The corners of Danilo’s mouth twitched. “Koi are the exception. Some of them are more than ten years old. They even have names.”
“What’s his name?” I asked pointing at the biggest Koi with a splattering of white on its back and a white mouth.
“Takeda,” Danilo said. “My father named them after famous Samurai. He admired the codex of the Samurai.”
“I never figured you for a pet person.”
Maybe Danilo was right. I didn’t know enough about him to justify the strong feelings I’d had for him all my life. But I was drawn to him.
He smiled wryly and pulled his hand out of the water. “I’m not, really. I like animals but I don’t really have time for them. Fish aren’t demanding, and I like feeding them after a long day at work. It calms me down and reminds me of my father.” For a second, it looked like he was embarrassed by his admission.
“I get it. It’s peaceful.”
He held out the box of pellets. “Do you want to try to feed them?”
I bit my lip. “They don’t bite?”
Danilo took my hand and piled fish food on it, then guided my hand into the pond. The water was cooler than expected and goosebumps flashed across my skin. Maybe the cold wasn’t the only reason for my body’s reaction. Danilo’s gentle touch might have had something to do with it as well.
I giggled when the first Koi touched my palm. It was the big one, Takeda. Its strange eyes seemed to fixate on me before he snatched up more food.
They were really careful and watching them fascinated me. I couldn’t take my eyes off them, but Danilo watched me.
I pretended I didn’t notice. I’d longed for his unwavering attention for so long, so I didn’t allow myself to let self-consciousness take the lead.
Danilo and I stayed like that for a while, and I felt a sense of peace I hadn’t felt in forever. I got why Danilo sought this place after a long day of work. I doubted his duties as an Underboss could be classified as peaceful in any regard.
Eventually, when we didn’t have any more food to give them, the Koi began to swim away, diving below the water lilies. “I really love this place.”
Danilo smiled—an honest, less guarded smile. “I’m glad. This is your home. I want you to feel comfortable.”
I glanced around. The garden was vast and meticulously kept. Bushes and stone walls kept it hidden from prying eyes. I could only make out the occasional roof of the surrounding houses, which seemed to be in a similar Victorian style.
“Irvington is an old neighborhood with many beautiful mansions,” Danilo said. “I can show you more of Indianapolis tomorrow.”
“Aren’t you busy with work?” I hadn’t expected a honeymoon, or any kind of attention, really.
Danilo gave me a tight smile. “I blocked the next few days for you. I’ll only have to do a few things I can’t postpone, but I wanted to give us time to get to know each other.”
I bit my lip. I hadn’t expected that. Samuel always called Danilo a workaholic, which was funny since he was the same way, so I’d assumed he’d return to business as usual right after our wedding.
“That sounds good,” I murmured.
We rose and stood across from each other for a moment. Without my heels, Danilo was a head taller and much broader than me. “Can I change things? Like decoration or furniture?”
Danilo hesitated, glancing back to the house. “Sure, but maybe you can tell me your plans beforehand.”
“You don’t have to worry that I’ll turn this into a pink, frilly girl’s dream. I’m not a little girl anymore.”
“Trust me, I noticed,” he murmured, his gaze sliding along my curves before they hit me with their toe-curling intensity. This less restrained side of Danilo startled me, but I appreciated it. I wasn’t sure how to handle it yet. It had come on too suddenly, and I couldn’t help wondering if he was forcing it to make amends for the past.
“Let me show you more of the property.”
I kept my arms wrapped loosely around my middle, and made sure to keep walking an arm’s length away from Danilo, so he wouldn’t try to take my hand. His touch wreaked havoc with my body, and I needed to keep a cool head, to take this slow and really allow Danilo to do what he’d promised.
Danilo led me around the patio to a huge winter garden encased in glass. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was the indoor swimming pool. Danilo opened the door for me. My jaw dropped at the size of the pool. It had Olympic dimensions. Palm trees in huge tubs decorated the corners, giving off a vacation feel.
“I try to work out here at least twice a week. It’s a good addition to the gym,” Danilo said, motioning toward the pool.
I itched to swim a few rounds in the pool but decided to wait for another day. A door at the back of the swim hall led back into the house. Danilo touched my back as he led me down the hallway. “Is this okay?” he murmured, his finger brushing my back to indicate what he meant.
I met his gaze. My first impulse was to say no, but it wouldn’t have been the truth. “I don’t mind.” In fact, I liked the gentle touch and how Danilo tried to make sure I felt comfortable. I regretted provoking him last night in my need to force a reaction out of him. But what was done was done, and we now had to figure out a way to go from here.
Danilo led me into a huge kitchen. “You can cook here whenever you like, but Theodora usually takes care of dinner. I only use the kitchen for breakfast. You’ll meet her and the rest of the staff when you return from your lunch.”
I nodded and followed Danilo back out
