“Brando?”
“I thought you were sleeping.”
“I was.”
“You sound curious.”
She laughed, soft and breathy. “You know me so well.”
I squeezed her hip. She put her hand on top of mine.
“I’m curious too,” I said.
“Oh yes?” She yawned. “You first then.”
“I’m wondering what you’re going to look like when your hair turns gray.”
“Thinking that far ahead?” She shook her head. “You might want to worry about your own hair. At this rate, I’m going to send you to silver status before you’re forty.” I didn’t say anything, and she bit my finger. “The least you could do is deny it!”
“I’d never lie to you, baby.”
She laughed. “My turn. You never slam doors. Not even when your jaw ticks and your eyes are dilated from anger. Why?”
“You notice the smallest things.” I tapped the book against my leg. “He beat me, Scarlett.”
She went to get up, but I put enough pressure on her hip to keep her in place.
“Luca Fausti. I must’ve been around…three or four. I know it was a few years before he killed Stone’s wife. He came over to talk to Maggie Beautiful, probably to convince her to give me up. For whatever reason, I slammed the door to my room. He came in and got me and beat me. Said men don’t slam doors, it shows weakness. Maggie Beautiful flung herself on him, but she wasn’t much of a match. He threw her off and then left.”
She began to vibrate next to me, but at the same time, she held my hand in a tender way, kissing my fingers every so often. “Was it bad?”
“Bad enough that I remember.”
“I hate him.” It was the first time that I had ever heard true loathing in her voice.
“You can’t hate,” I said, opening the book. “You’re grace incarnate.”
“Ihatehim,” she said, even stronger this time. She paused. “But I love him. Only because he made you.”
Yeah, that was about right for her.
“Maggie Beautiful said he didn’t beat her.”
“No. Marzio impressed that much on his sons. They never beat their women. They keep their rage pent up for other men.”
“And their sons,” she said, summing up the situation. “Brando…is that why you don’t want children?”
“One of the reasons.”
“What about a little girl?”
“Do I have a say in the matter?”
“Oh,” she said, pausing. “All boys. Luca and Marzio have all boys and you think—”
“It’s not a chance I’m willing to take.”
“I hate him even more now.”
