Very interesting.

“Tesoro,” Giovanni whispered into Beatrice’s ear the following evening, trailing a hand from her knee, over the curve of her hip, and slipping it around her waist as he pulled her back to his chest. He had woken before her, which was unusual. She must have been overwhelmed from the night before.

“Beatrice,” he whispered again.

“Hmm?”

“Time to wake up.”

“Okay.” He felt her shift into his chest as she stretched. “Can you rub my legs?”

“Of course.” He sat up and pulled back the sheet. “Were you practi—what the hell?” His mouth dropped open as saw the bruises on her legs. There was one particularly large one near her hip. He let loose with a string of old curses she probably didn’t understand.

“I was sparring with Tenzin today,” she said in a sleepy voice. “You know, Gemma has nothing on Tenzin. Tenzin’s mean.” Beatrice chuckled a little. “And did you know she doesn’t have to sleep hardly at all? She never mentioned that when she visited me in L.A.”

He was still speechless as he examined her. There were fat bruises along her torso and arms, though none so severe that they could cause internal injuries. He continued muttering in Italian and he felt his skin heat up.

She must have sensed his anger, because she turned and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t do the thing again. And calm down, you’re getting hot.”

“Beatrice, if you—”

“If I what?” She sat up, glaring at him. “I’m the one that asked her to practice with me. And it’s not the first time we’ve sparred, Gio. Remember? You were gone for a few years. We always practice when we’re together, and I usually get pretty bruised. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Does she always treats you as her own personal punching bag?” He was angry. All he could see were the startling bruises that marred his lover’s fair skin.

“You know what? Forget it. I’ll take a bath and find some aspirin.” Beatrice sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “I’m sure one of the bowing people—”

“Don’t,” he said as he pulled her back. He wrapped his arms around her, gently heating his body to soothe her aching muscles when she winced. She began to relax, but he kept her on his lap, pulling her legs around to straddle his waist as he heated his hands and placed them on the worst of her abdominal bruises. He buried his face in the crook of her neck.

“Warn me next time,” he said. “I was surprised. You know my reaction to seeing you hurt.”

“Okay, consider yourself warned.” She played with the hair at his neck, twisting the curls in her fingers as she slowly relaxed her muscles. “When Tenzin and I hang out, I end up bruised from practice. But she’s a great teacher, and she never does more than I can handle.”

He made no reply, but moved his hands down her legs and began to massage them.

“Gio?”

“Mmmhmm?”

“Maybe… maybe we need to think about doing it sooner.”

His breath caught and his hands halted. “I thought we were going to wait until Benjamin was older, so at least one of us—”

“I think we could work around it.” Her fingers twisted in his dark hair. He took a deep breath and continued her massage.

“And I think it’s not something I want you to do because you’re fearful for your life. That’s not a good reason to—”

“It’s not the reason. You know that.”

“Then why—”

“Because it’s still a factor, love.” She tilted his head back so they were eye to eye. “Gio, my safety is still a huge liability.”

He took a deep breath and stared into the eyes of the woman he loved. “I think…”

“What?”

Giovanni frowned as he met her worried brown eyes. “I feel like we’re rushing this. You’re still young. You should have time—”

“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes and looked away. “Not this again.”

“It’s not a small thing, Beatrice.”

“I’m not saying it is. But it’s not a big thing—not for me.”

“I just think we should wait. Don’t you trust Tenzin and me to guard you?”

She took a deep breath. “Of course I do. That’s not the issue.”

“Then—”

“We should get out of bed.” She climbed off his lap. “I want to ask my dad a few questions tonight. I think I deserve some answers from him.”

He sighed when she made the obvious subject change, but smiled at the determined expression she wore as he rose to join her.

“Are you feeling better?”

“I am, thanks.” She squeaked as he scooped her into his arms and walked to the bathroom.

“Good. I think a nice, warm bath is in order, Miss De Novo. Just to be safe, I’ll join you.”

“Well,” she laughed. “If it’s for my own safety…”

“Oh yes,” he said with a pinch to her knee, which was thankfully not bruised. “Safety first.”

Giovanni was far more relaxed an hour later when they met with Tenzin and Stephen in the main room. Baojia was out hunting, no doubt informed that they had planned a private meeting. Stephen and Tenzin were already sitting at a table, sipping tea, when they walked in.