Page 27 of Read This Before the Villain falls in Love with You

Matteo waves his fork between us. "Come on, I really want to know. A week ago you tried to break my ribs back in London, and now you two can barely keep your hands to yourselves."

I take a slow sip of water and set the glass down hard. "I was trying to see if he'd flinch. Next time I might just bite him."

Sofia giggles openly into her palm. Across the table, Luca's lips twitch with quiet amusement, his dark eyes locked onto mine like he's daring me to try it.

"She's got your grave already dug," Enzo laughs, leaning his forearms on the wood with a wide grin. "Just give up, man."

"I'm thinking about what to do next," Matteo mutters, rubbing his nose as he leans closer over his plate. "Come on, be honest. Rate how I grabbed you on a scale from one to ten. Give me the truth."

I set my fork down, letting the silver hit the plate. "Zero. You took the wrong woman, shoved her onto a jet, and stood around looking lost when I started screaming at you in London. It wasn't a kidnapping. It was a total mess from the start."

"Ouch, woman, that really hurt," Matteo groans, holding a hand over his chest like he just got hit.

"You had a soul to pierce?" Enzo asks, reaching over to steal a warm garlic roll straight off his plate.

"She's completely right," Luca cuts in, his quiet voice making the entire table go quiet.

"You're my family, you have to back me up," Matteo whines, staring across at him with big eyes.

Luca takes a slow sip from his glass without breaking eye contact. "Being family doesn't make you less dumb. You proved that when you dragged her onto that plane."

I flash him a sharp grin. "Careful, boss. Agree with me too much and everyone will think you like seeing your men get roasted over pasta."

"I like smart people," Luca murmurs, his dark gaze locking onto mine with steady heat. "And I hate mistakes. Right now, you're both."

The dining room drops into sudden hush. Sofia perks up, leaning on an elbow to watch us. Enzo mouths the word unbelievable toward the ceiling while reaching for more wine. Matteo points a polished spoon between the two of us.

"No way, absolutely not," Matteo protests, shaking his spoon at us. "You two do not get to make eyes at each other over the bread while making fun of me. Pick on someone else."

"I can handle both," I fire back, holding Luca's gaze. "Making fun of your cousin is free. Dealing with you is going to cost a lot of money."

"Name your price," Luca challenges softly, leaning back into his chair.

Enzo howls with laughter, nearly rocking his chair off its back legs. Nonna emerges from the kitchen hallway like a sudden squall, slamming down a heavy platter of braised veal that rattles every water glass.

"Eat your dinner," Nonna commands, tapping the wooden spoon against Enzo's knuckles when he reaches too early. "Arguments can wait until the plates are clean."

Silence falls as everyone falls into line. For two solid minutes, the room contains only scraping silver and Enzo chewing with theatrical vigor. Matteo swallows his pasta, taking a swig of water before trying another angle.

"Alright, change of subject," Matteo declares, leaning forward eagerly. "Worst rich client you ever had to clean up after. Tell us the mess."

I wipe my mouth with the cloth napkin and drop it onto the table. "A rich kid who set his own boat on fire during a wild party. He wanted me to tell the news it was an accident. I told him cops don't care about bad excuses. The fool broke down and cried. I billed him double just for wasting my afternoon."

"Cold as ice," Enzo whistles, shaking his head with a wide grin.

I adjust my cuffs and lift my chin. "I call it doing my job. Crying never fixed a mess, and I only get paid to win."

"And yet here you are, bossing everyone around at my table," Luca points out, his fingers resting casually on his wine glass.

"I'm a captive waiting to go home," I snap back with a tight grin. "That makes me the smartest person in the room. Deal with it."

His jaw muscles tighten briefly. The corner of his mouth twitches upward, holding the line before relaxing back into stillness.

"You're out of your mind," Matteo whispers loudly, bumping his shoulder against mine. "I love it. Nobody speaks to him like that and lives to eat dessert."

"Don't get used to having me around," I warn, tapping my knuckles on the table. "I won't feel bad for you when he tosses you off the balcony."

Enzo clinks his heavy glass against Matteo's plate. "Here's to dangerous guests."