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I press my face to his throat, breathing him in. His familiar scent steadies me, calming the furious pounding of my heart and the dull roar clamoring for attention in my head. I let him hold me, trying to process this news. Five minutes ago, I was normal. Now, I'm a millionaire.
Somehow, this is actually my life. How does a girl like me go from having no one but my aunt to having the perfect man, a long-lost, badass brother, and a family fortune? It doesn't seem real. If I wake up in bed tomorrow and this is all some elaborate dream, I'm going to be so mad at the universe!
"I don't want it," I blurt, lifting my head to look at Finn and then Domani.
They both stare at me in silence.
"I don't want it," I repeat. "The money, I mean." I grimace apologetically at my brother. "Please don't take this the wrong way because I'm so happy to have you in my life, and I hope you'll be in my life for a long time to come, but Enzo Brambilla wasn't my father. Clarke Crawford was my dad. He loved me fiercely and fought for me every single day. He didn't raise me to need a trust fund or millions of dollars or a fancy estate. I already have everything I need. I have the perfect boyfriend, and a crazy, amazing aunt, and a badass brother. I have a fun job and a great boss and everything I could possibly need. There's absolutely nothing that money could add to my life that I don't already have."
"She has my money," Finn says. "She'll never want for anything."
"The person it could have helped—Silvia—died over a year ago," I say quietly. "She needed that money twenty-five years ago when she was pregnant and alone and afraid. Giving it to me now won't change the past. It can't." I exhale a breath. "I don't need the money, Domani. If you don't want it, give it to those who do need it. There are thousands of other women out there in her shoes."
He eyes me silently for a long moment. "Are you sure,piccolina?"
"She's sure," Finn says, his voice firm.
Domani dips his head in a nod, silently giving in. Pride wells in my chest and leaks from the corners of my eyes. This is the right thing to do. This is how we celebrate Silvia. And if it leaves our father rolling over in his grave…well, he can't say he doesn't deserve it.
Chapter Ten
Finn
"HeavenstoBetsy,"Scarlettblurts, sitting bolt upright in the bed with her hands on her cheeks. "I actually turned downseveral million dollars."
"You did," I say, grinning ear to ear.
"Am I feverish?" She grabs my hand, slapping it across her forehead. "I am, aren't I?"
"You aren't feverish."
"Are you sure? Maybe I've gone completely around the bend like Aunt Ophelia," she mumbles, talking more to herself than to me. "That explains it, right? Her bad influence is rubbing off on me and now I just say whatever pops into my head without even thinking it through."
"Do you regret it?"
"What? Of course not," she says, looking at me like I've lost my mind. "Don't be silly. I did the right thing."
"Then why are you stressing out about it?"
"Uh, because Iturned down several million dollars?" She blinks at me owlishly. "You really need to keep up with these conversations better, Super-spy Finn Taylor. You're slipping."
I chuckle, crawling over her naked body. "You're sexy as hell when you're turning down millions of dollars, Scarlett Crawford from Gatsby Books."
"Oh, yeah" She smiles up at me, her eyes heating. "Maybe I should call my brother back so I can do it again then." She cocks her head to the side and then giggles. "My brother.It feels so strange to say that."
"No talking about other men when you're naked in our bed, pretty baby."
"Really, Finn? My own brother?" She wrinkles her nose at me. "Gross."
"Pretty baby, in this bed, I'm the only man who exists to you," I growl, nudging her legs apart to fit my body between them. "I don't fucking care if it's the Pope. When you're naked, the only name you say is mine."
"Fine," she says, the devil lighting her eyes. "Then I won't sayIgnazio."
I growl.
"OrProfessor Morris."
I prowl down her body, throwing her legs over my shoulders.
