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  Taviano had never told anyone of her conduct that night. He could have. He could have told her foster parents. He could have told his family. He had never changed his patient ways with her. Or his caring. He had been careful not to be alone with her, and truthfully, that hurt, but she understood and even was grateful. She had made changes, studying the way she should have. Listening to the counselor and trying to implement what was said. Putting her trust in Lucia and talking things over with her when she found herself particularly upset and having nightmares. Opening herself to loving again. And that meant herself as well.

  She had to find her own strengths and weaknesses. The Ferraros had offered to train her in self-defense, and she’d taken them up on that offer. That meant getting close to their family, and she wasn’t sorry about that. They took her in and acted as if she were a part of them. They didn’t hold back at all—other than Eloisa, who treated her with the utmost disdain, but she was never at Francesca and Stefano’s penthouse, which was where Nicoletta went for training. She only ran into Eloisa when the woman came to visit Lucia.

  Nicoletta was in love with Taviano. It wasn’t just about sex. It wasn’t just about him saving her life. There was a difference in the way the Ferraros were in private with their family and the way they appeared in public. She was always treated like family. Always. She saw the real Taviano and she loved everything about him. How gentle and kind he was. How he could get that flash of temper that could erupt and burn hot and go away just as fast, so that he was laughing. The way he held his nephew so gently, whispering to him, laughing, pushing a stroller down the street, and later, holding his little hand.

  Taviano sat on the floor and played instruments with Crispino or raced little cars, sometimes rolled balls across the floor. It didn’t matter what kind of toys his nephew wanted to play with, he was ready, and he had infinite patience. She loved that about him. All of his brothers and Emmanuelle appeared to be the same, but she could never quite take her eyes off Taviano when he was with Crispino.

  Nicoletta also loved his relationship with Emmanuelle. The two often laughed together. All the brothers were protective of their sister. She envied Emmanuelle that at first, but then realized they seemed equally as protective of her. Then she became aware of a deep sadness in Emmanuelle, and she found herself growing protective of Taviano’s sister for no reason she really understood other than she seemed very sad at times.

  Emmanuelle traveled quite often, staying in New York with her cousins, and sometimes going to Italy to stay with relatives there, but after a few months, she would return and bury her face in little Crispino’s neck and proclaim he was the love of her life and she could never leave him again.

  “Why is Eloisa so cutting to Emmanuelle, Taviano? She visits Lucia often, and sometimes Emmanuelle comes with her, and when she does, Eloisa says really snarky things to put her down in front of Lucia. I mean, she says them about me, but I expect that.”

  Taviano frowned. “What do you mean, she says them about you? I specifically asked Lucia to report to me if Eloisa was upsetting you with her visits.”

  “She isn’t upsetting me. I was asking you about Emmanuelle.”

  “I was asking you about what Eloisa says to or about you,” Taviano said, his voice turning hard. “Answer me, Nicoletta.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Taviano. You know very well the kind of sneering voice she uses and the cutting remarks she makes.”

  He stood up, towering over her. His face became stone, eyes glittering down at her, two twin gems that looked suddenly frightening. “Answer me, Nicoletta,” he reiterated.

  She didn’t hesitate, heart kicking into overdrive. “I’m beneath Lucia, and Eloisa has no idea why Lucia and Amo would take me in. I’m old enough now for them to kick me out, and they’ve done their good deed and don’t have to continue to flog themselves mercilessly for sins they never committed in the first place. I’m going to turn on them and rob them blind. I’m going to stab them in their sleep. I’ve already brought trouble on the Ferraro family, look what happened to Vittorio right outside their home because I was crawling out the window trying to have a rendezvous with some boy. I’m a slut and whore and I sleep around, she has that on good word, and she’s only trying to spare Lucia heartache. Naturally that isn’t all said on the same visit; she spreads it around. Lucia, of course, stands up to her, but there it is.”

  His face darkened as she spoke, and she could tell he was having trouble holding the infamous Ferraro temper in check. “You should have told me. Lucia should have told me.”

  “It doesn’t bother me. Eloisa is never going to like me. A lot of her friends don’t like me.” She gestured toward Pia and Bianca. “Their mother pretends to like me, but she doesn’t. Pia and Bianca are probably my friends because I’m a stepping-stone to you. Their mother is hoping you’ll marry one of them.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me, Nicoletta? Why would you arrange to take them on this trip if you know that?”

  She gave him a half smile. “I’m a little slow on the uptake. I didn’t get that until I watched them with you just now. I could be wrong. I hope that I am. I think Clariss is a genuine friend, but at this point, I’m still not sure I’m that good a judge of character. Lucia is still helping me with that. She’s amazing in that department.”

  “Don’t do that again, keep something from me, like Eloisa talking shit about you.”

  “She talks shit about Emmanuelle, Taviano. I would think you’d be more concerned about that.”

  “She’s done that since the day Emmanuelle was born, tesoro. My sister has never been good enough for our mother, and she never will be. Francesca will never be good enough. I don’t suppose any female ever will be in Eloisa’s eyes.” He shrugged his shoulders. “You don’t see her at Stefano’s home for a reason. If she keeps talking shit about you, you won’t see her at Lucia’s, either.”

  “She’s Lucia’s friend, Taviano,” Nicoletta said, trying to be gentle. She could feel his fury. He was really angry with his mother.

  “I don’t much give a damn. Go have fun with your friends. I’m going to talk to Lucia and find out how long this bullshit has been going on.”

  “Please don’t upset Lucia.”

  “I would never upset Lucia,” Taviano said, his voice softening. “I mean it, piccola, go have fun. You have this one more night and then we’re talking.” Abruptly he was gone, walking down the aisle toward the front of the plane where Demetrio and Drago, his second cousins, were sitting looking very relaxed, but again, Nicoletta knew better. They might be related to Taviano, young and good-looking, but they were trained bodyguards and they were very good at their job. Her friends weren’t any more of a distraction to them than she was.

  Nicoletta stared after Taviano, unsure what to think. She pulled out her cell phone, wanting to call Lucia for reassurance. She’d come to rely on her. Lucia was an older woman, steady, sweet and unfailingly strong. She’d had tragedy in her life. First the loss of her young daughter to cancer and then the loss of her remaining son after he came home from serving in the military and was shot by a random murderer outside a theater.

  Nicoletta had come to Lucia and Amo, seventeen and wild with grief at the loss of her parents and striking out with anger at the terrible things done to her by her three step-uncles for the past three years while she’d been in their custody. Her foster parents seemed to understand her and had the patience needed to let her grieve and strike out. They connected to her on every level, and it was impossible to love them any more than she did.

  “Aren’t you going to join us?” Pia asked, her voice petulant. “I thought this was supposed to be a party.”

  Nicoletta looked up with a small smile. “You look like you’re partying to me. For your twenty-first birthday, on a private jet, drinking the best champagne, going to the concert of your choice, I’d say you’re partying.”


  “What was all that?”

  Nicoletta shook her head. “All what?”

  “You and Taviano? You looked as if you two were having a private conversation.”

  She shrugged. “Just family stuff. Nothing huge. We were talking about Francesca and Stefano mainly.”

  “Family stuff? You’re family now?” Now there was a bite to her voice.

  Pia was definitely jealous. She’d had enough to drink to show it. Nicoletta stood up with another smile. “Yep. I’m family. If I wasn’t, we wouldn’t be on the jet, headed to the Kain Diakos concert, now, would we? Let’s get some dancing in before we get there.” She caught Pia by the arm and hurried back to the other two girls.

  Immediately they were laughing and dancing. Clariss had more strawberries than champagne, but she still pronounced it the best she’d ever tasted. Nicoletta indulged in eating quite a few strawberries, found whipped cream and added that to them just for fun. Bianca drank two more flutes filled with strawberries and champagne, but Pia was mostly just drinking. That worried Nicoletta. They weren’t even at the concert yet.

  “Slow it down, girl. If you drink too much, they won’t let us in.”

  “Who cares,” Pia said. “We can just stay on board and spend the night here. Why did we need the hotel when there’s a bed? Or you three can go to the hotel and I’ll stay here with Mr. Hotness. He’s been looking at my boobs all evening.”

  Nicoletta tried not to smile. Taviano was looking down at his phone, and even though he was wearing that stone expression the Ferraros tended to wear in public, she knew he was not happy. He certainly wasn’t staring at Pia.

  “You wish, Pia,” Clariss said. “We’re going to the concert, so switch to something else. You’re not ruining this for us. Besides, you love Kain. I thought you were going to have his babies.”

  Pia brightened. “I am. I so am.”

  She threw her arms around Nicoletta and hugged her hard, staggering a little so they both nearly went down. Nicoletta had to balance for both of them.

  “I’m sorry. I love you, my friend. I was so jealous for a minute because I had this idea that Mr. Hotness was going to marry me and carry me off to a place where my mother couldn’t yell at me anymore and destroy everything I try to do. That was a dream that will never happen though. Instead, I’ll have Kain’s babies.”

  Bianca shook her head. “Mom will never stop trying to marry us to the richest men she can find. She’s not happy with Dad, but she still wants that life for us. I’m absolutely crazy about Enzo Gallo, not that he would ever look at me. If he did ask me out, Mom would be so ugly to him that he’d only do it once, but honestly, I’d be willing to sever ties with my family just for a chance with him. Not you, Pia, just her. I’m so tired of never being able to talk to a man who interests me.”

  “I had no idea,” Nicoletta said. “You live on your own. You both work.”

  “It was the only way to get out from under her, but we’re not out from under her. Every time we get a job, she goes to our boss and sabotages it for us,” Pia confessed a little drunkenly. “Then we’re behind on rent, and it sucks always looking for jobs because it looks like we keep hopping from one place to the next.”

  Clariss sank into one of the seats, reaching for a strawberry, dipping it into the whipped cream. “That’s awful. You should have told us. I would have helped. You could have moved into my apartment. It’s small, but we could make it work.”

  “I could have talked to Stefano,” Nicoletta said. “He would have found jobs that she couldn’t sabotage.” She nudged Bianca with her hip. “And I do know Enzo Gallo. He’s the Ferraros’ cousin. He works as a bodyguard. I can casually introduce you if you haven’t actually met him. In fact, I can arrange a few times to run into him when he’s not working. I kind of know where they’re going to be sometimes.”

  Bianca shook her head but then changed her mind. “You’d do that?”

  “I want to know if Stefano could really find us jobs Mom can’t screw up for us, Bianca,” Pia said. She slurred her words a bit, but she was looking very sober as she looked directly at Nicoletta.

  “I honestly believe he would,” Nicoletta said. “Stefano can do anything. If you and Bianca really want to work, then of course he’ll find you a good job.”

  “One where we make enough money where we can be independent? I don’t mean tons, just enough to pay rent and eat,” Pia persisted. “Not pity money. We’ll work for it.”

  Nicoletta nodded. “I’m certain he would, but he’ll only do that kind of favor once. You can’t screw up,” she cautioned. “Stefano isn’t the kind of man you cross.”

  Pia nodded. “I get that.” She stuffed a strawberry into her mouth. “That’s an even better birthday present than the Kain concert. And I love him. I’m going to have his babies.”

  “No, you’re not,” Bianca protested. “I’m not going to get stuck providing for us while you get all the sex and stay home with the kids, you hussy.”

  They all laughed and began dancing again. Nicoletta decided maybe she was better at picking friends than she’d thought.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The air was electric as only Kain Diakos and his band could make it. Nicoletta felt vibrations in the air, surrounding them, everywhere. The music pounded through her veins, set her blood on fire, so that she threw her head back and raised her hands in the air, her feet stomping out the beat while her body swayed. Like everyone around her, she had to be up on her feet. Dancing. Singing. Eyes glued to the stage and the magic happening.

  The stage would be dark one moment and then light would burst across it, colors dripping down in all shades, and Kain would move through those various hues with his sensual body, delivering his lyrics in his beyond-sexy voice. If Nicoletta hadn’t been so far gone on Taviano, she would have been pledging the heavens that, like Pia, she would be having Kain’s children. He was awesome. His songs were beautiful. Lyrical. His body was ripped. Hot.

  His mother was Ethiopian, his father Greek, and he got the best of both worlds when it came to his looks. His eyes were dark chocolate, his hair black and very curly, wild enough for some of the curls to drip down his forehead when he moved on the stage, which only added to his sexy appearance. He produced his own music, wrote his own songs and burst onto the music scene so fast, no one saw his star streaking to fame until he was already there.

  His following began online, his concerts were sold out nearly the first hour the tickets went on sale and he was winning every award possible. Nicoletta knew he was only going to get bigger and bigger in the music industry. She liked that he was up-and-coming but still hands-on with the stage productions so that his vision of music and stage went together. It added to the feel of the music and the way it was presented, so that when you were actually there, the notes vibrated through your body as the lights dazzled your eyes and put you into the song with him.

  She loved his voice. She loved the lyrics. She loved the actual rhythms and the guitar riffs, the drums, the way everything came together with the lights, and the energy of the crowd. Pia, Bianca and Clariss were gyrating and waving their arms, jumping up and down and dancing with the others.

  Nicoletta found herself pulling more and more energy off the crowd, the stage, the singer and the incredible music. It fed her soul. Her body sang, feeling renewed and strong. She loved going to concerts. Lucia had been the first one to take her to a concert, and the moment the singer had come out onstage and all those things had come together—crowd, music and singer—something in her had reacted to that energy, and she felt a difference almost immediately. It was healing to her. Spiritual almost. She’d told Lucia, and Lucia had acted on it. Wonderful Lucia. Giving her everything and anything she needed.

  She’d been to many concerts and then she’d discovered Kain’s music. He’d just been starting out online, but she played his songs over and over and danced in her room to them. When
she couldn’t sleep and the nightmares were too close, she listened to them, sang the lyrics and let them carry the worst of her past away.

  His concerts were incredible, lifting her, elevating her to another place. Unlike the other women in the crowd, who came for the sexy man and his voice—most of whom were young and well dressed, many of them actresses, models or even singers themselves, well-known celebrities who followed Kain now—she came for the entire package, including the energy of the crowd. It swallowed her past. Ate it up. Gave her back her life.

  Pia bumped her with her hip. “Isn’t he amazing?” She shouted it.

  “He is.” Nicoletta had to agree.

  “I’m in love!” Clariss yelled.

  “Me, too,” Bianca said. “You can have his babies, Pia. I’ll work and support you.”

  Pia blew her sister kisses as the band swung into the next song. They were in the front. Naturally, Taviano had gotten them the best seats possible and they could dance right up to the stage where the bodyguards allowed them close. The lights played over them and cameras panned, throwing images up on the huge screens behind and on each side of the band. That way even in the far back, everyone could see Kain and the incredible sexy movements of his body as he made his way across the stage with his blend of hip-hop and R&B.

  His music was at times elegant and dark, but always hypnotic. The atmosphere he created with his songs and voice was mesmerizing. When he added in his stage presence and lighting, the moody colors and pounding beats, he enthralled an entire audience from the moment he stepped on stage.

  Nicoletta turned her face up toward him, arms reaching, basking in his magic, needing his dark, twisted lyrics that always spoke of the worst of times somehow finding their way to becoming right. The steps were long, the road rocky and painful, the losses heavy, but the agony was worth it in the end. She knew that road. She’d traveled it. She was coming out the other side.