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  As if our serious conversation didn’t just happen, Bones turned his thoughts to the one thing he loved above all else—sex. He wanted it all the time, several times a day. And even when we were finished, it seemed like he needed more.

  This man always needed more—more of me.

  At the end of the workday, Bones and I prepared to leave. We didn’t talk much during the day. We didn’t even see each other. He didn’t take breaks, getting as much work done as possible so he could prove himself.

  Even though he’d already proven how strong he was.

  My father stepped out of the main building and caught my attention. “Tesoro.”

  I stopped and turned around, trying not to be angry about what Sapphire told me. Even if I confronted my father about it, he would just repeat himself. He loved me in a different way than he loved Conway, so his expectations were different. “Yeah?”

  He glanced at Bones, who stayed by the truck. He always looked at him suspiciously, like Bones would pull a stunt at the most random time. My father’s gun sat on his hip, a loaded pistol.

  I hated seeing my entire family arm themselves just because of the man I loved.

  “Could you come by the house? Your mother and I want to talk to you.”

  “Uh, sure.” I didn’t know why they wouldn’t just do it here. That meant it was something serious. My thoughts turned to Bones, wondering if they’d decided they couldn’t accept him into their lives. “But if you’re going to tell me you don’t approve of Griffin—”

  “That’s not what this is about.”

  “Oh…okay. Should he stay at the house?”

  “He can come. But I want him to wait outside.”

  “Father, you’re scaring me.”

  He gave me a tight expression. “It won’t be a pleasant conversation, tesoro. But I promise everything will be alright.” He turned around and walked away.

  I moved back to Bones.

  He must have heard every word because he didn’t ask. He opened the passenger door for me then got behind the wheel. He left the winery and pulled onto the road.

  “I’m nervous…”

  He stared straight ahead.

  “Do you know what this is about?”

  “I have a hunch.”

  “What?” I asked.

  He was quiet for a long time, dismissing me by staring straight ahead. “Not my place to say. But I don’t mind waiting outside until you’re finished.”

  I didn’t know what my parents wanted to tell me, but I was a little scared. If it didn’t have something to do with Bones, then I didn’t know what else they wanted to discuss.

  Bones arrived at the house, and my parents were already there. He killed the engine and rolled the window down. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

  “I don’t understand why you can’t come inside.”

  “It’s a family matter. I don’t mind waiting for you here, baby.” He pulled me into his arms and gave me a tight squeeze before he released me. He gave me a kiss on the forehead before he pushed my door open.

  I gave him one final look before I left and walked into the house. My parents were in the dining room, so I sat down and looked at the fresh coffee and pastries Lars had set out. I could feel the tension in the room, the approaching misery that was about to descend on us all. They didn’t say hello when I walked inside. They weren’t angry, but something was bothering them.

  I stared at them. “You guys are freaking me out.”

  My father rested his hand on my mother’s back, right between her shoulder blades. “It’s time for the three of us to have a conversation. It won’t be easy. But when we’re finished, we never have to speak of it again. We can move on.”

  The realization began to hit me. I knew exactly what they wanted to talk about. I took a breath, unsure if I was prepared for the gravity of the situation.

  My mom looked down for a while, like she was bracing herself for the words she was about to share with me. “The only reason why we’re telling you this is because it has to do with Griffin…how our lives are so intertwined.”

  I was right.

  “I don’t want to get into the specifics of it because they really don’t matter…” My mom lifted her gaze to meet mine. “I’ve been very happy for a long time, and I don’t associate myself with my past. I’ve been nothing but grateful for the life I’ve lived, and I wouldn’t change the past, not to sacrifice the present.

  I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t ready to listen to my mother’s pain.

  “When I was your age, a little older than you are now, I was kidnapped and placed in the trafficking business. A cruel man bought me from the Underground. What happened after that doesn’t matter, but that man was Griffin’s father.”

  I wanted to force a reaction, but I couldn’t. I already knew this, and listening to her say it made me feel dead inside. My mother hadn’t deserved that. No woman did. I felt my father stare at me, watching every reaction that I made. “I’m so sorry, Mama…” I could hardly speak without my voice cracking. I felt the tears long before they arrived.

  “Don’t be sorry,” she said gently. “It was a long time ago. Your father took me to punish Griffin’s father because of what he did to your aunt. He kept me as a prisoner for a while, but we fell in love quickly. He became my savior, my protector. We’ve been in love ever since. My story has a very happy ending. I wouldn’t change the past because it led me to your father. I believe he’s the man I was supposed to be with. Not once did he view me as a victim or damaged goods. He loved me like I’d never suffered a day in my life.”

  I took a deep breath, feeling the pain in my chest. I still wanted to cry, still wanted to break down. “You didn’t deserve that. No woman does…” Before I could stop them, tears fell from my eyes.

  My father watched me, his eyes softening.

  Mama reached her hand across the table and placed it on mine. “Please don’t cry for me, sweetheart. That time in my life has no hold over me anymore. It has no power whatsoever. I defeated my past, have found love and beauty in this world that can never be taken away.”

  “I know. But it…it’s just wrong.”

  “And I got my justice,” she said. “I killed him myself. I’ve never felt any remorse for it.”

  “You shouldn’t…” I knew Bones hated us for taking his father away, but he was a bad man who’d deserved to die. He’d deserved something worse than death. “You should have tortured him and made him beg for death. You should have ripped all his organs out until there was nothing left.”

  Mama squeezed my hand. “He’s gone now, so it doesn’t matter. But I hope you understand why accepting Griffin has been so difficult for both of us. We haven’t said his father’s name in almost thirty years…because it was banned from this house. This man wanted to hurt us as well, and only his love for you changed his mind. It’s hard for me to look at him and not think of what his father did to me. It’s even worse for your father, who also lost his sister. You’re asking a lot of us, and I hope our attempt shows how much you mean to us.”

  “It does…absolutely.”

  She pulled her hand away. “We wanted you to know, to understand the entire situation.”

  “I do,” I said. “And I know it must be hard for you. It would be hard for me. Sometimes I have nightmares about Knuckles. If I had to interact with that man again, I’d be sick to my stomach. But the issue with Griffin is…he’s not his father.”

  My father wore the same cold look on his face.

  My mother sighed quietly. “I know…”

  “I’m not being insensitive because I understand just how painful that was for you,” I said gently. “I understand why this man isn’t your first choice. I understand why you wish I’d fallen for someone else. If I didn’t love him as much as I do, I would just throw in the towel and find love elsewhere. But what we have together…it’s stronger than love. I’m so sorry that I’m putting you through this. Truly. But I have to fight for him.”
/>   My mother gave a slight nod. “I understand.”

  “And you said Father kept you as a prisoner…what does that mean?” Was that any different from what Bones did to me?

  “My relationship with your father is private,” she said, doing her best not to sound harsh. “Don’t compare our relationship to yours, and don’t validate your decisions based on our past. This man has admitted he wanted to hurt us. Your father never had a vendetta against me.”

  I felt the sternness in her tone, so I didn’t press it. “I understand.”

  My father moved his hand from her back and grabbed her hand on the table. I didn’t fail to see the similarities between them and my relationship with Bones. My father was silent and stern just the way Bones was. They looked nothing alike, but their natures were identical. “I think one of the reasons I’ve fallen for Griffin is because he’s very similar to you. Aggressive, protective, domineering…stubborn as hell. You always wanted me to be with a strong man. You’ve been around him long enough to know he’s the strongest man out there.”

  “But I’m afraid he’ll use that strength against you—all of us.” My father finally spoke after a long bout of silence. “I’m also looking for a man that’s loyal. Loyalty is the most important thing in this world.”

  “He is loyal,” I said quietly. “Extremely. And he’s honest. He’ll tell you the truth—even if it hurts you to listen to it. He doesn’t care for bullshit, and he won’t change himself for anyone. That’s what I love about him. He’s not afraid to be who he is—all the good and the bad. You know exactly what you’re getting from him, so if he says he’s loyal, then he’s loyal.”

  My father gave a slight nod. “I need more time to decide how I feel about him.”

  “Me too,” Mama whispered.

  It’d been almost six weeks since I’d introduced Bones to them for the first time. It seemed like a lifetime. I wanted to let my guard down, to finally be happy knowing I got to keep the man I loved. This torture never seemed to end. “How much more time?”

  Instantly, the rage exploded out of my father. “Are you in a hurry?” my father snapped. “You’re lucky we’re even considering him. Don’t push it, Vanessa.”

  “I wasn’t trying to sound pushy. I just want to know if you’ll ever come to a decision. Because it seems like you’re going to distrust him no matter how much time has passed.”

  “You’re right,” Father said. “We probably will never really trust him.”

  “But we may be able to accept him and give him a chance to earn our trust,” Mama said. “We’ll take it one day at a time. You don’t have to stay here in the process. Griffin has been a tremendous help at the winery, but proving how hard he can work isn’t what’s important to us. You’re what’s important to us.”

  “No, we’ll stay a little longer,” I said. “He’s not working hard to prove how strong he is. He’s trying to prove how much he’ll sacrifice for a real chance, for the possibility of sharing a drink with you and having a real conversation. That’s what he’s trying to prove…that he’ll do anything for me.”

  Eight

  Bones

  I sat in the truck and watched the sun move to the horizon. The heat was a lot more apparent in Tuscany than it was in the northern part of the country. I could feel it in the rays that pierced through the window. With my arm hanging out over the side, I watched the Tuscan fields move gently in the soft breeze.

  I knew what they were discussing inside the house. Vanessa already knew about her mother, but the conversation would be painful to endure. At least the secret would be out, and they could move on with their lives—as a family.

  An hour went by, and she finally came out and walked to the truck. She got inside and then immediately scooted over until she was right up against me. She rested her head against my shoulder and linked her arm through mine. Without saying a single word, she expressed her sorrow.

  I started the engine and drove home. I let her lie on me, use me as a crutch. I let her enjoy her silence without being interrogated. I was just grateful she didn’t hate me because of what my father did to her mother.

  We reached the house then walked inside. Vanessa obviously didn’t seem interested in dinner because she went straight to bed. She pulled on one of my t-shirts then crawled under the sheets.

  I undressed and joined her, skipping the shower because I knew she wanted me beside her. I lay next to her, staring at her grief-stricken face as my hand moved to her neck. I watched her with a look full of pity, a heart heavy with sadness. I’d never felt anything close to empathy, but this woman brought out sensitive qualities I didn’t think I was capable of feeling. When she was in pain, I was in pain. Just as deeply as we were connected when we made love, I was connected to her sadness when she was unhappy.

  I could feel it all the way down to my bones.

  She stared at me through her thick eyelashes, her green eyes vibrating with pain. Her breathing was slow and deep, pain in every breath she took. Her hand snaked to mine on her neck, and she held it there, feeling my pulse as I felt hers.

  “What can I do?” I would do anything to wipe off that sad look on her face. If there was anything I could possibly do to help, I would. If my father were still alive right now, I would kill him myself if that brought her peace.

  Her fingertips grazed against mine as she held my gaze. “Make love to me.” That seemed to be the only thing she ever wanted from me. She didn’t want sex to get off like a lot of other women did. She wanted a slow and passionate connection, the way we held each other as we moved. She wanted me to blanket her with all of me, to cushion her against the harsh realities of life. She wanted to get lost in me, to shut out the outside world altogether. When it was just the two of us, there was nothing that could hurt us. She wanted me for me, not for the way I could make her feel.

  “You always want me to make love to you.” She never asked me to clean up the house, make dinner, or help her with anything. The only request she voiced was the sexiest phrase I’d ever heard a woman say. It wasn’t even a question because I didn’t have a choice in the matter. She knew exactly what she wanted, and she wasn’t afraid to ask for it.

  Like a real woman.

  “Yeah?” she whispered. “You want me to ask someone else?”

  The corner of my lip rose in a smile. “You’d be disappointed if you did. A boy will never compete with a man.”

  “I won’t ask a boy.”

  “They’re all boys compared to me.” I pushed my boxers down and moved on top of her, settling between her legs. Her thong was pulled to the side so I could fit my fat dick between her legs. She was wet but not drenched like she was in the morning. I sank deep inside her, feeling the soft flesh constrict around me. I stopped when I was buried deep within, and I listened to her breathing increase as she felt me stretch her wide apart.

  Her hands moved into my hair, and she locked her ankles together. The light burned in her eyes, her arousal increasing as she felt me stretch her as far as possible. She pulled my forehead to hers and squeezed my waist with her thighs. “If you’re the only man on the planet…can I keep you forever?”

  I pulled my face back to look at her, my thick cock buried deep inside her. A more beautiful woman had never been under me, had never had me so intimately. This woman had snatched my heart out of my chest and never returned it. “Always.” I rubbed my nose against hers, pledging my heart to her for the rest of time. Even if I couldn’t keep her, she would always have all of me.

  Her eyes softened as she looked at me, her hand sliding to my cheek. “I want you for the rest of my life…”

  I turned into her hand and kissed her palm, tasting her and smelling her. I was the luckiest man in the world, to be buried between her legs and listen to her love me so openly. Her love didn’t scare me, nor her pledge of forever. Most men ran from commitment, weren’t man enough to handle a woman’s love. But I could handle hers so easily, could thrive in it. I wasn’t the least bit scared. I’d se
en the world; I knew what was out there.

  Nothing compared to her.

  “Baby, promise me something.” I started to move inside her, taking her slowly. “If this works, promise me you’ll marry me.” I couldn’t get down on one knee and ask for her hand at that moment. I didn’t have a ring or a proposal planned, but I didn’t need any of those things. However, I did need her family’s permission.

  Her hand slowly trailed down my face, and the softness in her eyes deepened into an emotional look. Her eyes watered, a thin film of moisture over the surface of her gaze. She took a breath, her lips parting as she nearly gasped in surprise. “Yes.”

  I never told Vanessa about my conversation with her father.

  When he basically asked me to leave my job for good.

  I would concede if he granted me acceptance into the family. But he didn’t do that, refusing to give me an answer.

  He asked me to make a sacrifice when I didn’t even know if it would count for anything. It would be stupid to walk away from my business and give it up, and then hear her parents tell me I wasn’t good enough for their daughter.

  It had to be fair.

  When we went to the winery the next day, Vanessa was still quiet. All she craved was the peace and easiness her family used to provide. Life used to be simple, and her family was her home base. But now it was the most stressful part of her life. If she wanted it to return to normal, she just had to get rid of me.

  But she refused to do that.

  She was loyal to me, seeing this all the way through. And I was loyal to her, putting up with every hurdle to stay in the race.

  I walked past the main building and followed the cobblestone pathway toward the warehouse where I would slave away for the next eight hours. When I was halfway there, a woman stepped out in high-rise jeans with a white top that tied in the front at her belly. Tall, slender, and with thick brown hair that trailed to her shoulders, she didn’t look like she belonged there, especially in her nude pumps.