Pulling her against me, we began to dance. She was easy to steer, took my lead, and kept up a pleasant smile.

“You have Fabiano’s eyes.”

Her gaze flew up to mine, and her expression faltered. “He is my brother. Even if you made him believe something else.”

“We didn’t make him believe anything,” I corrected. “We taught him that blood doesn’t define your loyalties.”

“You turned him into—”

“Into what? A killer? A torturer?”

She sighed.

“Every man in this room is a killer, and the boys are on their way to becoming one.” And from what I knew of Luca, he definitely was one of the cruelest men in our circles, but Aria probably had limited knowledge when it came to her husband’s business habits.

“This isn’t wedding talk,” she said. “I hope this wedding will allow us to find peace, and I hope your brother will allow Fabiano to be close to his blood family.”

“It’s up to Fabiano, but he is with the Camorra now. Don’t forget that.”

“I won’t, trust me,” she said sharply. Her eyes followed her husband and my wife as they danced. Kiara was stiff in Luca’s hold.

“Kiara is very tense around men,” I said.

Aria frowned. “Most women are tense on their wedding day.”

“They are?”

She gave me a look, but I couldn’t read it. “Men,” she said under her breath. It had nothing to do with me being male, but I didn’t elaborate. “For a bride, a wedding night holds quite a bit of terror.”

“Fear of the unknown is common, but it is only the joining of two bodies. Nothing to be fearful of.”

Aria blinked up at me. “Perhaps for you, but Kiara might disagree, like any other woman, especially considering who she has to join bodies with.”

“I am more than capable of fulfilling my duties as a husband.”

“I don’t doubt that you can go through with it. The Camorra is notorious after all.” She grimaced. “It’s not my business.”

But her voice made it clear that she wanted it to be her business. “It’s not. You are right,” I drawled. A truce didn’t mean Remo or I would allow the Famiglia to meddle in our business.

When the last notes of the song faded, she rushed to say, “Her father hit her before he was killed. That might explain her problem with men. But I think there might be more …”

“More?”

She stepped back. “Thank you for the dance.” She turned and moved toward Luca, who was waiting for her at the edge of the dance floor. Kiara had already been handed off to Felix.

I moved toward Remo, who stood beside Fabiano close to the buffet. As my oldest brother, it would be his turn to dance with Kiara after her Uncle Felix. I grabbed his arm, and he raised his dark eyebrows.

“Try to scare her as little as possible.”

“I can be pleasant and gentlemanly if I try,” he said.

Fabiano laughed. “Sorry, Remo, but that’s the best joke I heard in a while.”

“What am I supposed to do to set your little wife at ease?” he asked, but his eyes followed a young woman who walked past us. I really hoped he wouldn’t try anything with one of the Famiglia’s women.

I was the wrong person to ask. “I don’t know.”

We glanced at Leona who flushed. “Perhaps smile?”

Remo’s mouth pulled into a smile.

“I have seen hyenas with less unsettling smiles,” Fabiano muttered, and Leona choked on her laughter and buried her face against his arm. The song ended, and Remo pulled free of my grip, heading for Kiara, who looked like a lamb facing off with a butcher.

Giulia surprised me when she asked for a dance. I was fairly sure that wasn’t how things were usually handled, but I led her toward the dance floor and pulled her against me. Her husband watched us from his spot beside Luca at the buffet. They were both tall and muscled and shared a similar disposition for brutal leadership … if rumors were to be believed.

“I don’t know if you are even capable of such a thing, but I ask you to be kind to Kiara.”

I glanced down at Giulia. “You ask me?” I said with raised eyebrows.

She frowned. “If you have a heart, please don’t hurt her.”

“I was told there’s no way around hurting a woman in her first night.”

Her eyes filled with tears but her expression looked angry. “You know what I mean!”

“Kiara is my wife, a grown woman, and from this day on she’s part of the Camorra. She isn’t your concern,” I said in a warning tone.

Giulia tensed but didn’t say anymore. The second the music was over I released her, and she returned to her husband while I went back to my brothers and Fabiano.

KIARA

Remo Falcone headed my way, and it took considerable effort not to run. His eyes were almost black like his hair. There was something in his face that spoke of unbridled violence, and that wasn’t because of the scar trailing from his brow down his temple to his cheekbone. He held out his hand with a twisted pull of his mouth. It was reminiscent of how a lion regarded a gazelle.

Tags: Cora Reilly The Camorra Chronicles Romance
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