“I know better than to argue with a woman, but if you change your mind, I’m a good listener.” He spoke so quietly only she could hear him.
Nick was not only a good listener, he was a good friend too. Being a hotshot attorney, Nick knew how to keep a confidence. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t know where to begin.
As the last of the guests trickled by, the photographers ushered them back into the hall for another round of pictures. Eva saw Adriana’s family waiting for them.
Oh, damn!
She should have expected that.
The family bantering back and forth allowed Eva to relax a little. The brothers were terrible flirts. They had the photographer and her assistants blushing in no time. She stayed quiet and tried to fade into the background. It wasn’t her normal behavior these days. No surprise Nick was wondering what was on her mind.
“Eva? It’s obvious you know my idiot brother and he’s acting like the cat that ate the canary. So, give it up. What have you got on him? Something juicy, I hope,” Alex called out to her.
Her face instantly flamed as everyone in the hall turned to look at first her, then at Gio. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you do, honey.” Alex grabbed Gio’s cheeks and squeezed until Gio shoved him off the pew. “All I’m saying is if you have a video, pictures, anything of him making a fool of himself, I’ll pay ya for a copy. If it’s embarrassing or damaging to his choirboy reputation, I wanna hear about it.”
“Alex!” Momma Parma admonished.
The whole family started talking at once. It was loud and mostly in Italian. Eva had no idea what they were saying but by the body language, it was inflammatory. If it hadn’t involved her, she might have been enjoying herself.
Adriana left her photo mark and dragged Eva away from the group. “You know my brother? Have you been to my family’s club?”
Eva had been surprised to learn that Adriana’s parents owned the other decent kink club in the valley. She’d never said a word. At first, Eva had been hurt that Adriana hadn’t confided in her, but then Eva had remembered everything she’d neglected to share with Adriana and assumed it was a wash. Some things you just didn’t tell.
“No, I’ve never been to Dom’s Place.” Eva hoped that would derail Adriana’s line of questioning.
“But you do know Gio.” She made it a statement. “From the look on your face, I know it’s true. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wasn’t sure it was him until tonight. A few weeks ago you mentioned his name and it jogged my memory of a boy I knew in college…” She wasn’t going into details.
Adriana searched her face. “And you didn’t say anything or ask for more information?”
Eva shrugged and tried to look like it wasn’t any big deal.
Adriana turned and looked at her brother. “Alex is right. He looks like he did when, without permission, he used my favorite bra in one of his Halloween costumes.” She turned back to Eva. “Was he an asshole? I’ll wipe the floor with him myself.”
Eva had to laugh. Adriana was a stick of dynamite. Even though she was still recovering from a compound fracture, Eva had little doubt that her friend would rake Gio over the coals. Eva shook her head. “It’s all good, but your photographer is about to have a stroke. You better get back to your assigned spot.”
“Don’t think we’re finished here. I’ve spilled my guts to you night after night. Now it’s your turn.” Adriana hurried to André’s side.
For just a moment, Gio and Eva locked eyes. He looked as miserable as she felt and it bothered her to know she was the cause. Was she destined to bring Gio nothing but pain?
Her view of Gio was suddenly blocked by the broad shoulders of both Ted and Nick. She looked up into their concerned faces.
“You doing okay?” Ted asked.
“Down, boys. I appreciate the big brother routine, but I’m not in need of protecting.” She faked a smile.
“Then what’s with the meek little lamb act?” Ted scrutinized her face.
“I’m just trying to keep the peace. I promised the boss I’d behave today.” She shrugged. “Besides, I have no idea what this is all about. Back in college, we had a class together. That’s it. End of story.”
Both men stared her down, but she crossed her arms and glared right back. These were good guys. They weren’t going to intimidate her.
Ted was the first to crack. “You need something, you ask, Eva.” He shook his head. “You can try the patience of a saint, but we got your back. Understand?”
She tried to keep her answering grin hidden, but failed miserably. “Yes, Sir.”
He gave her another quelling look and stomped off, leaving her alone to deal with Nick.
“You’re holding out on me, looking for a better deal. I see how it is.” Nick winked at her.
“You caught me. You’ll have to up your offer if you want to hear my thoughts. They’re pretty juicy.” She sent him a saucy smile.
“I bet they are. I also bet that no matter what the offer was, you’d turn it down cold. But know this, Eva. You have a host of friends. If you get in over your head, talk to one of us.” He waited for her to acknowledge him.
“Will do, Nick. Don’t worry about me. It’s the other guy you should be concerned about.”
Nick turned and gave Gio a once-over. “He’s a good-looking guy. I can see how a girl straight off the farm might be a little dazzled.”
Eva felt like she’d been gut-punched. Nick was good at drawing information out of people and reading body language. No doubt he saw right through her.
She’d forgotten that Nick knew her background—homeschooled country girl, raised on fire and brimstone. Yeah, she was a pretty easy mark, but she doubted Gio would have given up his scholarship just to get in her pants. No, it was more likely he’d meant the whole ‘I’ll love you forever’ line. But, after she’d been such a disappointment in bed, he’d decided a life of lackluster sex wasn’t in the cards and he’d taken off.
“You make him sound like a player.” She forced a laugh. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Then how was it?” Nick turned back toward her.
She knew Nick had the best of intentions, but she wasn’t in the mood for an interrogation. “We had a class together. He sat near me. We chatted a few times then he stopped coming to school. End of story.”
“You’re a terrible liar, Eva.” Nick held her gaze for a moment. “If you need something, just ask.”
“I will, Nick. Thank you.”
* * * *
“May I have this dance?” Gio managed to inquire without hyperventilating.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, but thank you for asking.” Eva kept her gaze on her drink.
Gio held out his hand. “If you don’t dance with me, each of my brothers will be here in a heartbeat asking you why and wanting to know our backstory.”
When she continued to ignore him, he sat down beside her. “I’m sorry, Eva. You have every right to be mad at me.”
She looked at him then. “Don’t do this.”
“What do you mean?” Was she afraid he was going to cause a scene?
Eva ran her finger around the lip of her drink. “I don’t want to walk down memory lane. You did what you had to do. I’m sorry it cost you your scholarship.”
Gio was speechless. He’d worked out what he was going to say to her, practiced it several times in his head. He’d imagined all the possible outcomes—what she might have said or done. He’d considered everything from her slapping him in the face to her throwing her drink on him, yet Eva apologizing to him had never entered his mind.
“I would have left you alone. You didn’t have to give it all up.” She turned around and rested her back against the bar, her focus seemingly on the dancers.
“No, you’re wrong. Leaving was my only option. I never could have stayed away from you. I’ve thought about you every day.” He flinched when she whipped around to stare at him.
“Why would you say that to me?” Her eyes were calling him a liar.
Finally, an emotion he was prepared to deal with. Anger was logical. Anger he understood. “Because it’s the truth. Why didn’t you fulfill your dream? Why aren’t you teaching?” He’d never said a word about BDSM or kink, but he must have somehow put the idea into her head.
Eva drew farther away from him. “What makes you think I didn’t?” She turned and watched the other guests.
“I was told you were bartending at DiscipliNation.” Was his idiot brother wrong? Why did he take his word for anything?
“I’m multi-talented.” She sounded bored with their conversation.
Of course, she worked two jobs. In college, she’d carried a full course load, worked full-time and still volunteered. She’d always been an overachiever. He wouldn’t be surprised if she was still donating her time to charities near and dear to her heart. “Dance with me.”
“Why should I?”
“I’ve already answered that.” When she continued to ignore him, he started to panic. Her responses didn’t make sense to him. “Why not?”
“I’m bad for you,” she whispered, before tossing her chin into air. “It’s against my religion,” she answered, loud and clear.
What?
Had he heard her incorrectly? At least she’d given him something he could work with. “Then I guess we’ll have to find an ice skating rink around here.”
She finally smiled. It was sad and a little crooked, though. “You remember that, do you?”
She’d been taught that dancing was sinful. His answer to that was to take her skating. He could hold her tight and move around the rink under the guise that they were only skating. “I remember everything about you, Eva.”
“Don’t. Do us both a favor and forget you ever met me.”
“It’s not going to happen, Eva.” He held out his hand. “Skate with me.”
She tipped her head forward and closed her eyes.
In defeat?
Was he wearing her down? He shouldn’t be happy about that, but he was. He stood and took her hand, tugging her toward the dance floor.
“I haven’t changed, Gio. I’m still that awkward girl who never quite fits in. I’m not good for you.”
He had no idea how she’d spun his leaving, but somehow she’d turned it all around and decided it was her fault. There was something disturbing about that. “I’ll take my chances.”
Gio was pleased she hadn’t pulled away from him. He took her in his arms and glided her across the dance floor in long, smooth steps resembling their first ‘skate’.
Eva rested her forehead against his chest and laughed. “I’ve missed you, Gio.”
She spoke so quietly, he wasn’t sure if he’d heard her right. “I’ve missed you, Eva.” When she didn’t respond, he kept dancing. It was too awkward to be doing this in front of an audience, especially his family. He felt all their eyes boring into his back. “Can we go somewhere more private?”
“No, I don’t think so.” Eva tried to pull out of his arms.
Gio held her tighter. “Eva, I know I hurt you. I know I’m not worthy of your trust, but I only want to talk to you.”
Eva snorted. “Oh, I have no doubt about that. Don’t worry, Gio. Your virtue is safe with me.”
What the hell was she talking about?
Was this about Alex’s crack about his ‘choirboy’ reputation? Or did this go back to that night…?
“Eva, I want to talk to you and I don’t want to do it in this setting. Please.” He willed her to meet his gaze.
She pulled back then looked him in the eye. “I don’t have anything to say to you, Gio, and I don’t want to ever see you again. Do us both a favor and just leave me alone.”
He should let her go. It was the gentlemanly thing to do. But he couldn’t. He pulled her tighter and made sure his grip was unbreakable. “Back in school, it took weeks before you’d speak to me. I had to guilt you into helping me with calculus. What makes you think I’ll be less persistent now?”
The fight went out of her, but she wasn’t talking either.
“I’m not going to stop. You know I can be very persuasive when I want to be,” he whispered near her ear.
“Eva, you doing all right, sweetheart? You should introduce me to your friend here.”
Gio put his body between Eva and the tall, well-built newcomer. “This is a private conversation. Please excuse us.”
“James,” Eva poked her head out from around Gio, “I’m fine. Gio is an old friend from college. We were just leaving.”
Gio remained silent on the outside, but he was jumping for joy on the inside. James, the nosy son of a bitch, had done him a favor.
“Be careful, Eva. You haven’t seen this guy in a long time. People can change.” James was sizing Gio up.
“No, we don’t, James. Deep down, we never change.” Eva sounded sad and resigned, as she took Gio’s hand and led him out of the hall.
Once they were away from prying ears, she turned around. “Okay, Gio, let’s get this over with. Where are we going?”
She had an emotional wall between them that he wondered if he’d be able to break down.
“I booked a room in case one of my idiot brothers tied one on. The last time I drove Andy home, he puked in my truck. I wasn’t taking that chance again.” He stopped by the elevators. “Are you okay with going up there alone with me?”
“I’m not worried you’re going to jump my bones, if that’s what you’re talking about.” She held her chin high as if she was accusing him of something.
“Okay, let’s go.” He kept his hand on her lower back and directed her into the elevator.
He didn’t know what to say. Maybe this was a bad idea. Undoubtedly, he was thinking with his dick. No matter what he’d told her on the dance floor, he didn’t want to talk, he wanted to fuck her, to own her.
If he was a good man, he’d send her back down to the reception and he’d honor her request. What was it about Eva that brought out the asshole in him?
Chapter Two
Gio slid his key card into the slot and opened the door. Eva entered without hesitation, determined to get through this and get out. It would have been easier if they were someplace without a bed, but she was afraid of what her friends would do if they thought she was uncomfortable with Gio. The last thing André needed was a fight between his Doms and his brother-in-law.
She avoided the couch and sat in the armchair. Being in his arms again had fucked up her head. She felt like crying or begging him for a second chance and neither option was acceptable. Ever since their eyes had met at the wedding ceremony, she’d been thinking dangerous thoughts.