by Bella J.
“Can I ask you something?”
He nodded. “Sure.”
I placed my hands in my lap, my thoughts swerving left to right, wondering if asking this question was a good idea. But I just had to know. “Did your brother see anyone,” I glanced at him, “you know, before he had to marry me?”
“Are you asking if he had to break up with someone because he had to marry you?”
I sucked in a breath. “Yeah.”
His expression didn’t falter. “Why are you asking that?”
“I know, given our circumstances that I have no right—” I exhaled and craned my neck to look up at the ceiling. “No right to judge or act the part of a jealous wife.”
“Daniela. What’s going on?”
“I just…” I lifted a shoulder. “I saw some woman visit him the other night just before midnight, and I was wondering who she was, and what kind of meeting takes place at that time of night.”
Darion didn’t say a word as he sat there studying me, his expression stone, giving me nothing. Not an inkling of whether he knew what was going on or who this woman might have been.
“You know what, it’s okay. I can’t expect you to tell me your brother’s secrets, and besides, it doesn’t matter who she is.” I scoffed.
“You’re his wife, Daniela,” Darion murmured.
“Your brother hates me, you know?”
“My brother hates everyone.”
I glanced his way. “No. I mean, like, he really, really hates me.”
Darion regarded me silently, finger lightly tapping on the bar. “And how do you feel about him?”
“I don’t think now is the right time to ask me that question.” My cheeks burned, and I looked down at my wrists where faint red marks reminded me of what happened between Gian and me.
Darion noticed. “Did my brother hurt you?”
I took a deep breath, still staring at my wrists, not knowing what the right answer was to that. So, I decided no response was the best one.
“Daniela, look at me.” Darion leaned forward in his seat, closing some distance between us, and placed a gentle finger under my chin, urging me to turn his way. Deep brown eyes stared at me in earnest. “If my brother ever hurts you, promise me you will tell me.”
I stared at him, wondering where his sudden concern came from. “Darion…what makes you think he’ll hurt me?”
He licked his lips, keeping my gaze. “It doesn’t matter.” He lowered his voice, still touching my chin with his fingertips. “I just want you to know that you’re not trapped in this house with no one you can turn to. If you need anything, you can come to me.”
“You don’t know me. Why would you care about what happens to me here?”
A half-smile revealed a dimple I hadn’t notice before. “It’s a sad world if people needed to know someone before they could feel compassion.”
There was something soft and tender in his chocolate irises, his expression almost pained while he stared at me. Even though they looked a lot alike, one could spot from a mile away who was older. The crown child who had been born and bred, hardened, and tempered to rule the family empire. The other, a son who had the freedom to discover life on his own, acquired some humanity without being seen as weak.
“Thank you.” I shot him a sincere smile, our gazes lingering for the longest moment. Like a lost child, I found myself drawn to the kindness in his eyes, drawn to the promise of a friend in a life that had the potential to be lonely and cruel.
A sudden glint of mischief flashed in his eyes. “Now, judging by our very casual attire, am I right in assuming that you’re not wearing anything of value right now?”
“Um.” I frowned. “No. Why?”
Darion stood and swept me off my seat, unceremoniously picking me up and carrying me out onto the deck. “Oh, my God,” I yelped with a laugh. “What are you doing?”
“Showing you that I’m the fun brother.” He smirked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively, and I had to laugh.
“No,” I objected when I saw him making a beeline toward the pool. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wouldn’t I?’
“You wouldn’t.” But I knew he totally would and wrapped my arms tighter around his neck. “If I’m going in, you’re going in with me. I swear, I won’t let go.”
His deep laughter filled the open air around us, and I squealed the closer he came to the pool, followed by a playful laugh. “Darion. Don’t.”
I clung for dear life when he reached the edge of the pool, refusing to let him go.
He stilled, looking down at me pressed against his chest. “Hmm,” he feigned a look of thought, “I’ll make you deal. See, you’re going into this water no matter what.”
“Darion—”
“But if you let go of me long enough to just remove my Rolex, I’ll let my insurance write you a personal letter of appreciation in the morning.”
I glanced at his wristwatch, contemplating the deal. I narrowed my eyes at him, my arms still wound tightly around his neck. “You have five seconds.”
“That’s all I need.”
I hesitated, staring at him with a hint of doubt. But this was a Rolex we were talking about, so I loosened my grip slightly.
One second. That was all he needed. I screamed and flailed as he threw me in the pool, my weight cleaving through the water with a splash. My feet found the bottom, and I pushed myself up, taking a deep breath when broke through the surface, wiping my hair back.
“You tricked me.”
He laughed and stood with his hands on his waist. “You should know better than to ever trust a Silvestro.”
“Oh, my God.” I swept my arm through the air and splashed the water in his direction.
He jumped back, droplets falling on his leather shoes.
“Rolex, huh?” I taunted. “Real smooth.”
Darion held up his arm, sporting the silver wristwatch. “I couldn’t chance it. This is a hundred-thousand-dollar watch.”
“And this is a fifty-dollar shirt.”
“Hmm.” He pursed his lips. “Well, now that you’ve put it that way, I suppose it’s only fair to sacrifice my Rolex for your fifty-dollar shirt.” He pulled off his shoes, threw them aside, and ran toward the pool.
“Darion, no. I was just—”
But he was in the pool, water splashing in my face before I could finish my sentence. Darion came up and swept his wet hair to the side, pulling a palm down his face as he laughed.
“You’re insane. You know that?”
His eyes blinked open. “You are not the first to tell me that.”
“Your watch. It’s ruined.”
“Lucky for you, it’s water resistant.”
“You tricked me?” He shot me a roguish smirk, and I frowned back at him. “Unbelievable.”
“Hey, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”
“Sure.” I gave him a half-smile.
His black dress shirt clung to his body, the water like glass on his skin with the subtle light around the pool. Midnight hair glinted under the moonlight, dark eyes swirling with devilry.
We laughed and splashed each other, water raining down on us, the smell of chlorine and fresh night air surrounding us. Hair clung to my face, the shirt I wore winding around my middle.
Darion launched forward, trying to catch me, but I swam to the side and dodged his reach. Ripples crashed against the mosaic edges of the pool, splattering on the paving.
It felt good to laugh, a sense of calm settling over me. In those moments, I had forgotten about Gian and what happened between us. I pushed the memory of my body’s betrayal from my thoughts and appreciated the freedom to act foolishly. To have fun.
With Darion.
I slipped below the water and swam toward the edge and surfaced, wiping my face clean. I opened my eyes and saw his Italian leather shoes before I heard his voice.
“Doesn’t this look fun?”
My heart lodged in my throat, and I dared to look up, i
nto the swirls of rage in his eyes. “Gian.”
With his hands in his pants pockets, he stared down at me with amber hues of disappointment. “Get out of the fucking pool, Daniela.”
Chapter Fourteen
I heard their playful laughter the second I walked into the fucking house. How could I miss it? I was sure my neighbors who lived four miles from here heard it.
Daniela wiped the wet hair from her face, blowing water from her lips while she made no attempt to get out of the pool.
“I’m sorry,” I sneered, “did I fucking stutter? Get out of the goddamn pool.”
The look in her eyes was a challenge, her expression hard edges and contempt.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Darion climb out of the pool. “Gian, we were just having some fun.”
I tried to ignore him while I kept my glare on my wife, who still refused to obey. But Darion walked closer, the swooshing of his wet clothes the equivalent of nails on a blackboard.
“I have to warn you, little brother. Do not interfere in matters that are not your own. Daniela, get out of the pool before I drag your ass out.”
“Fine,” she conceded and started to make her way to the edge, water rippling around her.
She glanced at Darion, and it instantly pissed me off—the way she watched him as she moved through the water, as if there was this silent conversation going on between them. My blood boiled, and my anger raged while I stood there watching them, witnessing what looked like a blooming fucking friendship.
Over my dead body.
Water cascaded down her body as she got out of the pool, the white shirt she wore clinging to her tiny frame. My gaze dropped to her pebbled nipples visible through the wet fabric, and my first instinct was to tear my brother’s eyeballs from his skull—especially when he so valiantly handed her a towel to wrap around herself.
Fucker.
They looked at each other, and something silently passed between them. I balled my fists and clenched my jaw, jealousy crawling up my spine and wrapping around my motherfucking throat.
Daniela looked in my direction, red curls clinging to her pale cheeks. How was it that now, while she stood in nothing but leggings and a shirt, she seemed more beautiful than she did in a designer wedding gown?
“Where did you go tonight?” Her bottom lip trembled.
“None of your business.”
Darion placed his hands at his sides and turned to face me, his eyes screaming with challenge. “I think I have a pretty good clue where you disappeared to.”
“Stay the fuck out of this,” I warned and stomped closer.
“Your hostility makes me think my assumption is correct.”
I bit the inside of my mouth while we glared at each other like two starved male lions, wanting nothing more than to tear each other to shreds.
I approached him, bringing my face close to his, wanting him to look in my motherfucking eyes and see how damn much I wanted to rip his head off. “Do not fuck with me, Darion.”
“She’s your wife,” he bit out between clenched teeth. “She should know.”
“Know what?” Daniela’s soft voice penetrated the tension on the verge of erupting between my brother and me. “Does this have something to do with the woman who visited you the other night?”
I snapped my attention to her, lifting a brow in question. “What woman?”
“Oh, stop.” Darion wiped his face with a towel before tossing it to the ground. “Just tell her.”
“I swear to God, Darion,” I seethed, pointing my finger in his face. “Do not push me.”
“I saw her,” Daniela interrupted. “I saw her through the bedroom window.”
“She’s no one,” I spat, my mind reeling in every direction.
“Don’t lie to her, man. She deserves to know who Irina is.”
I snapped. I fucking lost it as untapped rage boiled from my bones and erupted. I slammed my fist in his face, and Darion stumbled back.
Daniela gasped. “Gian, what are you doing?”
I grabbed her elbow and pulled her close, pinning her with my stare. “You need to go inside.”
“What is that on your shirt?”
Her eyes widened, and I glanced down at my sleeve where a splatter of crimson stained it.
“Is that blood?”
Fuck.
I shoved her to the side. “Leave. Now!”
Daniela recoiled at the fury that flooded my voice, and she dropped the towel before disappearing into the house.
I pulled my attention back to Darion, who tested his jaw left to right, blood oozing from his split lip. My nostrils flared and my jaw ticked as I watched him right himself. I waited for him to retaliate. I wanted him to. I wanted him to give me a reason to kick his ass some more, but my brother knew better.
“What the fuck is your game, huh?” I demanded, venom dripping from my lips.
“I have no game, brother.” He wiped at the blood on his lip, glancing at the crimson on the top of his hand, and looked at me. “No game at all.”
“Bullshit. You and I both know what you’re playing at. I told you to stay the fuck away from my wife.”
“I came home and found her sitting at the bar, planning on drinking herself into a stupor.” He leveled me with his stare. “I’m guessing because of something you did.”
“What happens between Daniela and me is just that—between us.”
He tore the wet shirt from his chest and threw it on the ground with the towel. “What did you do? You hurt her?”
Fiery rage rolled off me in waves, Darion’s bleeding lip evidence of that. “As I said, it has nothing to do with you.”
He smirked, his eyes filled with malicious fucking amusement. “You did hurt her…didn’t you? That would explain your late-night visit to Irina.”
“I wasn’t with Irina.”
“Liar.” He pointed at my left sleeve. “Blood. You were with her. Did you think it would lull your conscience after hurting your own wife?”
“Fuck you!” God, I wanted to pull his motherfucking teeth out. The way he grinned, knowing he had touched a sensitive subject. Something that would make me lose my shit.
He grabbed his shirt from the ground, eyes never leaving mine. “Guess you and I aren’t that different…are we, brother?”
“I’m nothing like you,” I seethed. “Nothing.”
He glanced at the blood on my shirt. “Yeah. Nothing.”
I ripped the shirt off and threw it on one of the recliners, my veins pumped with adrenaline. “Pack your shit,” I called after him. “You’re leaving. Tonight.”
He pressed his lips in a thin line, shaking his head lightly. “I’m guessing Father didn’t tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
“We’re having a little party.” He held his arm out wide. “Here.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What?”
“Father wants us to have a party. You know, show the world how happy the new couple is.”
“Let me guess, your idea?”
“No.”
Of course it is.
“Jesus,” I mumbled and pulled my palm down my face. “When?”
“Not sure. Two weeks, maybe three. But until then, I’m staying.”
Fuck, I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face on the goddamn paving.
“Daniela is not ready to act the part.”
Darion raised a brow. “Daniela…or you?”
“It’s just not a good time.”
“She’s your wife, Gian. Get her in line. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need some sleep. Being your wife’s shoulder to cry on is exhausting.”
“Stay away from my wife!” I yelled after him, but he ignored me as he disappeared inside the house. “Jesus!” I kicked at the paving. Having him here was just complicating matters even more. I didn’t have the time or the energy to worry about him, but somehow he had managed to slither his way into my home, using my father and his business ventures as a way in.
“Gian.”
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I looked up at Daniela standing in the doorway, the light of the bar lining her silhouette against the dark. Wet, red streaks framed her face, and I could see a million questions swarm around in her eyes. “Who is Irina?”
“Daniela—”
“I’ll understand.” She moved closer with slow, calculating steps. “As you said earlier, we didn’t have a choice. This marriage was forced on us both, and if there was someone in your life before you—”
“No.” I held up my hand and closed my eyes, shaking my head. “Stop, okay?”
“I’m serious. I will understand. I will. But I won’t be one of those wives who sits at home while her husband is out there screwing someone else. I might have been forced to marry a man I didn’t know, but I won’t live with that kind of shame.”
I studied her in silence, the only sound that of the crickets making their presence known on a summer night. The white shirt she wore still clung to her breasts, the darkened patch of flesh around her nipples shining through. A pang of jealousy knocked at my skull, thinking of my brother’s eyes on her. The sound of her laughter, playing in the pool with my brother, it fucking stung. I wasn’t the jealous type, but I suddenly had this urge to protect what was mine. To protect her.
“I told you to stay away from my brother.”
She shifted from one leg to the other. “I did.” She sighed. “He was just…there. And I needed it. I needed to laugh a little, to forget about—”
“Me?”
She bit her lip. “He’s kind to me.”
“He’s not who you think he is.”
“I know I don’t know him, but at least he doesn’t make me feel like I’m worth nothing. He treats me like a human being.” She looked up to the sky, and my gaze settled on her throat as she swallowed. “I don’t know how to be with you, Gian.” She looked at me, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “Your hate for me, it’s suffocating. It feels like I have no right to breathe around you. And after what happened tonight, I have no idea what will happen next. I might act like this strong person, tough and resilient, but I’m still a woman. And what you did to me tonight, I don’t think I would survive it if you hurt me like that again.”