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“Gigi, you look gorgeous,” he says with an arrogant smirk.
His compliment is bold, and no way would he have said it if Benny were beside me.
I hate that Tommaso recognizes me. My mask isn’t doing as great of a job as I hoped. Although I can also blame that on standing between two Marchetti men.
“She’ll pass, Cavallaro,” Luca replies before I can.
I glare at my cousin. “Oh, come on. He’s harmless.”
Technically, Tommaso isn’t harmless.
He’s still the son of a don, but everyone knows he fucks up a lot.
“Let her dance,” Aunt Helena scolds. “You can easily watch them.” She fixes a stern stare on Tommaso. “He isn’t dumb enough to try anything slick.”
Luca crosses his arms.
Bruno shakes his head.
“You know what? I’ll give her permission then.” She nudges me toward Tommaso, and he catches me in his arms. “Go dance the night away, bella.”
“Fine.” Luca rubs the back of his neck. “Cristian will know this was your idea. I’d rather not get my ass chewed out.”
“Stay close,” Bruno warns, edging closer to Tommaso.
Even though Tommaso isn’t my ideal dance partner, it beats spending the night with Luca and Bruno stuck up my ass. They’ve made it clear their goal is to bore me to death until I decide to leave.
Tommaso tucks his mask into his pocket. His hand is sweaty when he takes mine. He leads me to the dance floor—not directly in front of my family, but within eyesight.
The orchestra at the front of the room starts a new melody. Tommaso keeps a tight grasp on me as we dance, yet there’s still a subtle gap between us. I hoped dancing with him would distract me from thoughts of Antonio, wondering if he’d show tonight. It does the opposite.
I wrinkle my nose at Tommaso’s strong cologne and focus on not stepping on his shoes. We’ve never shared a conversation before, and I don’t know where to start. I peer past his shoulder and study the covered faces around us.
Is Antonio one of them?
I hope not.
If he is, that means he’s dancing with someone else.
I don’t want him dancing with anyone but me.
Tommaso breaks our silence. “We could ask our parents to marry us.”
I wince. His idea reminds me of why I always avoid him.
When I fail to reply, Tommaso reverses his course, colliding with another man’s shoulder, who looks at him in annoyance.
While Tommaso is attractive, that doesn’t compensate for his lack of intelligence. You can extreme-home-makeover a man’s appearance, but you can’t fix stupid.
I clear my throat. “Benny and Neomi already have a contractual marriage between our families. As I’m sure you’ve heard, I’m not available for marital arrangements.”
I look at Luca and Bruno, who are now in deep conversation with the new sheriff. My aunts are nowhere in sight, most likely making their way through the crowd and socializing.
Tommaso smiles charismatically while preparing his argument. “But?—”
A masked man interrupts us. “I’d like to cut in.” He wedges himself between us without waiting for Tommaso’s response.
I immediately recognize the deep, assertive voice, and warmth floods my body.
