Enzo? I saw the way he was watching you. Did something happen between the two of you?” Alessia’s eyes were alight with anticipation.
I chuckled. “Take a breath there, Sia.”
“Sorry.” She blushed. “I just… Ugh, the two of you would be so good together.”
“Right,” Arabella agreed. “But Enzo is a total commitment-phobe.”
“People change, Bella. Look at Nicco.”
“Yeah, but what he and Ari have is rare. Like once in a lifetime.”
Ouch.
I knew the youngest Marchetti didn’t mean anything, but it didn’t stop her words from stinging.
There was another knock and we all looked up at the door.
“Dare I enter?” Matteo appeared around the door, grinning.
“Girls only, get out, scemo.” Bella grabbed a pillow and threw it at his head.
“Easy, Bel. I only wanted to let you know me and Enzo are heading out. We’ll be back soon.”
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“Boys stuff.” He winked. “Nicco and Tristan will be here, and Luis and his guys are right outside.”
“Be safe,” Alessia said.
“Always.” Matteo left, closing the door behind him.
“Where do you think they’re going?” Bella frowned.
“Probably to check the perimeter.”
“Isn’t that what we have security for? So the guys don’t have to do it?”
“They’ll be okay.” I offered Bella a reassuring smile.
“Nora’s right. Enzo is a hard ass. He’ll look out for Matteo.”
“You seem awfully okay with all this,” I said, and Alessia shrugged.
“It’s all part and parcel of being a mafia princess.”
“Mafia princess, huh?” My lips curved. “That does have a certain ring to it.”
“God, Nora, don’t encourage her.” Bella rolled her eyes. “This isn’t a game, Sia. Besides, you do realize you’ll be a princess forever because Nicco and Uncle Antonio are never going to let you date?”
She flipped back against the cushions lined up on the bed. “Don’t remind me. Anthony Aielio asked me out last week.”
“He did? You never said anything.” Hurt flashed across Bella’s face.
“There wasn’t much point. You’re right, they’ll never let me date.”
“You have time,” I said. “I remember guys in high school and—”
“Oh, Anthony isn’t in high school. He graduated last year. His brother is in our class. Anthony helps their father run the family auto shop.
“So he’s older.”
“Only by a couple of years.” She shrugged again.
“Trust me when I say, don’t rush into something you might regret. Especially not with an older guy.”
“How old were you… you know, when you lost your virginity?”
They both stared at me like I held the answers to the universe.
“Oh no you don’t. I’m not going to give you sex advice, Nicco and Matteo will kill me.”
“We won’t tell them, promise.”
Bella nodded, agreeing with her cousin. “You can trust us.”
“Look, I get it. It’s a confusing, scary, exciting time. But if I have one piece of advice, it’s to wait and give yourself to someone who deserves you. You can’t ever get your first time back.”
“Penny Denver said it hurt her so bad she cried the entire time.”
“Then he wasn’t doing it right,” I murmured.
“Have you and Enzo—”
“Nice try,” my brow arched, “but I’m not doing this with the two of you. In fact, let’s go see if Arianne has managed to detach herself from your brother’s mouth. I don’t know about you guys but I’m hungry.”
I was halfway through making spaghetti when Enzo and Matteo returned.
“Thank God.” Bella shot up, making a beeline for her brother. My heart ached watching them. I knew that big brotherly affection firsthand, and although my brother Gio drove me up the wall, I missed him something fierce. But he was always destined for bigger things, for a life outside of Verona. Thanks to a full ride scholarship to UPenn, he was living his dream in Philadelphia, with hopes of going pro next year.
I discreetly glanced at Enzo. Hovering in the doorway, his big body ate up the space. His cheeks were flushed from the cold and it softened the sharp angles of his face. But when his icy gaze found mine, his expression darkened.
He was clearly as pleased to be stuck here as I was.
I turned around to tend to the spaghetti. It was my mom’s recipe; the aromatic scent of garlic and herbs filling me with a strange sense of melancholy. I didn’t want to worry my parents unnecessarily after what happened before, but the burning need to hear her voice coursed through me.
“Nor?” Arianne laid her hand on my arm, yanking me from my thoughts. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Find me some plates?”
“Of course.”
I was hardly surprised Arianne knew her way around the kitchen. She had stayed here