quietly.
Lucian shrugged. Of course he looked guilty. He felt as terrible as shit. Being one day late had cost Jordyn a lot.
“It wasn’t you who hurt her,” his father’s consigliere continued. “If anything, you helped to prevent this infection from turning into something nastier. The pain alone must have been unimaginable for her. I don’t know how she managed to keep lucid enough to lock her door and get into the bathroom like she did.”
A shiver rolled down Lucian’s spine. More than once, he was a witness to a well-deserved beating. He’d seen tattoos burned from men before as a form of punishment or torture. Their business—as grizzly as it could be—did not mess with women in that way.
“She’s going to have some scarring,” Paulie informed, looking over the wounds on her shoulders once more. He hadn’t tapped the gauze bandages down, simply wrapped them loosely for the night to allow the creams to do what work they could. “Especially these ones that broke through her tattoo, and that awful burn on her hip. It won’t be too bad, and later on, if she wants, cosmetic correction is a good possibility for the burn sight. I’ve seen great work done, Lucian. Not that she isn’t a healthy, pretty young woman as it is.”
Lucian cocked his head to the side, confused. “Scars don’t bother me. She’s fine. Still beautiful.”
Paulie chuckled deeply. “I wasn’t saying it for your benefit, son. I meant for you to explain to her when she was lucid enough to understand if she was concerned about the scarring. It’s good to know you think she’s beautiful even in this condition, however. That speaks well for your feelings.”
Huh?
“I’m not … I don’t know her, Paulie. I just …” Lucian sighed, frustrated at being unable to finish a sentence. “I would like to know her, but considering I was probably the one who caused her to get a beating like this, I doubt she’ll be happy to see me when she wakes up.”
“Ah, don’t sell yourself so short just yet, Lucian. When your father called me a couple of days ago about this … infatuation … of yours, he was very concerned for you. I suppose he was concerned over this girl because she’d lived the way she had for so long, how could she be open to living some way else. Even with all they caused her to suffer, would she still be loyal to them? It’s not a far stretch for Antony to wonder. It’s his job as the Don of our family, and as your father.”
“Infatuation, is that what he called it?”
Paulie shrugged, smirking over his shoulder. “He did. Because you were trying to hide it from him. You like to remind everyone you’re not a boy anymore, yet you still feel the need to cover up things that may hurt or concern your mother and father. So yes, he called it an infatuation, because that was all he gathered from your behavior.”
“And?” Lucian asked.
“And I reminded him long ago it was he who found himself staring at a woman only once and deciding he wanted her, too, but worrying what his family would think of his high expectations. Well, I think Antony decided he really wanted Cecelia after she threatened to shoot his foot off if he didn’t get out of her bedroom. He took a wrong hallway and ended up there after he tried to find the bathroom, you see.”
Lucian laughed. That was the first time he heard this version of the story. According to Antony and Cecelia, they met by chance, which apparently wasn’t entirely untrue, and a fast-paced relationship, then engagement, and a marriage followed soon after. Although both admitted it was love at first sight, or very close to it.
Lucian wasn’t entirely sure he believed in that sort of thing.
“I haven’t decided anything about Jordyn.”
“But maybe your heart has, Lucian. Have you thought of that?”
“I don’t even know her,” Lucian said, feeling like it was the thousandth time he had.
“Well, you’ll have lots of time for that over the next while. She’s
Lucian shrugged. Of course he looked guilty. He felt as terrible as shit. Being one day late had cost Jordyn a lot.
“It wasn’t you who hurt her,” his father’s consigliere continued. “If anything, you helped to prevent this infection from turning into something nastier. The pain alone must have been unimaginable for her. I don’t know how she managed to keep lucid enough to lock her door and get into the bathroom like she did.”
A shiver rolled down Lucian’s spine. More than once, he was a witness to a well-deserved beating. He’d seen tattoos burned from men before as a form of punishment or torture. Their business—as grizzly as it could be—did not mess with women in that way.
“She’s going to have some scarring,” Paulie informed, looking over the wounds on her shoulders once more. He hadn’t tapped the gauze bandages down, simply wrapped them loosely for the night to allow the creams to do what work they could. “Especially these ones that broke through her tattoo, and that awful burn on her hip. It won’t be too bad, and later on, if she wants, cosmetic correction is a good possibility for the burn sight. I’ve seen great work done, Lucian. Not that she isn’t a healthy, pretty young woman as it is.”
Lucian cocked his head to the side, confused. “Scars don’t bother me. She’s fine. Still beautiful.”
Paulie chuckled deeply. “I wasn’t saying it for your benefit, son. I meant for you to explain to her when she was lucid enough to understand if she was concerned about the scarring. It’s good to know you think she’s beautiful even in this condition, however. That speaks well for your feelings.”
Huh?
“I’m not … I don’t know her, Paulie. I just …” Lucian sighed, frustrated at being unable to finish a sentence. “I would like to know her, but considering I was probably the one who caused her to get a beating like this, I doubt she’ll be happy to see me when she wakes up.”
“Ah, don’t sell yourself so short just yet, Lucian. When your father called me a couple of days ago about this … infatuation … of yours, he was very concerned for you. I suppose he was concerned over this girl because she’d lived the way she had for so long, how could she be open to living some way else. Even with all they caused her to suffer, would she still be loyal to them? It’s not a far stretch for Antony to wonder. It’s his job as the Don of our family, and as your father.”
“Infatuation, is that what he called it?”
Paulie shrugged, smirking over his shoulder. “He did. Because you were trying to hide it from him. You like to remind everyone you’re not a boy anymore, yet you still feel the need to cover up things that may hurt or concern your mother and father. So yes, he called it an infatuation, because that was all he gathered from your behavior.”
“And?” Lucian asked.
“And I reminded him long ago it was he who found himself staring at a woman only once and deciding he wanted her, too, but worrying what his family would think of his high expectations. Well, I think Antony decided he really wanted Cecelia after she threatened to shoot his foot off if he didn’t get out of her bedroom. He took a wrong hallway and ended up there after he tried to find the bathroom, you see.”
Lucian laughed. That was the first time he heard this version of the story. According to Antony and Cecelia, they met by chance, which apparently wasn’t entirely untrue, and a fast-paced relationship, then engagement, and a marriage followed soon after. Although both admitted it was love at first sight, or very close to it.
Lucian wasn’t entirely sure he believed in that sort of thing.
“I haven’t decided anything about Jordyn.”
“But maybe your heart has, Lucian. Have you thought of that?”
“I don’t even know her,” Lucian said, feeling like it was the thousandth time he had.
“Well, you’ll have lots of time for that over the next while. She’s
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