Chapter 13 #2
Don Dante De Luca gave Valentina a nod of acknowledgment and clapped me once on the shoulder before he took his seat at the other end of the table, my mother sitting to his left.
Both of our fathers were now seated at opposite ends of the table, neither speaking as they silently assessed each other.
A tense quiet fell over the restaurant, the guests looking at either Don Romano or Don De Luca, everyone seeming to hold their breath as they waited to see what would happen next.
Our fathers had never been in the same room before. Neither man had met the other face-to-face. Both of them had been at war for years without ever being in the other’s presence. Now they were in a staring contest, each refusing to back down.
Finally, Valentina’s father rose to his feet, holding up his glass of wine in salute to my father. “I thank you for being here tonight Dante. My wife and I welcome you.”
“The same to you, my old friend,” my father said, speaking in his thick Italian accent.
Dad got to his feet, graciously holding out his arms toward Don Romano.
All of this seemed well rehearsed. An exaggerated show of formal respect so that neither of them got the wrong impression.
One wrong move could lead to disastrous misinterpretation that could get us all killed.
“May your lovely daughter find endless happiness with my son.”
There was an audible sigh of relief from the guests as both men resumed their seats.
At that moment, Mrs. Romano stood up and smiled in her daughter’s direction. She saved a pointed glare for me and then said, “I’d love to get another photo of you two. Would the bride and groom like to kiss for the camera?”
Valentina and I exchanged glances. Somehow I didn’t think that Mrs. Romano was the type of woman that anybody in their right mind would dare to contradict. Next thing I knew, Valentina was getting to her feet, nervously tugging at my hand.
I followed her lead and stood up, wrapping an arm around her waist to slowly pull her close.
Instead of looking at me though, she averted her gaze, her eyes darting around the room.
Without needing her to tell me I sensed her anxiety.
Definitely not ideal to kiss a near stranger in front of an audience.
Valentina and I had never shared a genuine kiss and now we were about to do it in front of a gawking crowd of friends, family, and fucking strangers.
But there was no backing out now—it would prompt a backlash and embarrass Valentina’s mother.
If both of our family’s hopes rested on this alliance, neither of us could afford to fuck this up.
Taking the time to put her at ease, I slid my hand upward and curled my fingers around Valentina’s delicate neck. I stroked her soft skin with my thumb, feeling her pulse quicken against the palm of my hand.
She looked up at me then, the apprehension behind her blue eyes receding as our gazes held. Awkward as this was gearing up to be, I wanted her to know that she was safe.
I angled my mouth against her pillowy soft lips, letting her set the pace of the kiss. For a second, I thought she’d go for something fast and chaste before ending the kiss, but her lips parted then as she arched against me.
Wrapping her arms around my shoulders, she allowed her tongue to collide with mine.
I took possession of her mouth, deepening the kiss until heat tore through me.
She tasted so good. Sweet as red wine and candied peaches.
The citrus of the sangria she’d been drinking all night exploded on my tongue and I had to force back a groan.
Time came to a standstill. The audience disappeared. The only thing left in the world was her. We were both drowning, the intensity of the kiss crashing through us.
I explored her heated mouth, caressing her tongue with mine. My mind melted. The teasing strokes of Valentina’s tongue fried what was left of my brain. Whatever restraint either of us had been holding onto had snapped. I swirled my tongue into her mouth, devouring her.
She clung to me desperately, a muted whimper escaping her throat as I traced the contour of her exposed back with an eager hand. Her body, soft and warm against me, trembled and that was when she wrenched her perfect mouth away.
When she pulled back, I found her breathing heavily, desire blazing behind her eyes.
The sound of guests whooping and clapping brought me back to reality. The drunk feeling that made me lose myself in her quickly started to fade, leaving me stone-cold sober.
Valentina settled back into her seat and I sank down into the chair next to her.
I could still felt the heat of her mouth on mine. For the second time since meeting her, a kiss that was supposed to be fake seemed way too fucking real.
Dinner began to wind down, and all I could think about was kissing my fiancée.
I wanted her. To an unreasonable degree.
That meant trouble because I was supposed to be seducing her with a cold detachment that guaranteed no feelings on my part.
Problem was, kissing her was like igniting a wildfire.
There was no controlling it no matter how hard I fought.
And it wasn’t mere lust either. The attraction between us ran stronger and deeper than that. Which spelled trouble.
Guests were getting out of their seats, with some of them coming over to congratulate us on their way out of Romano Vita. As the crowd thinned, Valentina leaned in close.
“I think my mom got some good photos out of that kiss,” she said.
“Pretty sure your father wants to murder me,” I shot back. “He’s been scowling at me ever since.”
“Guess I put on a convincing performance. I could have made it in Hollywood,” she said in a casual tone.
That was like a punch in the gut. Because while she claimed to have faked it, I had been kissing her for real.
There had been too much heat behind it for either of us to be playing a part.
I saw the way she’d been panting for breath after it.
But Valentina clearly wanted to pretend.
Which pissed me off more than anything—her refusal to admit that there was chemistry between us no matter how hard she tried to ignore it.
“You expect me to buy that? Who are you trying to convince, Valentina?” I demanded. “Me or you?”
Her eyes widened at my words and I saw the color rise in her cheeks. “I—”
“Meet me at my place in two hours,” I said, lowering my voice.
Valentina held my gaze. There was a spark of interest in her eyes. In response, she smiled faintly. Nodded. “See you soon.”
Wise of her to agree to meet me alone. We were going to hash this out.
I had to know where the fuck we stood. Most important, I needed to regain control here.
I was seducing her. Not the other way around.
If I figured out what her true feelings were, I’d be able to hold her at arm’s length again.
As of now, I didn’t buy that she was faking this and her blowing hot and cold tonight was throwing me off.
After I determined the depth of her feelings, then the confusion could end.
Then I’d go back to playing my role with zero emotions getting in the way of my goal.
I just had to make sure that I didn’t fall for my future wife in the process.