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“I take it the date didn’t go well.”
Penny glanced up at the sound of Gio’s voice. She shook her head. “Not even a little bit. And the worst part, the guy is my neighbor. So now I have to start looking for somewhere else to live,” she said, only half-joking.
“I haven’t gotten my dance yet.”
She smiled widely. She loved the Moretti brothers. They were all hot as sin, but down-to-earth and sweet. “Did Keeley tell you that you had to dance with me?”
Gio gave her a funny look that told her she may have been mistaken about who’d been filling her dance card all night. Maybe everyone who asked had genuinely wanted to dance with her.
“Nope. Come on. I like this song. Even though the movie was sad as shit.”
He took her hand and pulled her into his arms, as Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper sang “Shallow.”
“Why would you think Keeley made me dance with you?” Gio asked as they started swaying to the music.
Penny lifted one shoulder. “She dragged Luca over to rescue me from David, so I just assumed she’d kept doing that.”
“I suspect that once she got you away from the neighbor, it opened the door for the rest of us guys.”
“Maybe so, but in case you haven’t noticed, Keeley is a pretty powerful woman when she wants something, so it sort of made sense for me to think she’d been the one making sure I wasn’t hurting for dance partners.”
Gio chuckled. “Yeah, she’s something else. Personally, I blame Kayden for that. He’s spoiled the girl rotten.”
“That’s not the way she describes her relationship with her brother. I think the words she uses are ‘overprotective and overbearing.’”
“Can’t exactly fault him for that. On top of being drop-dead gorgeous, Keeley has a wild streak a mile wide. Kayden’s had his work cut out for him since their parents passed.”
“Drop-dead gorgeous, huh?” Penny teased.
Gio grimaced. “Yeah. Maybe you should forget I said that.”
Penny had assumed there was a bro code in effect when it came to sisters, an invisible line that none of the Moretti brothers or their friends would ever cross.
But there was something in Gio’s tone that left her wondering if he was chafing under the restraint of that bond. Not that she could blame him if she was. Keeley really was awesome…and like he said, drop dead gorgeous.
She was tempted to tug at the thread, but Gio was quicker, managing to change the subject with ease. “You look great tonight. You doing something different with your hair?”
She laughed and nodded. “Yup. I’ve learned how to use a hair dryer and curling iron.”
“It’s very pretty.”
“Thanks.” This was the longest one-on-one conversation she’d ever had with Gio, and she was pleased by how well she was holding her own. The old Penny—the one with the wavering confidence—would have stammered and blushed through this entire dance. Tonight, she felt pretty and poised, two things that had very little to do with her makeover and more to do with…
Dammit…she went ahead and let herself think his name.
Gage.
After all, he’d been her damned birthday wish.
Gage had held a metaphorical mirror up and forced her to look long and hard until she saw all the good things thathesaw in her. Obviously, she’d been her own worst enemy the past twenty-nine years.
And then—it was as if by thinking his name, she’d summoned the man himself.
Not that she realized it…until she heard Gio growl, his gaze focused on something behind her.
“Don’t remember seeing your name on the guest list, Russo,” Gio said.
Penny stepped out of Gio’s arms, turning, surprised to see Gage standing there. “I invited him,” she said without hesitation.
Gage, who’d been scowling at Gio, looked at her, not bothering to hide his outright jealousy. She’d never stood between two gorgeous alpha males who seemed determined to fight over her.
As far as birthday gifts went, she was pretty sure this was the best one she’d ever received.
It took Gage a few seconds to compose himself, and when he did, he smiled at her.
“Happy birthday, Penny.”
