Page 1 of Velvet Vaughn

Prologue

Leonardo De Luca had watched Chloe Giordano survive things that should have broken her.

So as she walked down the aisle toward Kayne Serruto, radiant and so completely herself, a knot tightened in his chest that he hadn’t been prepared for. Pride, sure. Plenty of it. But underneath was something heavier. Relief, maybe. The sort that sank into your bones when someone you loved found her footing again.

The ceremony was intimate and informal. Late-fall weather cooperated beautifully, allowing the wedding to be held outdoors at Duquesne Park, inside the COBRA Securities compound. The space had been transformed with flowers and enough strings of lights to rival a fairytale. Grammy winner Layla Brooks Colton sang while Grammy winner Lyra Kee Redmond provided music. It was, in a word, spectacular.

He stood with his hands in his pockets, trying to pretend he wasn’t more invested than anyone else there. His parents had flown in from Arizona and sat in the front row. His mother dabbed at her eyes while his father took everything in with that calm, assessing focus he reserved for things that mattered.

They adored Kayne.

That alone spoke volumes.

They loved the compound too. Earlier, his mother had whispered that the place felt safe, and his father had agreed in his usual silent way, which meant he’d mentally approved every inch of it. Leo had teased them about buying property nearby before the night was over. He wouldn’t put it past them.

Chloe caught his eye halfway down the aisle, and for a second the years peeled back like pages ripped from a calendar. She wasn’t the head of a fitness empire or a woman who’d stood in the crosshairs and come out stronger. She was the little girl who used to sneak into his room and pretend she wasn’t scared when the lights went out.

Chloe was his sister in every way that mattered.

Her smile hit him hard enough that he had to glance away to center himself. He swallowed past the knot in his throat.

Yeah. She was exactly where she belonged.

He scrubbed a hand over his jaw and forced his focus elsewhere before he embarrassed himself.

That’s when he spotted Anja.

She stood at the edge of the gathering, observant and alert. Ready for anything. Even here, even now, she didn’t fully step out of that mindset. It was part of what made her Anja.

It was also one of the things that drew him to her.

The dress she wore was simple, dark, and understated in a way that somehow ratcheted up the impact. It traced the graceful lines of her body without trying too hard, and her pale hair contrasted beautifully against it.

She had no interest in being the center of attention.

She didn’t have to be.

Her eyes lifted, catching him mid-stare.

She didn’t look away.

Heat coiled low in his gut.

He should’ve snapped his focus back to the ceremony. Should’ve stayed locked into the thing that mattered. Instead, he held her gaze, the awareness between them sharpening into something that had been building for weeks and hadn’t found an outlet.

Not until tonight, apparently.

The rest of the ceremony moved forward in pieces he registered but didn’t fully process. Kayne’s voice, rough with emotion. Chloe laughing through tears. The officiant pronouncing them husband and wife, and a collective shift rippling through the crowd as everyone clapped and cheered.

Leo pulled Chloe into a fierce hug when it was over. He pressed a kiss to her temple and murmured, “You did good, kid.”

She laughed. “You’d say that if I’d married a goat.”

“Only if it had Kayne’s job security.”

Kayne grinned at him over Chloe’s shoulder, and Leo got the distinct impression Kayne knew how close he was to losing it.

“Don’t,” Leo warned.