Page 58 of War Within
“Who cares.” I crashed my lips into his, mild pain rushing through my rib cage.
There was one thing I could not deny. Giovanni Rovati was an amazing kisser. I melted in his touch, wanting him to dominate my body. He was being too respectful and not the man I pictured when I was introduced to him. I know he was being considerate of my injuries, but he was not playing the game I needed him to play. I broke away from the kiss, trying a different approach.
“Sooo, when are you going to tell me what happened and why?”
He sighed, twirling a lock of my hair around his finger. “What about today? In a few hours? Do you feel like getting out of the house and going to dinner?”
Yes!I wanted to shout, but I simply nodded with a slight smile. I was so tired of being trapped in the house. “Should I dress up?”
“Wear something sexy, but dress warm.”
“Is that a thing?” I giggled genuinely.
He gnawed the inside of his cheek, but I could tell he wanted to smile.
It was impossible to take my eyes off Jane at dinner. She seemed so distracted, but I guessed it was due to every bit of hell she had been through because of me. My thoughts got lost somewhere between the ambient restaurant chatter, the music, and dishes clanking.
I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to open up about things. I never broke a promise. As I watched her take a sip of her water, I readied myself forthe talkthe moment she lowered her glass.
There was also so much about her I did not know but wanted to. Normally, I did not care enough about a woman to know them, but I found myself craving to know everything about her. I was hoping after I opened up a bit, she would too. The past few weeks had been severely stressful for us both. I would be patient until she was ready.
For now, it was my turn. I was about to break every code set in place for the protection of my family and while I could not tell her everything, I would tell her what affected me personally. The moment her glass rested on the table, I braced myself.
“I'm ready to talk about things.”
Her gaze met mine. She leaned forward, a smile appearing on her face. “I would love that, Giovanni.”
“I don't normally open up like this, but I know this is a special case and you've already seen too much.” I took a sip of wine, chuckling. “Normally when someone sees too much…” I cleared my throat, “well that’s not important.”
Her smile had not faded. She remained fixated on me, tilting her head. “I'm listening. I want to know as much about you as you’re willing to share.”
I nodded, shifting in my seat, leaning closer to her so I would not have to speak loudly. “Well, as you know I am in business for myself. It goes much deeper than that. My father was named Salvatore.”
She nodded. “Theinfamous Salvatore.” She shook her head quickly. “I mean, I knew that much but not a great deal about him.”
“Yes,” I smirked, nodding once. “TheSalvatore. He was a very stern man. Very no nonsense and only business.” I took another sip of my wine, though it was a dry red wine, so it did nothing to keep my throat from drying out more. “I didn't quite understand what my father did for a living when we were back in Rome. I was just always told, investments, investments.”
“Of course.” She giggled.
“It’s very different in America, you know? The way thelifeis portrayed in the states is much different. In Italy, kids are sheltered from it a bit more because it’s a big problem to many people there. To a teenager, you just know you're wealthy and go to a private Roman Catholic school. I never knew my father was hiding a secret about our life until I got older. I never questioned why I had bodyguards, until we moved to the states.”
Her eyes widened with interested.
“To me, it was just my life. It had been my life since I was a child.” I took a deep breath, recalling the moment my entire world changed. “My father had asked Jackson to find me and bring me to him. He was his most trusted employee. Jackson almost seemed more like a father to me when my own was absent or traveling.”
“That was sweet of him to be there for you.” She rested her chin in her palms, her eyes watering.
I nodded. “I was pretty disrespectful in the way that I spoke to my father on a daily basis. But that was the moment he told me he was dying. He had developed a brain tumor.”
She gasped. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry!”
“I guess the doctors caught it too late. He had never been one to go to a doctor unless it was an emergency, but he'd had a headache for six months. My mother finally convinced him to be seen. Unfortunately, it was too late. He refused all treatment because they told him there was only a seven percent chance it would work at that point.”
A tear rolled down Jane’s cheek. “That’s so sad.” She lifted her cloth napkin, blotting the corner of her eyes.
“He wanted me to take over his business. I was in college. I wanted to be a lawyer. I wanted to party. I wanted to do anything and everything except run an entire empire. An empire I knew nothing about. My father explained to me what he actually did for a living.” I peeked around to see if anyone around us had been listening and grateful everyone was ignoring us. “By that point I knew, of course. I guess I just didn't want to admit it. It was very hard for me at college.”
“I bet.” She sighed.
