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“Stop coddling her.” I shifted my gaze to Ava. “Miss Vianello, I’m not done with you.”
Brushing the dirt off the front of her pants, she glanced at me. “It wouldn’t kill you to be nice to me, Dante. I made over twelve million dollars for your family, not including the money I washed. I break dozens of laws and never complain. I just do my job. Rinse and repeat seven days a week.”
Angelo tipped his head back and laughed. “Our little firecracker.”
I climbed out of the hole, nostrils flaring. “You better learn how to speak to me with respect.”
Angelo snaked his arm around Ava, taking her from Stefan’s arms, and rubbed the top of her head with his knuckles. “You did good, little lamb.”
“I’m talking to her.” I punched Angelo in the arm. “Knock it off, Lo.”
Angelo lifted Ava off the ground and carried her toward the car. “We’re done for tonight, big bro. Time to go home.”
Stefan tapped me on the back. “Give our girl a break. She told us the truth. We can trust her.”
“That’s debatable,” I challenged as we followed Angelo through the woods.
“Dad will be happy she passed the test,” Nicodemus commented.
Even if I wouldn’t admit it aloud, I was also relieved. So were my brothers. For as much as I wanted to hate her, I liked her. I liked intelligent, talented people. And it didn’t hurt that she was sexy and born into our world.
Ava Vianello was one of us now.
The Boardwalk Queen.
ChapterSeventeen
AVA
All the way home, I couldn’t stop shaking. Nico held me on his lap and ran his fingers through my hair, whispering sweet things in my ear in Italian. I let him hold me because I needed him. And now, it was becoming abundantly clear how much I missed having him in my life.
After Stefan parked by the loading dock, Nico got out of the SUV and carried me into the building. His brothers didn’t follow right away. Instead, they let Nico take me upstairs in the elevator alone. They had traumatized me enough.
Nico brought me straight into my apartment and walked upstairs to the bedroom. He set me on the toilet to turn on the shower and took off his clothes. It was adorable how much Nico cared about me. Even after I told him to get lost, he still hadn’t given up on me.
I loved him.
At least, I thought I did.
Until I met Nico, I hadn’t felt anything for another man. Nothing more than lust. I cared about Angelo and Stefan, but nothing compared to the butterflies I got in my stomach with Nico.
He dropped each piece of clothing onto the floor, standing before me naked. Then he got on his knees and untied my shoes. He dropped the dirty sneakers onto the tile and peeled off my sweaty socks. I should have felt self-conscious, smelling like an animal. But with Nico, I didn’t care.
So I let him raise my legs, one by one and strip off my yoga pants. I hadn’t seen him on his knees since that night on the Ferris wheel. Just thinking about our time together made me wish we could return to that night. To when he wasn’t engaged, and things were simpler.
“Nico,” I whispered.
His eyes lifted to meet mine.
“I don’t want to lose you.”
He put his hands on my thighs and leaned forward. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Biting my bottom lip, I stared into his eyes, and a single tear slid down my cheek. “I don’t want to share you with her. And I know it’s not fair to ask you for something I’m not giving you.”
“It’s okay.” He stroked my cheek with his long fingers. “I know you like my brothers. You don’t have to choose.”
“How can we make this work? Even I don’t understand what’s happening with all of you.” I pushed the hair behind my ears and sighed. “Once upon a time, I was a good girl. And now, I don’t even know who I am anymore. Was I always this person?” I rolled my shoulders, hands raised. “I don’t know. My dad never let me out of the house. He never let me have friends. I didn’t even know what it was like to be normal. I still don’t.”
