Page 57 of Brutal Vows

She wriggles but clenches her hands at her sides, plants her feet firmly on the ground, and forces herself to calm down. When she leans against me, I give her a squeeze to assure myself she’s okay.

The two goons lying on the floor don’t move. Giorgio eyes them skeptically and kicks one guy’s boot. The dude snorts and turns his head before falling silent again.

Fiero stands closest to us with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes trained on Loretta. I tighten my arms around her. She doesn’t complain.

“Show me your knuckles,” Giorgio demands of Loretta.

I hiss in annoyance and try to push her behind me, but she elbows me in the same place she just punched and holds her hands in front of her shoulders with her fingers splayed and her palms toward herself.

My woman has no surrender.

And no common sense.

Fiero chuckles and runs his hand through his hair.

“Hey, boss man, it’s okay. I wouldn’t believe she knocked them out cold either if we weren’t right outside the door,” he says.

Giorgio props his hip on the counter and gives her a once-over. I grit my teeth and remind myself Giorgio is happily married. His attack was toward Julieta Giordano, a woman on every man’s shit list. That conniving bitch will start wars just to increase her body count. No man worth his power will allow a woman like that to traipse around in his territory.

“Loretta, huh?” Giorgio says.

She crosses her arms over her chest and nods.

I snarl and wrap my arms around her when the fabric of her sweatshirt pulls tight over her gorgeous breasts. For the first time all day, I regret denying her a bra. These are mine and only mine.

It doesn’t matter that both men have their own lady. I don’t want any man’s eyes on my woman.

“I saw you yesterday,” she says to Fiero.

His eyes widen.

“You work at the clinic that got shot up,” he recalls.

She nods and leans back against me before asking, “Did you get married yesterday? Was it your bride who tore her wedding dress and used it for bandages?”

“Yes, that’s my wife, Emma,” he says.

The pride in his voice echoes what I feel for Loretta, and a pang of yearning tightens my arms around her.

“I fell in love with her at first sight,” she blurts out, and I stare at the top of her head as she continues like a teenager gossiping about their crush. “She was so calm and competent, and I totally geeked out afterward and offered her baby wipes when she was just trying to find some peace and quiet, so sheprobably thinks I’m a nutcase, but…” she trails off with a shrug and reaches behind herself to grab my pants as though realizing she went too far.

“Definitely not Julieta,” Giorgio mumbles.

He shakes his head and rises from his lean on the counter.

“I’m sorry, Loretta. When our security system scanned your face, Julieta’s information popped up and sent the guards a warning. We were upstairs, so we came down to see for ourselves,” Giorgio says.

Loretta’s shoulders relax, but she doesn’t let go of my trousers.

“Shouldn’t he be on his honeymoon?” she asks with a tilt of her head toward Fiero.

“My wife’s here for a prenatal checkup while the boss lady is setting up a new pediatrician for her brother,” Fiero answers.

“Oh. Congratulations! I didn’t realize she was pregnant. She looked stunning in her dress,” Loretta says.

“I’ll let her know you think so, too,” he says with a smirk, and even though his attention is on thoughts of his wife and notmia gattina, jealous fury roars through me.

I stiffen. Loretta tightens her fists, pulling the fabric of my trousers tight around my thighs.

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