"It was nice to meet you, Elio."
As hisconsigliereleaves, Damiano puts a hand beneath my chin and tilts my face toward him.
"You will remain here today."
"Why?"
"It's not safe for you to leave without a guard and I haven't decided who to assign to you yet."
There's no reason I can see why I'd be unsafe. Nobody knows Damiano plans to marry me. The urge to push back against this curtailment of my freedom is silenced by the voice of common sense. With a man like Damiano there will be greater battles to fight. I can allow him this. For now.
"Okay."
"Good girl." My pulse skitters. That should be condescending but it's not. It's incredibly sexy. "I will ask my cousin to arrangefor some of the boutiques to bring clothes for you to choose from."
That pours cold water on the arousal his praise sparked. My forehead creases into a frown. Is he giving me new clothes to reward my obedience? That doesn't sit well with me.
Damiano doesn't kiss me. As he walks away I realize he hasn't acknowledged what happened between us last night. He did, however, tell Elio I was his future wife as though it were already decided.
Is this what I have to look forward to, him claiming me without showing any consideration for my feelings? I'm not sure I can live like that, but right now I don't see what the alternative is.
Do I want him to love me?
Could that ever happen?
Sighing, I push to my feet, grab another pastry and head back to my room.
NINE
Damiano
Though I'd preferto be at home with Violetta right now, I couldn't allow Olivia to come on her date with Piotr Reznov alone. It's not only because our family holds some traditional views but also that she's spoiling for a fight. She's been in a foul mood since I arrived home this evening.
When she's unsettled, my cousin likes to push against the restraints of living in our world, to see what she'll get away with. Tonight she looks ready to break something.
As I open the car door for Olivia, she flashes a look of annoyance at me, but I detect her underlying fear. Though Piotr framed it as a simple dinner when he asked for this in return for the favor he did her, my cousin is smart enough to know that he wants more.
Her brother has accepted Piotr as a suitable husband for her and it's only a matter of time before Olivia is forced to accept the inevitable.
"I'd prefer to go in alone," Olivia says when I follow her to the door of Gianetta's.
"Why?"
"I don't know. It just feels like…. It's what I need to do."
She wants to stand on her own two feet, to show Piotr she doesn't need backup. That's something I can respect.
"Okay, I'll wait in the parking lot across the street for you."
"Thank you."
She kisses my cheek and I pat the top of her head. She hates when I do that,
I watch as she walks toward the door of the restaurant, pausing to straighten her spine before disappearing inside.
Getting back into the car, I pull off the road and find a space in the small parking lot. I kill the engine and take my phone from my pocket to call Antonio in New York. He answers quickly.
"Is it Lorenzo?"
