She had woken alone, but the first thing she saw was a still-warm espresso, a glass of water, tablets, and a note from Rodrigo:
Giana
Doctor Rossi wants you to take these. In addition, I have ensured that one of them is a morning-after pill, and he can arrange birth control tablets should you wish it. I want you to know that your womb is yours, and you alone will decide what to do with it.
Enjoy gun practice,
Rodrigo.
Giana had loved him that little bit more for thinking of that and giving her the option to take it or not. She had it drilledinto her from a young age by her very Catholic mother that she was put on earth to be a virgin until she married the man her parents chose for her and had his babies. She was ridiculously glad Rodrigo didn't share that opinion, even if she was sore in places she didn't know she had that morning.
Worth it, though. Absolutely fucking worth it,she thought, trying not grin like an idiot.
The rifle range sat in a clearing behind the villa's eastern wing, surrounded by cypress trees. Frederica and Athena were already there, checking weapons with the kind of casual competence that made Giana a little jealous. Would she ever be that comfortable with guns?
They both spotted Giana approaching before they looked back at each other and grinned like wolves.
"Oh, Christ," Giana muttered, heat burning up her chest.
"Well, well, well." Frederica straightened, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "Looks like someone found out how magical Rodrigo's balls were."
Giana snorted. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Athena's eyes gleamed with unholy amusement. She leaned against the weapons table, arms crossed. "Don't be coy. The whole of Tuscany heard you screaming his name last night. Pretty sure some of the neighbors are filing noise complaints."
"And you're walking like you got fucked six ways to Sunday," Frederica added with a wide grin. "Which, judging by the symphony that kept us up past midnight, is exactly what happened."
Giana wanted to sink into the Tuscan earth and become one with the soil. These were women who had probably seen and done things that would make her mafia-adjacent trauma look like a Disney film. She didn't know why, but they had decided to befriend her, and that meant she was going to get teased like everyone else.
"At least I'm getting laid," she shot back. "When was your last time, Fred? I'm sure Dario would help if you asked him nicely, and then you could sample some of the magic for yourself."
Frederica stuck up her middle finger at her. "In Dario's wildest dreams."
Athena laughed. "Oh, she's got teeth this morning, Freddy. I like it."
"Teeth and apparently very little ability to walk in a straight line." Frederica's teasing turned to concern. "Seriously, though. You're okay, right?"
The question caught Giana off guard. These women barely knew her. They were here on a job, hired muscle protecting the Colleoni interests because Rodrigo had asked them. They had no reason to care whether Giana was actually okay or just putting on a brave face, yet they asked anyway.
Something in Giana's chest tightened. "I'm better than okay. I'm just not used to the morning-after muscle ache."
"First time with him?" Athena guessed. There was no judgment in the question, just curiosity.
"First time with anyone not battery powered." The words came out before Giana could stop them.
Frederica tilted her head. "By choice?"
"By circumstanceandchoice." Giana shrugged, trying for casual and probably missing by a mile. "I didn't exactly get a chance to date in my six weeks of freedom."
"So Rodrigo's your firstactualman?" Frederica's voice was carefully neutral.
"Ah, yes," Giana replied. She watched their faces for pity but didn't find any.
Athena whistled low. "Shit. That's a lot of pressure to put on one night."
"It didn't feel like pressure." Giana's voice went soft despite herself. "It felt…right."
"And physically? He treated you properly?" Frederica asked.
