Chapter 10
ROMEO
Idon't regret it.
I should. I know I should. I had her against a bookshelf in the dark, made her come for me, nearly took her virginity in a library during a thunderstorm. She ran from me, crying, horrified at what we'd done.
But I don't. Because now she knows. Now she understands exactly how I feel, what I want, what we could have together. She can't pretend anymore that this is just an academic partnership or an innocent friendship. She can't hide behind her engagement or her family's expectations.
She knows I want her. All of her. And she knows she wants me too.
The memory of her in my arms—gasping my name, trembling, coming apart—is burned into my brain. The way she tasted. The sounds she made. The desperate way she clutched at me, begging for more. She wanted me. She wanted everything.
And she would have let me take it if fear hadn't stopped her.
I sit there long after she stops responding to my texts, staring at my phone, so hard it fucking hurts, and yet still not wanting to take care of it myself.
I don’t want my own fucking hand. I want Savannah’s hand, her mouth, her tight, untouched pussy.
The knowledge that she’s so innocent, that no one has ever touched her like that before, that I was the first…
that I could be the first for fucking everything makes me feel like I’m coming unhinged.
My head hurts, and my cock throbs, and I’m coming apart at the seams. I need her like I need air, and I don’t know how much longer I can stand this.
When my phone rings, I nearly jump out of my fucking skin. I look at it and see that it’s Luca.
"Tell me you have something," I answer sharply.
"I have something." His voice is grim.
I sit up straighter. "What?"
"Whitmore. He's been embezzling from Beauregard's company. Small amounts at first, but it's been escalating. We're talking hundreds of thousands over the past eighteen months."
Fuck. This could be good. "Edgar knows?"
"No. That's the thing—Whitmore's been very careful. He's got access through his father's firm. They handle some of Beauregard's accounts. He's been moving money through shell companies, making it look like legitimate business expenses."
"How did you find it?"
"I have a guy who's very good with financial records. Once we started looking, the pattern was obvious. But you'd have to know what you're looking for. Edgar Beauregard clearly doesn't."
I'm already thinking through the implications. "If this comes out—"
"It would destroy both families. The Whitmores would be ruined. The Beauregards would be humiliated. And Savannah—" He pauses. "She'd be caught in the middle of it."
"She needs to know."
"Romeo." Luca's voice is cautious. "Think about this. If you tell her, if this comes out, you're not just ending her engagement. You're potentially destroying her family's business, her father's reputation. The fallout would be massive."
"She deserves to know what kind of man she's engaged to."
"Does she? Or do you just want to use this information to break them up?"
The question stings, because there's truth in it. But I push past it. "Is there more?”
Luca sighs. "I found some texts that indicate he wants to pressure Savannah to move up the wedding timeline. Maybe as early as Christmas, though I doubt her family would go for that. Not enough time to plan a big society wedding. But next summer, for sure. One of the breaks, when she could come home, and they could celebrate properly.”
My blood runs cold. "What?"
"Apparently, Thad's been pushing for it. He’s told his parents he doesn't want to wait. They're thrilled—think it shows he's serious about settling down."
My jaw clenches. That could be anything from a little less than a year to a few months away. I feel a growing sense of panic, a need to grab onto Savannah before he takes her from me. "He knows," I say slowly. "He knows she's pulling away. He's trying to lock her down before she can escape."
"That's my read on it too."
I'm on my feet, pacing, before I fully know what I’m doing. I’m running out of time to make Savannah see that she doesn't have to marry him, show her there's another option.
"There's one more thing," Luca says. "The reason he's embezzling. He's got gambling debts. Serious ones. To some very unpleasant people."
I press my lips together, considering. "How serious?"
"Seven figures. And the people he owes—they're not the type to accept payment plans."
The pieces click into place. "He needs the Beauregard money."
"Exactly. Marrying Savannah isn't just about family connections anymore. It's about survival. He's desperate, Romeo. And desperate men do dangerous things."
I think about Emma Hartwell, about all the things that have been covered up for Thaddeus Whitmore before this. "He's going to hurt her," I say flatly.
"Maybe. Or maybe he'll just use her family's money to pay off his debts and continue being a controlling asshole. Either way—"
"Either way, she's not safe with him."
"No," Luca agrees. "She's not."
I'm quiet for a moment, thinking. "Send me everything you have. All the financial records, all the information about the debts. I want documentation."
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know yet.” I can feel my teeth grinding together. I don’t know… but I’m going to figure it out, and soon. Before he can lock Savannah away for good.
"Romeo." Luca’s voice is lower, more serious now. "Be careful. If Whitmore finds out you're investigating him, if he realizes you're a threat—"
"Let him try something. I'd welcome it."
"That's what I'm afraid of. You're not thinking clearly about this…"
I hang up before he can argue further.
I’m almost out of time to save her from a marriage that will destroy her, to make her see that she deserves better. I have as little as a few months to—
My phone buzzes with a text from Giulia, startling me again. Dinner tonight? I’m free. I feel like I haven’t seen you lately.
I stare at the message. I’ve barely seen my sister lately. And I've been avoiding her calls because I know she'll see right through me. Giulia has always been able to read me better than anyone. But I can't avoid her forever.
Romeo: Sure. Where?
Giulia: That place in Little Italy. 7 p.m.
Romeo: I'll be there.
—
Giulia is already at the restaurant when I arrive, sitting at a corner table with a glass of wine.
She’s not twenty-one yet, but the owners are family friends, so she gets to do what she wants.
It’s hard for anyone to tell her no, anyway—she’s young and beautiful, with the classic Ciresa charm, and the knowledge of how to turn it on when she needs to.
She’s as bad as I am in that respect. I wonder, sometimes, if she’s as perfect and innocent a daughter as my father believes she is.
She looks happy, relaxed, and smiling, her dark hair up in a high ponytail. She’s wearing a black collared polo dress and sneakers, with a denim jacket next to her for the cold. She stands when she sees me, and I pull her into a hug.
"You look terrible," she says cheerfully.
"Nice to see you too.”
"I'm serious. When's the last time you slept? You have circles under your eyes."
"I've been busy,” I say dryly, motioning to the waiter who peeks out from the back when he hears us talking. There’s no one else in the restaurant—possibly by Giulia’s design. If she wanted the restaurant empty, she could have it. No one in this part of town, especially, would tell a Ciresa no.
"With what? Your mysterious archaeology class?" She sits back down, studying me with sharp eyes. "Luca said you've been obsessed with some project."
"Luca talks too much."
"Luca is worried about you. So am I."
I frown. “What are you doing talking to Luca, anyway?” The waiter comes, and I order a scotch. Giulia raises an eyebrow but doesn't comment. Nor does she answer my first question. Instead, she jumps straight into interrogation.
"So," she says when we're alone again. "Tell me about her."
I should have known I couldn't hide it from her. "There's nothing to tell."
"Romeo. I've known you for my whole life. I’m your sister. I know when you're lying." She leans forward. "And I know when you're in trouble. So tell me. Who is she?"
I take a long drink of my scotch. If I’m going to tell anyone other than Luca, it might as well be my sister.
I know she won’t snitch to our father, either.
"Her name is Savannah. She's in my archaeology seminar." I don’t say the last name. I doubt Giulia would know it, but it’s better to leave that part out, for now at least.
Giulia nods as if everything makes sense now. "And?"
"And she's brilliant. Beautiful. Everything I've ever—" I stop, not sure how to finish that sentence.
"Everything you've ever what?" Her dark eyes narrow.
"Wanted," I say finally. "Everything I've ever wanted."
Giulia is quiet for a moment. "But?"
"But she's engaged. To someone else. Someone her family chose for her."
"And you're trying to break them up."
"It's not like that," I protest sharply, feeling the same defensiveness I felt with Luca earlier. "He's not good for her. He's controlling, manipulative. He has a history of violence against women. She's not safe with him."
Giulia raises an eyebrow. "So you're protecting her."
"Yes."
"By stalking her? By inserting yourself into her life and making her dependent on you?"
The words hit harder than they should. "I'm not—"
"Romeo." She tilts her head, looking at me knowingly. It’s an uncomfortable look because it makes her look older than she is.
"I love you. You're my brother, and I would do anything for you.
But I also know you. I know how you are when you want something.
You become obsessed. You don't stop until you get it.
And you don't always care about the collateral damage. "
"This is different."
"Is it? Or are you just telling yourself that because you want her?"
I set down my glass carefully. "You don't understand."
Giulia lets out a slow breath. "Then explain it to me."