“He’s your family. Of course. But it’s up to him if he accepts it.”
She gave me a smile that never failed to excite me, then leaned in and kissed me briefly on the lips. “Thank you.”
After my family left, I headed for the guest room that Raya always stayed in and knocked once before waltzing inside. I found my sister curled up on the seat on the room’s balcony, reading a book in the sunshine with her earphones in. She didn’t hear me approaching, too immersed in her fantasy world.
I plucked an earpiece, making her gasp and then jump up to wrestle it from me as I pressed it to my ear.
A deep, husky male voice growled,“I’m a monster, Snow. In more ways than one. And you’re going to take all of me. You’re going to claim every inch of this ribbed cock with that tight little pussy.”
I gagged as she clawed it from my ear and flopped back into her chair.
“What the fuck are you listening to?”
“It’s an audiobook! Leave me alone!”
“You’re listening to porn. Why the fuck are you listening to porn? Watch it like a normal person.”
“Shut up! It’s not porn. It’s a spicy demon romance! The characters have depth.”
“Sure sounds like it,” I mocked. “Ribbed cock?”
“He’s in demon form.” She smirked. “He has a forked tongue, too.”
I grabbed the book from her hands and looked at the front cover. Dark Souls.Jesus fucking Christ. My sister’s a freak. “Hang on, why are you listening to it and reading it at the same time?”
“For an immersive experience.”
I heaved again. She yanked the book from my hands and cradled it to her chestlike a precious baby. “Don’t judge me. It’s not as if I’ve ever experienced the real thing. This is all I have.”
It was no secret that my sister was still a virgin. Not only would no man who wanted to keep his dick attached to his body go near her with me, Gio and Alessio as her brothers, but she could barely utter a word to a stranger, let alone flirt with any men. Which was music to my fucking ears. She could indulge in her fantasy monster smut if it meant no real men came near her.
“And let’s keep it that way,” I added, which made her give me the finger as I grinned, leaning against the balcony rail. “Anyway, you wanted a break from Verona? Or fromMamma?”
“All of it,” she muttered, glancing over the Roman rooftops. “Last night was really bad, Sani. The worst I’ve seen her. She had no idea who I was and kept screaming at me. No one could calm her down.” She looked at me, her hazel eyes storming with complexity. “Except your wife.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” I sighed. “But even if I had been, I wouldn’t have known how to handle it. Aria knew what to say and how to calm her because she isn’t emotionally involved inMamma’spast. In our past. And she has experience from her job.”
“I trained to be a nurse so I could care for her,” Raya whispered, her voice heavy with pain. “I’ve read everything I can about dementia. I know what I should have done, but I—froze.” She shook her head. “It’s so hard. When she looks straight through me, with pure fear, as if she’s never known me at all, it’s jarring. Last night was the first time it really scared me.”
I nodded, understanding that fear. We were losing our mother. Slowly, one memory at a time. And there was fuck all we could do about it.
“Maybe…” Raya breathed. “Maybe I’m not the right person to be looking after her anymore. I just feel so… alone. And then I feel guilty because I’m sure she feels it even more. I’m sorry I’ve come and crashed your honeymoon period. I promise I won’t get in your way. I just needed some breathing space.”
“Don’t apologise. You know I’m happy whenever you’re here. You can stay as long as you want, and don’t lock yourself in this room the whole time. I’d love for you to get to know Aria. I think you two will really like each other.”
She scoffed. “She thinks I’m an ignorant bitch. I haven’t said a word to her.”
“She doesn’t.”
Her eyes snapped up to me. “Have you talked to her about me?”
“A bit. She knows you take a while to open up to people and feel safe in their space. She understands. She’s really fucking kind, Ray. And funny. Way too pure for me, but I’ve shown her what a nutter I am, and she still wants me.”
“That’s why you like her. She won’t try to change you.” She stared at me, her lips curving slightly as she shook her curls. “I still can’t believe you’re married.”
“Why are you so surprised?”
“I’m not, actually,” she laughed. “It’s just weird. Does this mean you’re going to start being mature, boring, and hosting dinner parties?”
