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Just wait until my IPO, okay? Postpone the wedding.
My simmering anger reached a full boil. I’d kept a lid on it earlier for Vivian’s sake since I didn’t want to ruin our new relationship by hospitalizing her ex, but if I let Heath walk away with nothing more than a broken nose, I wasn’t Dante fucking Russo.
“The IPO we were talking about,” I said when Christian picked up. I didn’t bother with a greeting. “Kill it.”
CHAPTER27
Vivian
Dating Dante was like rediscovering a part of myself I’d buried when I realized my future was not my own. The part that dreamed of love and roses, that wasn’t afraid to open up to someone in case I fell in love with them and they turned out to be an “unsuitable match.”
Even when I’d dated Heath, whom I hadn’t heard from since the apartment incident, I’d carried an impending sense of doom. I knew my parents wouldn’t approve of him, and the knowledge had followed us like an invisible third wheel.
But with Dante, I couldenjoyhis company without worry. Not only was he a family-approved match, he was actually, well, likable once I looked past the scowls and arrogance.
“Give meonehint. I promise I won’t tell anyone.” I plied him with my best puppy dog eyes.
After a month, I’d finally grown into our new relationship dynamic. Lazy mornings, explosive nights, and all the quiet, beautifully mundane moments in between. I’d even convinced Dante to attend a wedding cake tasting (we would fly the baker to Italy for the wedding), though his input had been questionable at best. He’d liked all of the cakes, even the “experimental” coconut meringue one that had no business touching anyone’s taste buds.
For the first time, I understood what being part of a real engaged couple felt like, and it was strange and beautiful and terrifying all wrapped into one.
Dante’s mouth curled into a grin. We were making progress on theless frowns, more smilesfront. Not a lot, but some.
At this point, I took what I could get.
“That would be a convincing argument if the surprise wasn’t foryou,mia cara,”he drawled.
“All the more reason for you to tell me. It’smysurprise. Don’t I get a say in when and how it’s revealed?”
“No.”
I released a long-suffering sigh. “You’re a tough nut to crack, Mr. Russo.”
Laughter rumbled in his chest. “You’ll thank me once we get there. This is a surprise that has to be shown, not told.”
We were in the limo on the way to some mysterious date he’d planned for us. Judging by the route we were taking, we were staying in upper Manhattan. He’d also told me to wear something nice but comfortable, so it couldn’t be anywhere too fancy.
Was it a private museum exhibit? Dinner at that hot new underground restaurant everyone was raving about?
“If you tell me now, I’ll stop putting those flowers you hate so much in the guest bathrooms,” I said.
“No.”
“I’ll stop hogging the covers.”
“No.”
“I’ll watch a soccer game with you. I’ll even pretend to like it.”
“Tempting,” he said dryly. “But no.”
I narrowed my eyes.
It wasn’t about the surprise at this point. I just wanted to see if I could make Dante crack. He was infuriatingly strong-willed.
I glanced at the closed, soundproofed partition separating us from the driver’s seat. Thomas, our chauffeur, was focused on the road ahead. Traffic crawled at a snail’s pace; at this rate, we’d reach our destination sometime in the year 2050.
“Is there any way I can convince you to change your mind?” I leaned closer and bit back a smile when Dante’s eyes flicked down.
