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I touched two fingers to her cheek and bent down until our lips were almost touching. Aurora froze, her eyes widening, lips parting. Hope shone on her face. Hope for what? The only thing I could give her was a hard fuck against this wall with my fingers around her throat. My pulse quickened, my heart beating faster than during any moment of my fight tonight.
“One day, there’s going to be hate on your face when you look at me, and that’ll be the right emotion, Rory.”
I kissed her cheek right by the corner of her mouth. The scent of her lip gloss, like my favorite cookie dough, filled my nose. I pulled back. Rory’s eyes darted all over my face in utter confusion.
Someone cleared their throat, and I stepped away from Aurora, then headed to Diego who watched me wearily. When I tried to pass him by, he grabbed my forearm. “This could have been Fabiano instead of me.”
“I guess we’re lucky it wasn’t,” I murmured with a hungry smile. Because tonight I wasn’t sure if I would have held back the monster even against someone who I had known all my life. Diego shook his head and released me. He glanced at Rory, who was still standing by the dumpsters, and watched us in confusion.
Diego had the look of someone who had been forced to witness a ninety-pound bulldog lick a baby because the parents thought the beast could be tamed.
I turned and headed into the night. I wouldn’t wait for Alessio and Massimo. I needed the hunt now.
With Nevio, it always felt like I was taking one step forward, only for him to push me two steps back. I hadn’t talked to Carlotta about Nevio’s cryptic words after the fight. I wouldn’t have talked to anyone else either, but Diego had mentioned what he’d seen to my father. Of course, he had. He was always protective of Carlotta and seemed to think he could shove his nose into my business too.
Mom and Dad had both confronted me after we’d returned home from the fight.
“Diego shared something he witnessed tonight,” Dad had said gravely as if he were talking about an inexcusable crime.
I hadn’t processed my strange encounter with Nevio yet, so being confronted by my parents about it came as a shock.
“Sit,” Mom said, motioning to the kitchen chair across from them.
I sank down, trying to keep my face in check. It had been a near miracle that I was allowed to attend the fight. If I gave the wrong answers now, I’d never be allowed to go anywhere fun, and I definitely wanted to attend an upcoming party the Unholy Trinity had mentioned.
“Diego has an overactive imagination. I’m surprised he doesn’t force Carlotta to wear a chastity belt.” I felt a bit guilty for talking about him that way. He was an okay guy and was trying to raise Carlotta as well as he could with their parents dead.
Dad narrowed his eyes at me. “He caught you in the back alley with Nevio. And I quote, his lips almost touched hers when I walked in on them.”
“Almost,” I said with no little amount of scorn. For one, I was really mad. Mad at Nevio for this ridiculous kiss. After the one on my forehead from the wedding, I’d hoped next time would be a decent kiss—mouth on mouth. “Nevio kissed my cheek because I’d cleaned his face with a tissue. If his lips came close to mine, then it was because it was dark.”
Dad raised one eyebrow. “It wasn’t too dark for Diego to see it.”
“What do you want from me? Nothing happened between Nevio and me, and nothing will. He kissed my cheek. That’s it. You always think the worst of Nevio. You seem to know him better than I do, so do you really think he’d only kiss my cheek like a good boy if he were interested in me?” That last sentence hurt a little because I wondered the same.
“She has a point,” Mom said, and I could have hugged her.
“Maybe. But I still want you to be careful around him. If I think something is going on between you two, I’ll sell this damn place, and we’ll move to another city. I’ll ask Remo to let me work as enforcer in LA or San Francisco.”
I rolled my eyes. “Dad, please. Nothing will ever happen between Nevio and me.”
“Is this too much?” I asked as I turned around to show Carlotta every angle of my outfit for the party.
“I wouldn’t say there’s any part of this outfit that’s too much… of fabric,” Carlotta said, then giggled at her own joke.
I glanced down at myself. This outfit was the sexiest I’d ever been. I had opted for a white blouse that I’d tugged up with a knot so I showed my belly. The top buttons of the shirt were also open to show a little cleavage, and I wore a leather mini skirt that I’d found in the back of Mom’s dresser. I wished I could ask her when she’d worn it, but that would probably be too suspicious. Better wait until after the party.
“Is it too sexy?” I asked.
While Carlotta had chosen a short summer dress for the occasion that showed plenty of curves and leg, it looked cute on her and not too sexy. I was worried I would look like I was trying too hard.
She pursed her lips. “You should feel sexy in it. That’s the main objective.”
“The main objective? Massimo has rubbed off on you.”
She tugged a strand behind her ear. “He uses it on occasion when we discuss our different viewpoints.”
I rolled my eyes. Those two were flirting in the weirdest way. But who was I to judge?
