When Nico was released, he tugged on his jacket and pretended he didn’t look frightened. “We’ll see about that.”
He marched off.
Leaving me with a clearly angry and slightly insane stranger. Didn’t matter if he was gorgeous, he’d just claimed me as his fiancée, and he knew my middle name.
“Hah, know my social security number too?” I joked out loud to break the tension.
He didn’t even flinch when he said. “Why? Did you forget it?”
I laughed nervously and backed away. “I get it. You have one of those dry senses of humor or something like that?”
Still. Nothing. Though his lips did twitch a bit.
“A man of many words.”
This time he let out a low chuckle. “I’m more of an action kinda guy.”
No, he was more like perfect.
To look at that is.
Not one flaw.
Not even a scar.
Nothing.
How was that even possible? Especially if he was as violent as he appeared to be.
The letter I’d just read drifted into my consciousness, what were the odds?
“So.” Suddenly chilled, maybe from the shock of all the violence, I rubbed my arms. “Thanks for the save. I guess I’ll get a broom so I can clean up all the glass.”
“I’ll do it,” he said, swiftly walking by me. Then he paused, his shoulders tense. “Stay here.”
I wasn’t stupid enough to argue. He had just lifted a guy into the air like he was a toothpick.
When he returned he quickly swept up the glass into the dustpan, and then went back toward the bathroom, I’m guessing to dump the contents.
“Sorry about the pictures.” He lifted the worst of the two and frowned as another picture fell to the ground, one that had been behind the main picture.
“Hmm, that’s weird.” I bent down and picked it up and stared into the face of a vaguely familiar man. He was holding two small infants and smiling.
Memories flickered as if someone had turned on a movie, but before I could conjure up anything, the man ripped the picture out of my hand.
“Hey!” I reached for them.
He shook his head. “Your uncles will want to re-frame them. We have no idea how old they are. Imagine what a shame it would be if they were ruined.”
I guessed he was right, but still, how important could it be if it was hidden?
“Some of the most important treasures are ones we haven’t yet discovered,” he said in a whisper.
“So.” Something about him was definitely off. “Who are you?”
This time he did smile. “Your fiancé.”
I laughed. “No, seriously.”
He tilted his head as his eyes slowly inspected me from head to toe. “You’re extremely young.”
“And you’re rude, and, it appears you have an anger problem.”
“Hah!” He burst out laughing. “Valentina, you have no idea.”
“Val,” I corrected. “Everyone calls me Val.”
“And who’s everyone?” He held out his arm, so I looped my hand through it and walked with him back into the main room.
“My twin brother, my three uncles, all my nonexistent friends…” I leaned in and whispered. “My goldfish…”
His lips did that sexy twitching thing again, and then he turned his ice blue eyes in my direction. “You don’t seem like a goldfish type of girl.”
“Fine, I don’t even have a goldfish, but if I did.”
“He’d be a lucky fish.” He smiled, his straight white teeth were almost blinding in their impact. Geez, he shouldn’t flash those things around. Maybe that’s why he didn’t smile. He was afraid women would simply give up on life and fall at his feet in worship. His unruly hair kissed the back of his neck.
It should look ridiculous.
Instead, it looked hot.
I really needed to stop reading so much and actually find a boyfriend, or even just a man who wasn’t family.
Ugh, my lameness had never been so clear.
“What’s your name?” I asked. I needed a quick subject change so I didn’t suddenly fall into his arms and beg for a kiss or do something equally as embarrassing.
“Sergio.” His tone changed from warm to chilly, and then when I looked into the eyes of Papi, Sal, and Gio, I knew exactly why.
They’d blocked the way into the main room.
They looked ready to kill.
Who was this guy?
And why were my uncles so mad?
Of course, they’d always been fiercely protective, but this seemed like something more.
“So.” Gio’s voice was hard. “You have finally come to claim them? After all this time?”
Them? Who was them? Confused, I frowned and looked to Papi. He was reaching inside his suit jacket, probably for another hanky, while Sal stood straighter as if he hadn’t just been hunching over.
As if they’d just turned into transformers of the human variety, every single one of my uncles stood to full height and glared. What the heck was going on? They’d never appeared so… dangerous.
“Val,” Sal said in a clear angry voice. “Get your brother.”
“No need,” Dante said from behind me, and then I was shoved behind him and out of Sergio’s reach, as his muscled hand thrust me backward. “I heard there was something going on.”
“Guys,” I said in a pleading voice. “It’s an engagement party, have you all lost your minds? Besides, Sergio saved me from getting groped by Nico!”