I rolled my eyes at him, but the worry in his eyes stopped me from provoking him. “Diego, you don’t need to worry. I believe in waiting until marriage,” I said quietly. This serious sex talk drove a blush into my cheeks. “Maybe I like to fight and use words I’m not supposed to, but I’m still a girl. A girl raised with Mom’s values and no sweet talk will make me give anything away before I’m married.” Especially not after how Savio has been acting. He had a lot to make up for. Maybe now that he was back in Las Vegas, he’d finally try to build our relationship and prepare everything for our wedding.
Diego’s eyes softened and he touched my leg, looking proud.
I squirmed. “Don’t look so proud. I didn’t win the Nobel prize.”
Toni and I spent the afternoon of my birthday in a beautiful spa, getting massages and rubs—a gift from the Falcone clan, whom I’d only met at the engagement party so far. Kiara had invited me over for dinner a couple of times, but without Savio, I’d been too shy to follow the invitation. I hadn’t seen Savio yet, so I wasn’t sure if I’d get a present from him as well.
“You need to give him the cold shoulder,” Toni said again. “From what I hear, Savio’s messed around with Dakota.”
I froze. “You’re joking.”
She shook her head with an apologetic grimace. She had no reason to be sorry. Savio Falcone had. “You know how he is. I doubt she’s the only one.”
“She’s Diego’s Ex! Isn’t there some kind of codex against that?” I couldn’t believe him. I was so angry, I had to resist the urge to smash something. I curled my hands to fists, trying not to lose it.
Toni’s lips thinned at the mentioning of Diego. I wasn’t sure what was going on between them, she insisted nothing, but she always got that pinched expression when I mentioned him. “I don’t think he cares. It’s been years since Diego and Dakota danced the horizontal limbo.”
I burst into laughter despite my anger. Someone in the relaxation area shushed us and I clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle the sound.
Toni shrugged. “It’s just sex for him. He uses those bitches, Gemma. You don’t have to worry. You’ll be the one who’ll be his wife, not some skanky plaything. Apparently, Dakota is super smug about getting Savio into bed.”
“I don’t know what she has to be smug about. As if it’s such an achievement to get Savio to sleep with her. He sleeps with pretty much anything with a vagina,” I muttered.
Toni rolled her eyes. “She’s only one-quarter Italian and still thinks she could be part of our world, stupid ass bitch.”
My eyes widened. Toni hardly ever cussed. I didn’t mention that Toni wasn’t a full-blooded Italian either. Her paternal grandmother had been Corsican, which was why her father hadn’t been allowed to become a Made Man when Benedetto Falcone had still been Capo, even though he had to swear loyalty to the Camorra. Things had changed since then, and he had by now made the official vow.
She shrugged with a grin. “She brings out the worst in me.”
“What if he keeps sleeping around once we’re married?” I asked quietly, hating how insecure I sounded. I wasn’t like that, but for some reason, Savio made me feel that way all the time.
Toni touched my arm. “It’s still some time until your wedding. Maybe he’s trying to sleep around as much as possible now so he won’t feel the urge once you’re married.”
I gave her a look. “I don’t think it works that way. He’s such a player.” I couldn’t believe I was repeating what Diego had been telling me for years, but it was an undisputable truth.
“Many men are. I’m not sure if there’s anything you can do.”
“There’s always something I can do. I’ll talk to him.”
Toni shook her head. “Don’t be crazy. You can’t just tell him what to do before you’re even married. He’s a Falcone for God’s sake.”
“As if I could ever forget. Everyone reminds me. And then there’s this,” I said with curled lips as I raised the atrocity that Savio called an engagement ring. The sight of his initials like a goddamn branding still made my blood boil.
Toni stifled a smile. “I’m sure your wedding ring will be better.”
“I sure hope so.”
Toni’s dad picked us up afterward and drove me home. Nobody was in the house when I stepped in. Worry overcame me. I called Diego because he was the only one who usually carried his phone with him. “Did something happen?”
“Sorry, Gemma. The stove in the Capri isn’t working again. Dad and I need to get it running. The place is booked tonight. We’ll be back as soon as possible.” He paused, and I could practically feel his hesitation.