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My eyes widen and I drop to the ground out of instinct.
I listen for another gunshot but it never comes, yelling from closer to the front of the house does come through.
I debate for a long time before I cautiously move in that direction. If there was a real emergency, Amadeo would already be appearing from wherever he’s lurking to pull me to safety, I have no doubt.
Stepping into the foyer by the front door, my eyes widen as I find Lucia standing with her gun pointed at a broad man with dark hair and green eyes. He’s holding what looks like a half of a vase, annoyance in his eyes.
The rest of the shattered vase is at his feet, along with the flowers and water that must have been in it.
“You didn’t have to shoot it, it was a gift,” the large man says in annoyance to Lucia.
“It’s not a gift, it’s a shitty apology,” Lucia snaps out, not lowering her gun.
“You’ve forgiven Ettore, why can’t you do the same for me?” The man asks, giving up and dropping the rest of the vase to the ground as well.
“I have not forgiven him, Primo. But he doesn’t try to get me shitty gifts or try totalkto me about the past.”
Silence moves through the foyer and I take that time to survey the full scene.
Maximo is standing just inside of the door, amusement on his face as he stares at the big man. Beside Maximo is another unfamiliar man. He’s just as big as the other man but his hair is a dirty blonde and he’s a couple of inches shorter than the other man. Neither is quite as tall as Maximo.
At the edge of the stairs, Enzo has a hand on his gun, annoyance on his face. I have no doubt he came running when he heard the gunshot.
Maximo and Vito are standing side by side a bit away from where Lucia has yet to lower her gun. The confusion on their faces matches my own but neither seem inclined to step into the situation.
I slowly shift to the side, deciding maybe this is one of those situations I need to sit out. But the man who was holding the vase shifts his attention to me and when his eyes move over me from head to toe in a slow perusal, my skin heats. The vase and Lucia shooting it is now clearly the least of his worries as a wide grin spreads along his face.
“Well hello there,” his voice can’t be described as anything but a purr as he takes a step in my direction. His gaze is intense and his smile is downright sinful. It lets me know one thing and one thing only: this is definitely one of the Costa cousins.
Only people from that bloodline have that stare that lets you know they’d both destroy and put your life back together with one touch.
And I’ve already got enough of those problems in my life already so despite the man's blinding beauty, I find myself taking a step away from him.
Of course this only seems to amuse him as he continues to watch me.
“No,” it’s Giovanni’s voice that comes through clear, flat. I don’t have to look at him to know that there’s a frown on his face.
The cousin pauses, his gaze flitting away from me to Giovanni as he raises a brow. “No?” he questions as if the word is foreign.
“No,” Giovanni repeats and he moves away from Vito, closer to the cousin. “She’s off limits,” he says flatly.
Well then.
I can’t say that relief doesn’t wash over me at Giovanni’s words. Up until this point I’ve always been a Costa free for all, but it's clear that won’t be the case with these newcomers. Giovanni’s glare dares them to question him.
The man says something under his breath before holding his hands up in surrender. “Fine, I won’t touch her,” his gaze moves to me again, his smile a little less intense this time. “Can I at least know the name of the untouchable property?” he questions.
My skin flushes and I take a swallow. “Winter.”
“Winter,” he says back to me before moving closer. He keeps an appropriate distance from me as he offers a hand. I look at it before taking it. His fingers are long and warm as they wrap around mine, but his touch is firm, inviting. “I’m Primo,” he says before releasing my hand and taking a step back. His smile could make a priest swing his way. “I do apologize for the disruption, my sister has always been one to cause a scene. I think it runs in the family.”
It takes a moment for me to decipher his words and when I do my mouth drops open. I look back and forth between the man and Lucia. And when I do, the resemblance is striking, from the nose to the way their cheekbones sit. The twirling green eyes. “This is your brother?” I ask Lucia in shock.
No one said anything about how the cousins were related to them, so I’d assumed it was a second or thrice removed sort of thing. But I know that Lucia is their first cousin, her father Maximo and Giovanni’s father’s brother. Which means the man in front of me falls into the same category.
“Unfortunately,” Lucia says dryly. “That one as well,” she points to the man who’s still standing by Maximo in the doorway.
He offers me a more reserved smile and almost a half bow as he introduces himself from a distance. “Ettore Costa,” he says smoothly.
