actual act of causing someone else agony, and even more than that: the kill.
No one had fought more death fights than Remo Falcone.
Little was known of what went on behind the walls of their mansion, how they treated their wives and children. They mostly stayed among themselves, so speculations always ran rampant.
Diego dropped me off in the driveway of the mansion. It was obvious that he didn’t like the idea of sending me off into the Falcone mansion alone, but he had to help Dad in the restaurant.
“Insisting on going with you would be like a slap in Remo’s face. I might as well shove a knife into my throat.”
“You really think he’d kill you for insulting him, and it wouldn’t even be a real insult, just overprotectiveness, and let’s be honest, you are terribly overprotective.”
Diego frowned. “I’m as protective as necessary given your looks.”
I rolled my eyes but then became insecure again. “Do I look okay for my first meeting with them?”
“Yeah.”
Mom and Dad had insisted that I wear one of my modest dresses to give the right impression. I had a feeling neither Falcone would judge me by my clothing. They were too cunning and attentive to take someone’s exterior as the reflection of their nature.
Diego gave me a tired smile. “You’ll be fine.”
I nodded, then got out of the car. Savio came out of the house and toward me.
“You look as if you’re going to puke any moment,” Savio said with a laugh, then he stopped, grabbed my wrist and tugged me closer. His fingers dug into my skin. “Are you scared of meeting my brothers? You’ve talked to them before, and I really would have thought you of all people would be braver.” Again that deep laugh before he kissed my temple, throwing me off completely. “There’s no reason for you to worry.”
My skin warmed and my pulse sped up even more. The spot where his lips had touched my skin tingled. How would it feel to have his lips on mine?
Savio regarded me closely and shook his head. He turned his face away as if he couldn’t bear looking at me a second longer. “Girls that know of their effect on men are dangerous, but you, Kitty, are killing me without even realizing it.” He chuckled, but it was a very dark, very sarcastic sound. His eyes slanted to me and he leaned down again, cupping my head. I froze. In the few days since Savio had become my fiancé, he’d touched me more often than in the years I’d known him before. None of these touches had been inappropriate, but they felt intimate and possessive, and my body’s reaction to them was far from innocent. “Sweet sixteen is mighty sexy and hella tempting when it comes in a package like yours. I’m glad you’re such a fucking good girl. Maybe I can keep my promise to your father after all.”
“Promise?” I said in a raw voice. His closeness was wreaking havoc with my body and mind.
“To keep my hands off you until you’re officially mine, before God and whoever else needs to give his approval.”
“You are touching me.” Why was my voice so low, so… sultry?
Savio took a deep breath, then he gave me that teasing smile. “Believe me, Kitty, the kind of touching I’m talking about will leave you hot and bothered, and even more breathless than you are now.”
I felt hot and bothered by his simple kiss to my temple and his closeness already.
“Fuck,” Savio muttered and stepped away. “That look’s going to get us both in trouble.”
I had to stifle a smile, even though I really didn’t need the kind of trouble he was referring to.
“Come on, let’s go meet the crazies.”
“What if I say something rude or embarrassing?”
“Rudeness is Remo’s mother tongue and if you manage to embarrass either of my brothers, I’m going to buy you that Porsche you’re so crazy about.” He linked our fingers and dragged me into the house.
“The amount of time it took you to bring the girl from our front door to the dining table makes me wonder if Daniele will ask me to put you down like a horny dog tomorrow.”
“Our encounter was perfectly innocent,” Savio said.
“Not thanks to you, I’m sure,” Serafina muttered.
A very unladylike snort-laugh erupted from my mouth, which made me blush furiously.
Kiara gave me a kind smile and walked over to me. She hugged me. “Welcome to our home.”