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“You’d have to release the safety first. That would give me time to get out of the way.”
She drew her lower lip between her teeth again. It was awfully distracting. “I’m so clueless.”
“That’s why I’m here, to teach you all you need to know.” A delicate blush spread on her cheeks, but I couldn’t link an emotion to it.
I guided her hand for her first few shots to let her get accustomed to the recoil. She jumped every time the shot sounded, but eventually she seemed to enjoy herself and even laughed when she managed to hit the target without my help. It was satisfying to see her gain confidence.
CHAPTER 14
KIARA
Fabiano dropped Leona off at the mansion on his way to work. It was only the second time she was over in the four weeks since I’d moved to Las Vegas. Occasionally, we exchanged texts, though. I waited in the doorway as she kissed Fabiano in his Mercedes before she got out, and he drove off with a short wave at me.
Leona was dressed in jean shorts and a tank top. It was already uncomfortably warm outside. “Beautiful dress,” she said with a smile as she hugged me. It was one of my many maxi dresses. I wasn’t sure why I still hesitated to walk around in shorts. None of the Falcone men had made a move toward me, not even Nino.
“Thanks. I love your shorts.”
She glanced behind me. “Who’s on guard duty?”
I huffed. “Adamo. It’s the weekend, after all.”
“Mafia men are protective.”
“I hope one day I’ll be able to protect myself. I’ve had another gun lesson with Nino. I’m improving.”
“Fabiano has been trying to improve my self-defense skills for months now, but it’s such a slow process. And most of the time we end up making out …” She trailed off, her skin turning red. “Sorry. TMI.”
I smiled. “Don’t worry. I don’t mind.” I led her onto the patio. A large umbrella shaded the lounge furniture so we didn’t suffer a heat stroke in the midday sun. “I thought we could order sushi?”
“Oh yes.” She lifted her bag. “I brought a bikini. It’s going to be really hot. I thought we could take a swim in the pool later.”
Thirty minutes later, we were settled on the lounge chairs, plates of sushi spread out on the table in front of us. “When did you know that you wanted to be with Fabiano?” I asked, picking up a piece of avocado maki.
Leona considered the question, chewing thoughtfully. “You mean in a physical sense or in a relationship?”
“Both, I guess.”
“It was a gradual process. I was attracted to him from the start but also worried about getting close to him. Eventually, my heart and body won over my rationality.” She laughed.
“Sometimes I wonder how it would feel to be with Nino,” I blurted.
Leona put down the piece of sushi she was about to push into her mouth and blinked. “You haven’t been with Nino yet?”
I flushed. Should I have kept it a secret? Maybe Nino didn’t want others to know that he wasn’t the monster—no, didn’t act like the monster he was. But I needed to talk to someone about it, and Giulia was no longer an option because I was now part of the Camorra and she was part of the Famiglia. Truce or not, the families were enemies. Our phone calls had been a difficult task, telling her about my daily life without revealing any important information to her, and I could tell it was the same for her.
“No, I freaked out on him on our wedding night, and he hasn’t tried anything since then.”
Leona blinked at me. “Wow. Really?”
“Really. I told him to seek out other women if he needed to satisfy his needs.”
Leona shook her head with wide eyes. “And it doesn’t bother you? The mere thought that Fabiano could touch another woman makes me sick.”
“It didn’t in the beginning.”
“But now it does?”
I tried not to think about it, but when I did, it bothered me a lot. “Yes, it does. I actually enjoy spending time with Nino. He is calm and incredibly intelligent. He makes me feel like I’m safe around him. Is that weird?”
Leona frowned. “Well. I feel safe around Fabiano and most people are terrified of him, so I’m not the right person to ask.”
I dipped a piece of sushi into the soy sauce and put it in my mouth, chewing slowly to gather my thoughts. “I don’t know if I should even consider changing our relationship.”
“Talk to him. Tell him you would like to be with him. He probably won’t say no.”
He wouldn’t. “What if I can’t go through with it? What if the memories stop me again? Or what if Nino wants all or nothing. I’m not sure how far I can go just yet.”
