smiling at the two of them. Alessia and Bella were trying to replicate some girl band dance or something, which made me snort. They looked fucking ridiculous.
“You should come join us,” Matteo called, and I flipped him off.
“Oh God,” Bella cried suddenly, clutching her stomach. “I don’t feel so good.” She dashed toward the hall, Alessia hot on her heels.
“Don’t throw up in the bedroom,” she called after her cousin.
“Fuck’s sake,” Matteo ground out. “Looks like fun time is over.” He stormed after his sister.
“I’m going to call it a night too, I think,” Tristan said. He gave me a curt nod as he passed me on the way to the bedrooms.
Nora flopped down on the couch and grabbed her drink.
“Is that a good idea?” I asked, leaning against the wall.
“Do you care?”
My shoulders lifted in a small shrug. “Don’t blame me tomorrow when you’ve got a hangover from hell.”
“You’re such a fucking hypocrite,” she murmured, downing the drink in one.
I flinched at her cold tone.
“What, no comeback?”
My chest heaved as I stalked across the room to go outside for a smoke. She was drunk, and the last thing I wanted to do was get into it with an emotional, drunk girl.
But as I reached the door, she stood up and swayed on her feet.
“Whoa,” she breathed.
“You good?” I fought a smirk as I went to go to her.
“I’m fine,” she snapped, warding me off with her hand.
She wasn’t fine. She was ass over elbow drunk. But I gave her space to pass me. Except she tripped on the corner of the rug and stumbled forward.
“Owwww,” she cried, right as I caught her. “I’ve got it. I’ve got it.” Nora glowered at me, her eyes cloudy and glittering with contempt.
I steadied her and stepped back. “Sure about that?”
She swayed gently on the spot. “I’m fine. At least, I will be when the room stops spinning.” Burying her hands in her face, Nora began to topple again.
“Fuck,” I grunted as I scooped her up, much to her displeasure.
“Put me down.” She batted my chest. “I swear to God, Lorenzo Marchetti, put me down right this—whoa!” Her head rolled back as I stalked down the hall toward her room. I could hear Matteo berating Bella for getting drunk and puking everywhere. Thankfully, all was quiet from Nicco and Ari’s room. Nobody needed to hear the two of them going at it.
Kicking the door open, I went inside and dropped Nora on the bed.
“Asshole,” she hissed.
“I’ll get you some water.”
“I don’t need any—” Her words rolled off my back as I left her to go and get her a glass of water and some Advil.
When I got back to her room, she was curled up in a ball, clutching a pillow.
“Nora?”
No answer.
I leaned over her and stroked the hair from her face. “Gattina?”
She murmured softly, snuggling the pillow tighter.
I lingered for a second, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest and then I walked out of there…
Wishing I didn’t have to.
Chapter 22
Nora
I woke with a brass band marching in my head.
“Ugh.” Reaching out, I fumbled around to locate my cell phone and dragged it back to me.
It was a little after nine and I felt deathly. My mind was a hazy amateur movie of poker, tequila, and… dancing?
Huh?
That seemed a little odd, but I definitely remembered dancing with the girls and Matteo. I’d really hit the tequila hard after beating Enzo and winning the poker game. But it hadn’t felt much like winning when he’d called me Gattina in front of everyone and then stormed from the cabin.
Damn him. He was such a stubborn asshole. Everyone could feel the tension between us. They’d spent the entire game glancing from him to me and back again, and it had become so much more than just a friendly game of poker. But in the end, Enzo did what Enzo always did.
He walked away.
And I did something out of the ordinary, I grabbed the half empty bottle of tequila, turned up the music, and decided to make the most of the situation.
Of course it had royally backfired.
My eyes fluttered closed as I tried to remember how I’d gotten to bed. And then it hit.
Enzo.
He’d carried me to bed.
Perfect.
Just perfect.
I clutched the pillow, groaning into the soft material. When I gingerly rolled onto my side, I frowned at the glass of water and box of pain pills. My lips curved a fraction. Maybe he wasn’t a cold-hearted bastard after all.
I popped two tabs and swallowed