“Coffee or more wine?”
Terri wrinkled her nose adorably.
“If I drink coffee I’ll be up all night.”
“We have decaf,” he said, gesturing to one of the guys standing around.
“No, that’s alright. Thank you. I will stick with the wine. It’s very good,” she said sweetly. I cleared my throat and raised my eyebrows slightly. Luciano took the hint.
“How is the family, Michael?”
“My brother and sister? They are good. They were just in New York City. You should see the pictures of those two.”
“You looked out for them. After your parents died.”
I could have kissed him.
“I was the oldest. It was my duty.”
“Vincent is the oldest.”
“Yes, but he had his hands full with Tony. Thank God for Auntie. That woman is a saint. She ended up taking care of all of us.”
“Thank God for Auntie,” Luciano echoed, raising his glass. Theresa was staring at me.
“What happened to your parents?” She asked in a small voice. I could read her like a book. She was sad for me.
I smiled. The girl had a heart bigger than a mile. And I was going to play her like a fiddle. Even though, the truth was, I wanted her sympathy. Her caring. Her attention. Her love, even if it was just a little.
I wanted it all.
I craved it all.
I fucking needed it all.
“They were killed,” I said, reaching for my glass. “Murdered.”
“Both of them?” Terri asked, aghast.
“My father first. My mother died not long after under extremely suspicious circumstances.”
“He was very young, even as the eldest,” Luciano added helpfully. I made a mental note to send him a box of cigars.
“I’m so sorry,” Theresa said sincerely, her wide eyes trained on me. “That must have been unbearable.”
I nodded my thanks and looked away thoughtfully. It was funny. I was trying to play on her sympathies, but the emotion in my throat wasn’t false. I fucking missed my parents. I had every single day since they died.
And I missed the loss of my innocence too.
“I knew it was coming. I heard them talking late one night. My mother… she said that Vince and Tony’s father would get him killed. She was right,” I took a sip of wine, twirling the stem in my fingers. “I don’t think she expected them to kill her, too.”
“Do you know who did it?”
“I have my suspicions. But my uncle was more interested in making alliances. Deals. He only cared about money and power.”
“He is still alive,” she said thoughtfully. “I don’t think I could bear it.”
“You know him?” I asked, surprised.
“I know of him,” she clarified. “He is… not welcome at the estate.”
“Good. Keep it that way. He’s still a dangerous man. I don’t want you anywhere near him,” I said, surprised by my own vehemence.
“Alright,” she said docilely. I felt a deep satisfaction at her surrender. I wanted to take complete control of her life, I realized for the first time. But not to hurt her. Never to hurt her. I wanted control so I could protect her.
“And your brother and sister? Where are they?”
“Always on the move,” I said with a sigh. “He is military and she is an art dealer. She is spending a lot of time in Paris lately.”
“That sounds nice,” she said wistfully. “I’ve never been.”
“But you were so close,” I said, surprised. I thought Italians travelled anywhere they wanted in Europe.
“There wasn’t much money. Or freedom,” she said, clearly hedging.
“I’ll take you,” I said, suddenly clear on my next steps. Show her everything. Give her everything. And expect nothing.
I could try. Try to woo her. To win her. But I had to let her come to me. It was the only way.
For as long as I could hold out. Maintain control. I had no choice but to restrain my baser instincts.
This one, beautiful, brave girl was more than worth it.
“You don’t have to…”
“I know that. I want to. We can go next weekend.”
“I…” she stared at me, eyes wide. “I have homework.”
“Well, let’s get you home so you can do as much ahead of time as possible,” I said, standing and thanking Luciano for his hospitality.
I tucked Terri’s wrap around her shoulders. My hands lingered, smoothing the cashmere and silk over her slender shoulders. I couldn’t resist inhaling the scent of her hair. I let out a soft sound of appreciation, causing her to look over her shoulder at me in breathless confusion.
But she wasn’t confused. Not really. Not about what I wanted.
I had made that more than obvious.
I wanted her. We both knew it. Now I just had to convince her that it was a good idea to want me back.
Chapter Twenty
Theresa
“I didn’t know that,” I said, staring out the window. I had been lost in thought as Michael drove through the city back to the mansion. I hadn’t meant to speak out loud. I think I was as surprised as he was that I broke the silence.