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DOMINIC

Claudia's scream muffled Dominic's name, startling him. He jumped on the pier and squatted while searching the area for an enemy. Those jerks didn't blink an eye when it came to killing someone else he cared about.

He only noticed Claudia on her knees in her stupid bikini.

Whelp, everything the cold water had done for him had disappeared.

After a moment, Claudia scrambled along the pier and grasped his shoulders. Her face was pale because all the blood had left it. "Are you all right? What happened?" She released his shoulders after dragging him back, then whacked his arm. Hard. "Don't ever do that again!"

"Whoa." Dominic raised his hands. "Dia, why are you getting so worked up?"

"You were underwater for so long. I thought you drowned! How could you do that to me? Why would you scare me like that?" Claudia sprang up with a heave. "You frightened me to death!"

Holy hell. Dominic realized he had been underwater longer than he expected. He was on the swim teams in high school and college, so he was used to staying underwater for a few minutes at a time. He understood now why she was so terrified of him. His raging hard-on needed to go. But the breathy sounds that came from Claudia's mouth were enough to keep him stiff. "I didn't stay long, Dia. I was swimming."

Her hands were trembling. "No, Dom, you spent a long time down there. About five minutes! I called out! I thought you were dead!"

He got up slowly, hating himself in every way imaginable. "My lungs are strong, but not that strong. I think you got it wrong."

Claudia swallowed. "I don't think that I did."

Damn. He stepped closer to her, his eyes searching hers. "You were really worried, weren't you?"

"No shit! What part of 'I thought you drowned' don't you understand?" A tremble rocked her. "My stomach is in knots."

Dominic knew that she was really upset. He truly thought that she would go get the help she believed he needed if he drowned. In her wet bikini. Shit. Screw the bikini. "Claudia, I'm okay. I came up. I guess you didn't see me."

Claudia stepped back and shook her head. Her eyes were cold, and Dominic could sense she didn't believe him. He shouldn't worry about whether she will notice his boner. Instead, he should consider the consequences of his actions. Let it slide, Dia. Forget about it. He took a deep breath and thought that if he made her mad, she might forget all of this. A better choice than the other one. He asked, "Are you sure you counted the time?"

Her eyes quickly slid to his. "Yes."

"Really? Because we didn't bring our phones out here." Dominic took a quick look back at the water. "I think you were exaggerating."

"No, Dominic, I wasn't. I know how long you were under."

"Then I'm not sure what to say." He stepped forward, crowding her. "I'm an excellent swimmer, so I know I couldn't have been underwater that long. It was maybe no more than three minutes. Perhaps the next time we come out here, we'll bring our watches so you can check the time more easily."

When Claudia looked up at him, anger replaced the fear in her eyes. "That could work, but you are blind. You can't see a future with me. All you have to do is use my appearance to get out of a forced marriage with someone else."

Dominic growled deep in his throat. "So, that's what's making you upset? It wasn't that I wanted to swim; it was that you won't be able to come out here once the contract is up?" he asked.

"Oh, now that I've got a good taste of life with you, I can't wait—" It happened so quickly when Claudia turned around. The wet rock gave way under her foot. She flailed her arms, thrown off balance.

He didn't think twice about it.

Dominic jumped forward and grabbed her hand as soon as her foot left the rock. He pulled her forward until their chests were touching. His skin was wet, but Claudia's was warm and spotless. He clamped his jaw shut as warmth flooded every cell in his body. He couldn't deny the rush of desire that went through him.

Claudia was so gentle everywhere it mattered.

"Watch out, Dia," he said in a whisper, his lips so close to hers. "If you aren't careful, you'll hurt yourself. You don't want that."

Claudia lifted her chin, and her brown eyes met his. She opened her mouth, but she didn't say anything. That was fine with him. Because their bodies were so close to each other, he couldn't say anything.

Dominic's skin buzzed with electricity, and he didn't know if she felt that, or if she did, if she realized that she had made a mistake. He swallowed a low groan as a light breeze passed over their flesh. Claudia's ribcage pushed up against him, and he either had to let her go or... what next?

There was nothing else to do.

He didn't want to treat her like crap because he had made an agreement with her for different reasons that he didn't need to think about. His enemies were now pursuing her, so they both needed to move through their plan quickly and easily. It didn't make sense to fight with her.

Dominic let go of her hips and let his hand fall off her lower back, just to torture himself. The pressure on him was almost painful, but it was worth it because her skin was silky and supple. "I think we should go back."

Since he brought her to his property, this was the smartest thing he had done.

Pathetic.

"Gladly," Claudia said. Dominic was in a bad mood for several reasons, so it was best that they didn't talk as they dried off and changed into dry clothes.

He turned around to look at her since he wanted to ask her some important questions. Dominic grew tired of the awkward silence between them as they started walking down the path. "Can I ask you, did you ever plan a wedding in your head? You know, like wearing a fancy dress and everything?"

Curiosity killed the cat, but he wasn't going to insult her. Even though it embarrassed him a little, Dominic needed to be honest with Claudia about certain topics.

"I have," she said. "I don't know much about weddings, so I can't say too much. All I can see is a lot of white. I keep getting this stupid picture of doves and balloons in my head."

When Claudia looked back at him, she was only an inch away. The way she looked at him, with her eyes all lit up, told him she might stop arguing with him. "I like wildlife. I've seen doves at many weddings."

Part of his brain wanted to make this connection seem less likely. It was just a way to protect himself.

"Well, they're not that uncommon, Dominic. But since we're talking about weddings, we should probably plan it or make it look like we are. Especially since we have met with your father."

She stopped talking for several minutes. He wasn't sure if she was thinking about something or if it was because he disregarded what she had said about the doves.

"How do we make it seem like we're planning our wedding?" he asked.

"We'll do this one step at a time, I guess. Plan the venue, set a date, the works."

"Sounds like a plan," he said, smiling quietly. "While we're out in town, it will be time to act. People need to believe that we're happy in love. When we break up, it should come as a surprise to anyone who knows us. There won't be any suspicions about who we are to each other." 

Claudia stayed quiet for a moment. Maybe she didn't like what he said. No woman wanted to hear that they had never been together. They might have been with each other for a short time, but he was too busy to figure out their situation and get out of his arranged marriage with the other family.

However, Claudia took Dominic's hand as they walked around a big bush, and he knew she wasn't mad about their small fight. He also understood that he needed to change and become a better person. "Better" was a vague word. It could have any meaning. At that point in what they were doing, Dominic didn't know what it meant. He only knew that wasn't who he used to be.

He knew he'd treat her better in time. After their plan has either failed or succeeded, he will see how things flow. He prayed for the second option. Claudia was a breath of fresh air he had needed since Amelia's passing, and he didn't want to let go of it.

Dominic's mood changed from bad to worse when he saw the car in the driveway after they walked back to the mansion. Dammit all to hell in a handbasket. Claudia looked up at him with a curious look on her face. "Dia, I—"

The front door swung open and hit the side of the column, while Giovanni walked outside like he had every right to. He rushed down the driveway like a roadrunner and didn't even spare a glance at Claudia. He demanded, "Where the hell have you been, bro?"

Yeah, Dominic cared about his brother when he showed up like this out of the blue, but Giovanni had no right to be in the house. He clasped his hands together. "I've been out. Since there's no one home, I'm wondering why you're in my house."

Giovanni replied, "Your guard at the gate let me through, and I came in through the back door. I didn't know that was going to be an issue."

"It is now when you demand to know where I am."

Claudia moved around awkwardly next to Dominic, which caught the attention of his brother. He shook his head, and his lip curled up. "Of all the people, I'd think you'd know better, Nicco."

There was a lot of tension in the air. "Gio, if you value your ability to talk, I wouldn't go there."

"I think I'll head inside." Claudia stepped out of the way.

Dominic stood in front of her and guarded Claudia like a statue, stopping Giovanni's stare. "I think my brother should leave unless he wants to do something else besides stick his nose where it doesn't belong."

"I'm sorry," she said in a shaky whisper, and that made Dominic's mind do a funny thing, making it pay attention. "But I don't know why it's a big deal that Dominic was out. We went swimming. That is all."

Dominic stood up straight. "There's nothing to worry about, Gio. She won't mess up our plans. I've got this."

Claudia inhaled deeply.

Giovanni's face showed a flash of recognition. "So this is your fiancée that Dad told me about this morning?"

She said, "That would be me," from behind Dominic. "I'm Claudia."

"Nicco, I thought you were smarter than this." Giovanni gave her a quick look before turning his attention back to his brother. "You wouldn't do anything to put our family in jeopardy."

"Yeah, well, like I told our dad, I found someone I can trust with my life," Dominic stated, his patience running thin. "Nothing bad has happened."

"Yet," Giovanni added. His mouth became stiffer. "You should know better than to bring someone from the outside into our personal affairs."

And Dominic was close to losing his temper. He was tired of this. His brother's reprimand in front of Claudia did not help him because a certain part of his body was stiff. He growled loudly in the back of his throat, ready to punch Giovanni into the next forest. The wind forced the trees to sway harshly, and dark clouds formed in the sky. When the sun hid behind them, Giovanni's eyes widened for a second, and then he turned around and walked toward the kitchen.

Warning understood.

Dominic started to look at Claudia, but there wasn't much to say, so he kept walking toward his brother without saying anything. He thought he heard her mumble, but that didn't matter.

He had a score to settle.

Giovanni started the moment Dominic walked through the back door. "Nicco, what's wrong with you? You've never acted like that before."

Dominic walked right by him on his way to the fridge, annoyed and thirsty. "Acted like what?"

Giovanni turned to him. "You know."

When Dominic opened the fridge, he looked at the Gatorade bottles he had put in the back. He also saw everything he would need to make a great snack. With a wave of his hand, he got all Hell's Kitchen up there and put everything on the counter. "Want something to eat?"

His brother sighed. "I've eaten."

"Perfect. More for us." He picked up two plates and went to the counter.

"Dominic, we need to talk about this."

He snatched up a knife and the jar of mayo. "There's nothing we need to talk about, Gio. I already explained where I was. Everything is fine."

"Are you sure that marrying this woman isn't just a way to get back at Dad for what he did back then?" his brother asked, Giovanni's voice filled with doubt. "Are you even thinking with the right brain?"

Dominic looked over at Giovanni, who was standing near the threshold, as he put the piece of bread on the plate. His voice was as quiet as death. "Brother, don't make me angry."

"You already know what's going to happen, Nicco."

Dominic's eyes met Giovanni's. "I think it's time for you to leave."

His brother ran a hand through his short brown hair. "Dominic, I don't want to fight with you. But you're making a huge mistake."

As he slapped the deli meat on the bread, Dominic almost laughed. He didn't care to argue with his brother. Muscles in his neck and back were tight from pressure. One thing Giovanni said was true. Not even over a woman or against one of the mafia's women had he ever acted the way he did outside a few minutes ago. He had no idea why his brother's presence or words bothered him so much.

Maybe because, deep down, Dominic had a plan for how this fake wedding would go. People, including himself but especially Claudia, were going to get hurt. This plan had no end and could lead to an easy breakup. Questions were inevitable, and they'd have to answer them.

"You're playing with fire," Giovanni continued. "Guys like us have to be careful about who we date and sleep with, just like we have to be when we fight. We can't just get close to anyone, and every time we fall, something bad happens. Either the women turn against us and we have to shut them up, or they marry us even though they hate us. Being with an outsider is never a good idea. It's risky."

Dominic was looking at him with his hands at his sides. "You don't think I know that? Do you think I haven't given this a lot of thought? Claudia is already in deep, and she has been since the moment that I first saw her. There is nothing I can do about her."

Giovanni's eyes darkened, going from emerald to dark skies at dusk. "I don't want anything bad to happen to her, and I don't expect you to take care of it if it comes to that. If this woman proves a risk, I will handle it. It won't be like Francesca, where all of us let her slide until it was too late. Raffaele couldn't see anything except her. This time, I won't let that happen."

As Dominic looked at his brother, his skin became charged with energy. Realization slipped in, and it left him cold. He heard himself say, "Her name is Claudia Grace Marcello," as he walked toward Giovanni with his chin dipped. "And if it comes to that, I'll take care of her myself."

"You know that I would do anything to protect our family." Giovanni put his hands on the table and inhaled sharply. "You're my brother, and I don't want to see you hurt again."

Dominic tried to be patient by running his hand through his hair. "I know that. There's no need for you to intervene. I'll make sure she doesn't put the illegal stuff we're doing in jeopardy."

Giovanni's eyes met Dominic's, and a moment passed. "You're one of the finest men I know, if not the greatest. Everyone, including Dad and Alessandro, knows that, which means that someone is always watching you. You need to be more careful than any of us."

Dominic lowered his hand as his lifestyle weighed on him. He had nothing to say about that. He was faster and stronger than most mafia members and always thought things through, even with his younger brother Alessandro. That reminded him of his and Claudia's contract. His cousin, Raffaele, chose the wrong woman as his ally. Francesca exploited Raffaele's vulnerability. She ruled his Italian empire as he lost himself in her. Giovanni knew about her, and Dominic knew he was protecting him.

His brother must have seen something in Dominic's eyes as he studied him. "You're not like Raffaele."

Dominic's head cocked to the side. "You think—"

"Yes, I do," Giovanni interrupted. "Our cousin was smart and had a big heart, but he wasn't nearly as compassionate as you. His fatal mistake was developing feelings for a snake. Don't be like him and do what he did."

Message received, loud and clear.

Don't do what their cousin did before he died.

That statement was laughable.

Dominic didn't want to marry Irene, but that didn't mean he would let someone ruin his life. One surprising aspect was his friendship with Claudia. Yeah, something physical was happening between them, but it wasn't more than he could handle. Raffaele knew what his wife was up to, yet he did nothing to stop her. Big difference there.

And his cousin was not as strong.

Maybe not physically, but Raffaele was strong in every other way. By no means did Dominic intend to repeat his mistakes. He had no choice but to distance himself from falling in love with Claudia, knowing their emotions were on the line.

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