Page 152 of Alessio

Leather, smoke, and man.

Distinct to Alessio, and Ginevra swore every nerve in her body lit up when she dragged in another lungful of the smell. There wasn’t enough, and she might never taste it on her tongue again.

The girls, seemingly unaware of their sister’s frozen stance, pushed past her to enter the apartment. They didn’t notice the familiar cologne Alessio preferred lingering in the air, or his jacket tossed over the back of the couch.

She might have spoken up …

Might have told them to wait …

Her words wouldn’t come.

The girls didn’t even reach the end of the hallway before Alessio stepped around the corner, directly in their path. Giulia, with her head down to watch whatever she found interesting on her phone, rammed into the back of her sister when Greta came to a full stop in front of Alessio.

He tipped his head to the side, amusement lighting up his gaze when the two teenagers lifted their heads to meet his stare. His lips quirked into a wicked grin, too, almost making Ginevra laugh at the sight.

“Hello,” he told them.

Giulia squeaked.

Greta said and did nothing.

“Do they not speak?” he asked, his gaze lifting to find Ginevra at the end of the hall. She found affection staring back.

Her heart beat again.

“They do, you shocked them, Les.”

“Les—Alessio?” Greta asked.

Giulia made another one of those squeaky sounds.

“That is my name,” Alessio told her sister.

“Oh, wow,” Greta mumbled.

Alessio cocked his head to the side again. “Uh, what?”

Ginevra pressed her lips together and decided the wall was a far more interesting thing to stare at because it would not make her laugh out loud.

“Greta, Giulia,” she said, still keeping her attention on the wall, “this is Alessio. Les, these are my little sisters.”

“They don’t talk well,” he noted.

Ginevra let out a sigh.

Greta huffed. “How did you even get in here?”

“Picked the lock.”

“What?”

Ginevra looked their way again only to find Alessio had arched a brow when he drawled, “I picked the lock with a tool in my pocket—I’ll show you sometime.”

Greta glanced back at Ginevra and pursed her lips before she nodded. “Okay.”

Okay.

Just like that.