Luc shrugged. “Didn’t know it had anything to do with you.”
Draco frowned. “And just out of curiosity, why does it have anything to do with you?”
Time to make one thing crystal clear to all the Dantes. Constantine folded his arms across his chest and eyed them one by one. “From now on everything about Gianna has to do with me,” he stated.
“Wait a minute, wait a minute.” Rafe held up his hands. “I know you two met at Lazz’s wedding. But when the hell did it go from how-do-you-do to she’s-mine-let’s-kill-the-competition? Not that I mind, you understand. I’d just like you to fill in a few of the blanks.”
How could they even ask that question? They knew how The Inferno worked. They must know what Gianna had chosen to do to him. “It went from one to the other as soon as we shook hands.”
Luc’s brows shot upward. “The Inferno?”
“She Infernoed you?” Rafe burst out laughing. “Way to go, little sister.”
“This is not a laughing matter.” Constantine could hear his accent deepening and fought for control. “It might have been polite to ask before she…Infernoed me.”
Draco gave him a sympathetic slap on the back. “Yeah, sorry about that. Doesn’t really work that way, I’m afraid.”
Constantine’s eyes narrowed. “When we have more time, perhaps you would be so kind as to explain exactly how it does work.”
“Hell, if any of us knew that we wouldn’t all be standing here with a ball and chain manacled to our ankles,” Rafe said cheerfully. He shot out his hand and captured his wife’s wrist, reeling her in. “Isn’t that right, my sweet little chain?”
“You just said that because you knew I was standing there, didn’t you?” Larkin demanded crossly.
“If you can’t handle the truth, don’t eavesdrop.” Her mouth opened to give him a piece of her mind and he took immediate advantage. They both reemerged a moment later, a bit bewitched and bewildered. He cupped his wife’s face and gazed down at her with unmistakable adoration. “Just so you know, I’ve never been more grateful for that chain or the fact that it goes both ways…and I always will.”
A short time later, Gianna found herself in David’s car, pulling out of the Dantes’ garage. He gave the Jaguar its head, the powerful car eating up the hills of the city a little faster than she’d have liked. He was so different from Constantine. It was almost as though David had something to prove. As though he were trying to show her that he was the better man. Instead of being impressed, she found his actions vaguely sad.
She yawned. “Where are we going?”
“Nowhere in particular. I just thought we’d take a drive out of the city, then park and talk.”
He sped through a yellow light and she touched his arm. For some reason it took serious effort, almost as though her limbs had turned to lead. Preparing for the gala must have worn her out more than she realized. “Pull over for just a minute.”
“Wait until we’re out of the city.”
“No, seriously. Pull over. I want you to do something for me.”
He spared her a brief, impatient look, then braked a little harder than necessary and rolled to a stop in a red zone beside a fire hydrant. “Okay, I’ve pulled over. Now what?”
“Would you kiss me?”
A streetlight cut across his face, giving the illusion that his pale eyes were translucent. She could still read his reaction—a mixed one. Part of him wanted her with a deep, primal hunger that he didn’t bother to disguise. Another part, one she suspected he would have hidden from her if he could, hesitated. She knew why. He’d guessed she wanted to compare his kiss to the one Constantine had given her. And he’d be right.
The time for pretense was over. She needed to know the truth, once and for all. Either she had serious feelings for David or she didn’t. For the past three months she’d thrown herself into the relationship, hoping against hope that desire would flare to life. That The Inferno would strike with him, the way it had with Constantine. She knew for a fact that could happen. Even so, she couldn’t create a fire without combustible materials. At the very least she should feel as if she’d struck a match when they kissed. Generated a hint of smoke. Created a flicker or two of flame. Something. If not, the only honorable course was to end things between them.
David took his time. Reaching for her, he drew her as close as possible given the console between them. He cupped her face and leaned in, taking her mouth slowly, then more passionately. His breathing grew ragged as the moments slipped by and his fingers thrust into her hair so he could control and deepen the kiss.