guerra says as he comes to stand beside me, holding an empty wine glass as his eyes look out on the transformed dance floor.

What had been a sophisticated performance just minutes before has devolved into a lively scene as people dance to the high-energy music delivered by the band.

“You taught her well,” I acknowledge, raising my glass in solute before taking a drink.

Don Guerra turns to the bartender to request another glass of wine. Then he joins me in leaning against the marble counter so we can both watch the revelry.

“I find it is my duty to thank you, Leonardo, for doing the honorable thing,” he says after several moments of pregnant silence.

I glance sharply in his direction, surprised by his statement. “How so?” I ask, my guard up as I scrutinize him. “And please, call me Leo.”

“You didn’t have to go through with the marriage. But you did. You saved my family—my daughter—a humiliation that could have broken her. So, despite our differences, and the rather rocky history between us, I want to thank you. Sincerely.”

Stunned, I study his weathered face for several moments. “You’re welcome,” I say, when I can find no malice behind his words.

In truth, I’m astounded by the fact that he could hold himself with such dignity, even after the blatant insult I gave him by dumping Tia on his doorstep that night. Grudging respect rises inside me as I stand beside him, at a loss for words. Giuseppe Guerra knows what is best for his family and can set aside his pride to protect his daughters. That takes a lot of strength and nerve.

“You played your cards well, given the hand you were dealt,” I confess after another long pause.

Don Guerra turns his eyes on me now, the same dark, penetrating gaze as his daughter. And behind them is an intelligence that makes me think twice about my cocky determination to crush him before this unlikely alliance.

“Soon enough, you’ll learn that when it comes to your children, you’ll risk anything to ensure their happiness.”

The statement lies heavily between us, the meaning behind it far deeper than the words themselves. Of course, he’s talking about the child that drove this entire alliance into being. But beyond that, I sense that he’s telling me just why he insisted on this marriage in the first place.

But which of his daughters’ happiness is he referring to?

He can’t possibly mean Tia’s.

I’m not stupid enough to believe that she could possibly be happy about marrying me. Not after what I did to her.

My eyes find her on the dance floor as one song transitions into the next. She looks young and carefree as she twirls her younger sisters, all five dancing together in a giggling group of giddy camaraderie.

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