My patience for not taking more of her was wearing thin. It seemed hers was as well.
After drying off and getting dressed, I walked back out into the bedroom and Natalia was sitting in one of the room’s armchairs. She didn’t go anywhere near the bed.
Thank god.
She stood up once she noticed me enter the room and walked over to me. I set a hand on her cheek and she craned up to kiss me.
That had been a mistake.
Her small hands, which had been placed on my chest as she stood up on her tiptoes to get to me, drifted up around my neck. The feeling of her heated fingertips against the bare skin of my neck sent shockwaves of hunger through me, and I found my hands drifting down her waist and over her hips. I lifted her from where she stood with no more struggle than it took to lift a piece of paper, and set her down on the bed. Her head fell back as my lips moved down to find a spot on her neck.
And then a knock on the door.
An audible growl left my lips and Natalia laughed. “Maybe we shouldn’t have saved this up.”
Why did life keep presenting me with such difficult choices? I wanted to see Lucia, but god help me, I didnotwant to leave Natalia. Fortunately, she had more control than I did, and she pushed against my chest until I had no choice but to back off the bed and stand up. There was another knock on the door and I stomped over to it and threw it back.
“S-sir,” the shocked house staff said. “Is everything okay?”
Keeping the door closed enough so that Natalia wouldn’t be seen I said, “Yes. Everything is fine.” It wasn’thisfault. He was just doing his job.
“I’m here to collect you for your ride to the hospital,” he said.
“Fine. I’ll be out in just a second,” I said, then I closed the door in his face. When I turned around, Natalia had stood up out of the bed and was standing clear across the room. “I have to go.”
“Yeah,” she said. “It’s okay. I’ll see you when you get back.”
There was a tease in the pitch of her voice – no, a promise, a ‘to be continued.’ As frustrated as it left me, Ididwant to see my sister. “See you later.” Knowing she would sneak out once I was gone from the room, I opened the door and walked out, leaving Natalia behind.
It was myself, one of the Cavetti’s men, and a driver in the town car traveling to the hospital, but fortunately, when I arrived at the room where Lucia was, they stayed behind. Romeo was in the room – he always was. He had one of Lucia’s hands held in his own and was half asleep in a chair at her side. He didn’t say anything when he noticed me, just stood up, leaned over and kissed Lucia on her forehead, and then passed me to leave. There was no ire, only frustration that he had to leave her side at all. He offered a hand on my shoulder as he passed, and left the room leaving me and my beautiful sister alone.
I walked over and sat down in the chair Romeo had been in moments before and turned to face Lucia. Though she was in a coma, as she had been for thirteen long days, she looked so peaceful. I set a hand on her belly and smiled. Fortunately, the fall hadn’t hurt my future niece or nephew.
“Hey Luci,” I said quietly. “How are you feeling? I heard you got to visit with the twins yesterday. I hope it went well. They’re worried about you, but they let me see them from time to time, so we’re all looking out for each other.”
I paused, as though if I did, Lucia would respond, but of course, she didn’t. Machines beeped around us, reminding me of the fact that she was living at least. The rest was down to her. She had to fight through the cage she’d been captured in and return to us.
And she would. Bonifacios weren’t quitters.
“You know what I’ve been thinking about lately?” I continued. “It keeps me up at night. Do you think mom and dad would be mad at us? We’ve… fallen for the Cavettis. Your feelings for Romeo are true, the twins with Savio and Marcello.” I looked over my shoulder to make sure no one was listening. “I never had a chance to tell you, but I’ve been spending my time with Natalia. She nursed me when I was injured and made sure I was able to come here and see you. I know you two haven’t spoken much, but you should. You’d love her I think… I do.”
I hadn’t said the words out loud yet – not to myself nor Natalia – but they were true.
“I don’t think they would be mad,” a new voice broke into the quiet of the room.
A familiar one.
My head shifted slowly towards the door and my heart started to beat twice as fast. Was I dreaming or having a nightmare? Was I not at the hospital, but rather still back in bed? It was impossible who was standing before me, at least by all accounts.
“Gianni,” I whispered. “How?”
The hospital room door was closed and Gianni was leaning against it. “Your parents always liked my family. We managed to fool them I suppose. They’d be happy for you, even if it was because they didn’t know any better.”
I stood up and stood defensively between Lucia’s bed and Gianni. Many nights, I imagined throttling the eldest Cavetti sibling myself, but I’d been told by Lucia that beyond a shadow of a doubt, Gianni died when Marcello came to rescue her. His head showed signs of damage, but he was definitely there in front of me. Living, breathing, certainly not dead.
“If you come any closer, you’ll regret it,” I said.
Unarmed in a hospital room wasnotan ideal place to face off against Gianni, but if it came to that I wouldn’t hesitate. Worst case, I could probably get a word to Romeo to return to the room, but if Romeo saw Gianni, all hell would break loose. The stress of that alone could kill Lucia, so I committed myself to backing him down if possible.
