Gently he took her hand in his and slipped his ring on her finger. Despite the dark, it glittered, tossing off shards of brilliant fire. Then it seemed to quiet, as though content that their final bond was near completion. Satisfied, he returned to the bed and to her arms. And to sleep.
He woke again just before dawn, something alerting him to the emptiness beside him. He was out of the bed in a flash. He didn’t need to check the cabin to know she’d gone. A glance outside revealed his Porsche sitting right where he’d left it. That left the woods or the lake. The instant he thought of the lake, understanding hit.
So did fear.
He took off at a dead run, shooting through the cabin, out onto the porch. He didn’t waste time with the steps, but vaulted over the railing and raced flat-out for the beach. The splinter of moon was setting, flinging the last of its fitful light at the lake, silvering the mirror-flat surface. A shape broke the liquid smoothness, moving steadily out toward the raft anchored offshore.
He dove into the water and stroked toward her, torpedoing through the water on an intercept course. He caught her just as she reached the raft. She heaved herself upward, every bit as naked as he was, and flopped onto the painted wooden boards, breathing hard. He followed her up, keeping a careful distance so he didn’t give in to impulse and strangle her.
When he’d recovered his temper and had himself under complete control, he demanded, “Have you lost your damned mind?”
“Did you know you always speak in Italian whenever you’re angry?”
“I’m not angry,” he roared. Okay, maybe he didn’t have his temper under complete control, but given the circumstances… “What the hell were you thinking, Gianna?”
She sat up. Her breathing hadn’t quite returned to normal and her breasts rose and fell, a temptation beyond measure. “I was thinking that I needed to see if I really had gotten over my fear.”
“Why didn’t you wake me? Why sneak out on your own?”
“If I’d asked you to come with me I wouldn’t have known if I wasn’t afraid because you were with me, or if I’d really overcome my fear of the water.” She spoke gently, as though to a cranky child, which only made him all the more cranky.
“And if you hadn’t overcome your fear?” For some reason he was still roaring. “You could have drowned.”
“Mmm.” She had the nerve to wrinkle her nose at him and smile. “But I would have died happy.”
“You think this is a joke?”
Her smile faded. “Of course not. I’m sorry I frightened you.” She held out her hand. “Look what I found on my finger when I woke.”
It was clearly an attempt to change the subject. He fought for patience. “Piccola, do you not see that your impulsiveness will one day get you into serious trouble? David. This swim. Please, I beg of you. For the sake of my sanity, would you try to think before acting?”
She shrugged, her breasts bobbing with the movement. “I’ll try. Not sure how successful I’ll be.” Catching the direction of his gaze, she leaned in. “Just so you know, I’m thinking of being impulsive again.”
“Dio,” he muttered faintly.
“Consider yourself formally notified that I’m about to jump off the raft and swim for shore, where I will impulsively make love to the first man who catches me.” She lifted an eyebrow. “Or would you rather I resist the impulse?”
He snatched her into his arms. “Feel free to resist. I, on the other hand, will not.”
Together, they tumbled into the water. It took them a long, long time to reach shore. By the time they did, Gianna was no longer the least bit afraid of the water.
Nine
Gianna and Constantine returned to the city in time to join the Dante family for their weekly Sunday-night dinner at Primo’s. She was pleased to discover Juice there when they showed off her ring, since it meant she could rub his winning the engagement pool in Rafe’s face.
The reaction to their news was loudly celebrated for a solid hour while she and Constantine were inundated by every last family member, all toasting and laughing, offering hugs as freely as marital advice.