Silence, as the group glanced from him to her.
“Together?” Luciano asked.
“No,” Sydney replied.
“Except for that one night,” Gabriel said, the playfulness in his voice front and center.
Fuck, no.
“Dream on, bud,” Sydney said before approaching their grandmother.
“Mrs. Santini, I’ve heard a lot about you,” A smile filled Sydney’s beautiful face. “I’m a hugger.”
And that’s when a groan rumbled out of Teddy. He remembered how beautiful she was, but her smile lit up her coal-black eyes, her already stunning face exploded in joy, and Teddy stood there soaking in all that beauty.
Damn, she’s hot.
His grandmother peered up at Sydney. “You’re very pretty.”
“So are you,” Sydney replied before opening her arms. “Hug.”
She embraced his grandmother, gave her a sweet kiss on her cheek, then broke away.
“Ciao, dolcezza mia,” Gabriel said, as he pulled Sydney into his arms.
“Whoa, isn’t that a little much?” Slash asked. “Even for the lady-eater?”
“What did he say?” Caroline asked.
“Hello, my sweet one,” Slash replied.
Fuck. Fuck me a million times.
She hugged Gabriel too damn long before breaking away.
After he kissed one perfect cheek, then her other, he tugged on her braid. “This is a new look for you.”
“It was pretty funny,” Greystone said. “I come home to a wine and cheese party where they’re braidin’ each other’s hair and talkin’ nonstop at thesametime.” He chuckled. “I couldn’t understand either one of ‘em.”
Caroline laughed.
“We have a kind of short-talk,” Sydney said, as her gaze jumped from person to person.
One by one, the family introduced themselves. Luciano, his wife Simone, Carrera and his wife Slash. When her gaze slid to Teddy, he got a power-hit of adrenaline.
“Tank, hey,” Sydney said, the light in her eyes going dark. To his extreme disappointment, her smile fell away.
Despite her chilly reaction, Teddy had to play this right. He couldn’t show disappointment, couldn’t act jealous over herobvious interest in Gabriel, and he couldn’t bound over like a damn puppy thrilled out of his mind to see her.
Stop thinking.
He tossed her a nod. “It’s been a while.”
“Six months,” Sydney replied. “Or one hundred and eighty days.” She hitched an eyebrow at him.
Gabriel sandwiched himself between them. “How do you know each other?”
“Tank and I met at Santini Ristorante when I threw Caroline a surprise thirtieth,” Sydney explained.
