“You met her at the wedding, no?” I asked her, immediately regretting it. “Shit, Nora, I didn’t—”
“It’s okay.”
But it wasn’t.
She’d been kidnapped after the wedding. Yanked right out of bed beside me and taken by Scott fucking Fascini. My fist clenched against my thigh, anger trickling through me like acid.
“Hey.” Her hand covered mine. “I’m okay, Enzo. See.” She took my hand and pressed it against her chest, right over her heart.
“You’re in so much trouble, cous,” Matteo howled with laughter and I flipped him off, keeping my focus on Nora.
“Yeah,” I murmured. “I think you’re right.”
Nora frowned, but a knock at the door interrupted us.
“If that’s your neighbor, I swear to God—”
“I’ll go.” She got up, but I beat her to it.
“Like hell you will.” I grabbed my pistol off the counter and marched toward the door.
I heard Matteo mutter something about letting me get it out of my system. But disappointment washed over me when I saw Nicco and Arianne standing on the other side of the door.
“Expecting someone else?” he said, eyeing the gun in my hand.
“Don’t ask,” I grumbled, letting them in.
“You look different,” Ari remarked, seeing straight through me.
“Nice to see you too.” Closing the door, I followed them inside. Nora jumped up, running to hug Arianne.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“I feel like we say that too much these days,” Nora glanced at me and guilt shredded my insides. But she was in this life now. Whether I stood by her side or not, Nora was inextricably tied to the Family.
I realized that now. I realized why Nicco had refused to let Arianne go. Because whether he claimed her or not, she would forever be a target to his enemies just for the simple fact that she loved him.
The girls went to make everyone coffee while I sat with my cousins.
“Do I need to be worried about that?” His eyes flicked to Nora. She felt him staring and glanced over, smiling when her eyes collided with mine. “She’s Arianne’s best friend. If you break her heart—”
“It’s not like that,” I said, feeling myself grow tense. “I—”
“E has a serious case of heart eyes,” Matteo said, but there was a strain to his words. “Isn’t that right, cous?”
“Fuck off, cretino.”
“So it’s serious?”
I didn’t like the way Nicco’s brow furrowed. He doubted me. Probably hated the very idea of me anywhere near his wife’s best friend. But at this point, I really didn’t give a shit. Some crazy fucker had been within throwing distance of my woman, nothing Nicco did or didn’t say would change the fact that I didn’t plan on leaving her side unless it was to cut my enemy into tiny pieces.
“It’s—”
“What are the three of you talking about?” The girls came over, placing our fresh coffees on the table.
“Nora and Enzo sitting in a tree, k-i-s—”
“If someone hands me my pistol, I can end this now,” I joked.
“I think it’s cute.” Nora hovered since there was no room on the couch. I banded my arm around her waist and pulled her down on my lap. She smiled at me with so much emotion I felt winded.
Fuck, this girl.
My girl.
“So what do we know?” Nicco said.
“Fucker has a death wish,” I mumbled, and Nora tensed above me.
“I won’t ever pretend with you, Gattina,” I whispered the words against the shell of her ear, unable to resist flicking my tongue over her skin. “This is me. I cuss too much, I enjoy making our enemies bleed, and I would die for any one of my family.”
She turned into me, cupping my face. “I know who you are, Lorenzo Marchetti. I see you. I’ve always seen you.”
“I really really want to fuck you right now.”
Matteo snorted and I flipped him off again, while Nicco cleared his throat.
“Relax,” I said, tucking her back into my chest. “I’m not going to do it right here.”
“Tease,” Nora quipped, and everyone laughed. Me included.
“This is nice,” Ari said. “All we need now is to find Matteo a girl.”
“You can leave me out of your little love fest.” He got up and went to clean the breakfast plates. “I can handle my own sex life, thanks.”
“You should try using it now and again then,” I called after him. “Before it shrivels up and falls off.”
Nora batted my chest. “Don’t be so cruel.”
I wrangled her into my arms and captured her lips in a hard kiss.