Insert tense silence.
I glanced over my shoulder at her pale face. “I’m kidding.”
She exhaled loudly then fell back against the mattress. “Not what I had in mind for a Saturday.”
“We keep life interesting,” I said, trying not to laugh at her scowl as she finally got up, moved around the room, and got ready.
I stared boldly when she changed.
The last thing I wanted was for her to put clothes on.
Then again, we were kind of out of options.
Within the hour, we were in my car driving toward the house. I figured we were hosting since Dad was cooking—it had always been this weird competition between my parents like Mafia Masterchef or something.
Claire was quiet next to me, and then she turned and blurted, “Are were seriously driving to your parents’ house in a Maserati?”
“Don’t hate on the car, she’s new…”
“Ya think?” She spread her arms wide. “This is a dream, I’m going to pinch myself, no wait, a slap, I need someone to slap me.”
“I don’t hurt women.” I shrugged. “So, unless you start slapping yourself…” I grinned. “What I wouldn’t do to see you slap your own ass.”
She shot me a glare.
“What?” I laughed, taking the next turn and hitting the accelerator. I was going forty over, didn’t want to be late.
“There’s a cop up—”
I laughed, cutting her off. “Who? George? Yeah, we’re tight.” I sent him a wave; he just shook his head as we sped past him.
Claire’s jaw dropped. “What? Did your family pay him off?”
I snorted out a laugh. “Like we would even have to.”
“I don’t remember you being this arrogant in class.”
“Because I’m bored as fuck in class.” I pointed out. “Just like you are, it’s why you purposefully dropped your pencil—have to say, not the most original, but at least it gave me something else to fixate on.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your touch…” I shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal when it was. And then she was reaching across the console and gripping my hand. I kissed the back of hers and let out a sigh just as I pulled up to the large gate.
I heard a holy shit out of her, and then the gate opened.
Ah, fortress, sweet fortress.
I pulled around the circular driveway and tried to imagine what she was thinking. The house was five stories, brick, a bit over the top with security cameras and men in suits scattered around the yard, but normal, completely normal.
For me.
I tossed my keys to one of the suits, didn’t matter which one, they all worked for my family meaning they all worked for me—I was a little shit as a toddler, dropping my spoon, hanging upside down in trees making them chase me through the grocery store.
A real delight.
I opened Claire’s door and held out my hand, she gripped it just as the front door burst open.
“YOU LYING SON OF A BITCH!” Tex, our Capo aka godfather, yelled as he laughed and made his way down the stairs, every inch of him was packed with muscle, the guy was lethal. Then again, all the bosses were. Tattoos and piercings hid behind expensive as hell suits and so much money it was almost exhausting to think about it.
“Swear jar.” I laughed as I released her hand and went in for a kiss on his cheek, gripping his neck with my hand, forehead to forehead. “You know you’re my favorite uncle, but I wasn’t about to say shit.”
“Yeah, yeah. And you told Nixon he was your favorite when you were five.”
“Nixon bought me a real pony; you gave me a gun.”
“I still think it was a better gift.” He held up his hands and then peered around me. “So, you’re her.”
“I think?” Claire offered.
“Guess we’ll see what you’re made of, huh?” Tex winked, and then we were following him into my home.
It was loud.
Always loud.
So loud, a normal, sane human would need earplugs.
It was half Italian half wine induced.
And one whole bout of crazy as I walked her into the expansive gourmet kitchen where the uncles and wives and cousins all stood in astonishment.
Because I never brought anyone home.
Ever.
My cousins were my best friends.
My uncles came in a close second.
My aunts a close third.
My cousins and I were hell to put up with, and we knew it, so we stuck to ourselves, always.
Blood in no out.
“No. Way.” My sister Violet ran full speed at me and then jumped into my arms. “YOU LIAR!!!”
“Love you too!” I kissed her cheek just as my younger cousin rounded the corner and grinned. “And this is why I win every family bet.”
My dad slapped him on the back of the head.
Serena laughed behind her wine glass and winked at Claire while Nixon made his way toward us.
Claire sucked in a sharp breath.
Yeah, my uncles had that effect on everyone. Men were terrified, women were turned on, it was a problem.
He held out the blue bucket to me without looking away from her.
“No guns during dinner, not after last time,” Nixon said with a smirk and flick of his lip ring.
“ONE TIME!” Serena, his daughter, yelled. “He stole the last piece of bread!”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Do you think you need it?”
“That’s it!” She charged toward me just as Junior, Phoenix’s son intervened and held her back. “Let me at him.”
Junior just rolled his eyes and gave me a, “please stop antagonizing her,” look.
“Should we eat?” I asked the crowd, there were over thirty of us at this point, including the wives, the cousins, ugh, so many opinions and so many tempers.
Serena gave me the finger.
I blew her a kiss just as we sat down at the table.
I went to grab Claire’s hand then realized she looked extremely overwhelmed, so I cleared my throat and said. “Roll call!”
Amidst groans and middle fingers, Serena and Dom both stood. “Those are Nixon and Trace’s kids; Serena just turned twenty, he’s twenty-nine and married, so don’t even think about it.” Dom winked in Claire’s direction. “And the adorable eleven-year-old in the corner playing is their youngest, Bella. She was a surprise.”
Nixon grunted, “Not to me.”
Trace blushed.
“Ewww!” I plugged my ears. “Not at the table, guys!”
Nixon grabbed Trace’s hand and kissed it. Never let it be said that the bosses didn’t dote on their wives, it bordered on obsession.
I ignored them and kept with my introductions. “That’s Breaker and King, they belong to that dipshit over there.” Tex waved. “And they both hate school.”
“Hate,” Breaker grumbled, his eyes flashed to Claire, and then he winked. “You know Campisi’s got it better—”
A slap hit him in the back of the head from Mo, his mom. Damn, but she was violent when he flirted his way out of situations.
“Get there faster I’m starving to death,” Maksim grumbled.
I sighed. “That’s Maksim he’s Andrei’s eldest, he too hates school but skipped a year, so he’s actually a Freshman, you just rarely see him because he’s either in the library seducing upperclassman or reading. His two favorite subjects—sex and science, his sister is Anya, she’s the gorgeous blonde sitting in the corner playing on her phone.”