I felt lonely.
I missed Gio, Sal, and Papi, and my heart hurt when I thought of Dante being all by himself. Even Frank had grown on me, and now it was like I was ripped away from my old life and given a new one without anyone ever asking me if I was okay with it.
I knew Sergio was hurting, God, I could feel his pain, it was a tangible thing, his sadness, his anger, but, part of me just wanted someone to ask if I was okay.
I needed my hand held too.
I needed a hug.
Or even just something familiar.
We took an exit then drove down a long road that led to a huge iron gate. Something buzzed, and the gate opened.
The house was massive.
Two stories.
With a fountain in the middle.
Huge.
Fairy tale huge.
Hah, ironic, that I’d get part of the fairy tale, at least let there be a library or something.
Since I’d married the beast, give me books.
I gulped as a few men in suits shuffled out of the house and nodded toward the car.
Our door opened.
Mouth still gaping, I took a step out of the car and toward the stairs leading up to the house, just as a girl shot out from the double doors and ran at full speed toward us.
I backed up.
She stopped right in front of Sergio and winked. “I see Tex didn’t kill you.”
“Sadly, no.” Sergio smirked. “Your concern is noted, Mo.”
“Eh, what can you do?” She pulled him in for a tight hug and then turned to me. “Fresh meat?”
I opened then shut my mouth.
“I was kidding,” she said in a softer tone. “You’re young.”
Was that really what everyone thought about me when they saw me?
“Hell, Sergio, I could have sworn I found a wrinkle on my right eye, look.” She pointed to the side of her face while Sergio rolled his eyes.
“Mo, you’re twenty-three.”
With a sigh, she looped her arm in mine and leaned down. “You look like him. Like Luca.”
“I look like a man?” I blurted out.
Mo burst out laughing. “And you’re adorable, has anyone ever told you how sultry your voice is? It’s really low, deep, but sexy as hell. Don’t you think she’s sexy as hell, Serg?”
It was his turn to pale.
I turned into myself, nearly leaning on Mo as rejection threatened to choke the life out of me.
I was embarrassed.
Ashamed.
Did I smell like him?
Like sex?
Could she tell?
Every movement I made was a reminder that we’d been intimate, my thighs still buzzed with pleasure, I was sore, and my mouth was swollen.
“Not awkward at all, jackass.” Mo glared at him. “Leopards really don’t change spots do they?”
“The girls?” Sergio ignored her. “Inside?”
“Yeah, we were fixing up her room.”
I frowned. “Her?”
“Yours,” Mo said softly. “We figured after spending a few days with Sergio you’d want your own space away from the beast, so we made up a bad ass room, with enough clothes to drive any girl mad with envy. We got your sizes from Phoenix.”
“Phoenix!” Sergio yelled, “Where the hell did he get her sizes?”
Mo just grinned.
I was too tired to be upset that I wasn’t sharing a room with Sergio. He needed space, right? Maybe I did, too.
Maybe it was just too much.
Mo kept chattering about the clothes in my room, she was about two inches taller than me, which wasn’t anything new since I’d always been somewhat short. Her long, silky black hair met her waist; it was gorgeous.
She was gorgeous.
The sound of laughter filled the house as Mo led me toward a room and announced, “Look who I have!”
All laughing ceased.
The girls all turned their heads. They all had dark features, and were absolutely mind-numbingly stunning. To the point where I wasn’t sure who was prettier.
All of them?
One was at least eight months pregnant. She glowed more than the rest; her eyes twinkled in my direction as she elbowed the girl to her right, whose smirk looked like she’d won a bet or something.
“Hi.” I managed to get out and then, like a total loser; I burst into tears.
“Oh, honey!” One of the girls rushed forward and suddenly I had five women hugging on me and bringing me over to a large white couch.
“Pour her wine!” one yelled. “Get the chocolate!”
Within minutes, I had a huge glass of wine in one hand and a chocolate bar in the other. Stunned, I stared at all of them as more tears streamed down my face. “I’m so sorry. I swear I’m normally not a crier. Well, I mean if you count lately I am, but—”
“Everything okay in here?” Sergio knocked on the open door.
One of the girls jumped to her feet and marched over the door. Without answering, she slammed it in his face and locked it.
I gasped. “Did you just slam the door in his face?”
“Eh, he’s fine.” She grinned.
My eyes narrowed. She looked familiar, like really familiar. And suddenly everything clicked into place. “You!”
Her grin widened. “Me?”