Page 20 of Obsessions of the Heart

I followed her until a familiar set of green eyes snagged on me, going wide when he recognized me. “Holy shit, peaches! You came to me. I guess it’s fate. I just found the love of my life this year.”

Cin’s eyes bugged out, snapping her head between him and me like she was at a loss for words. “You know each other?”

Wincing out of guilt, I mumbled, “I mean, not really. We met in English 101.”

Without hesitation, Elio’s face went savage. He dug around his pocket, proclaiming, “Oh, I think we know each other very well. You even gave me a lock of your hair.” His hand shot up to dangle said hair, but the black ribbon tied around it was most definitely put there by him.

Cin’s whole body changed as she stared at it. “You fucking give that back to her, you psycho!” Then she charged him.

The volley of punches and kicks that she was landing on Elio was impressive. I wasn’t expecting that from a girl like her, but damn, was I wrong. She went savage and bit him in the arm. He howled so loud that everyone within the vicinity looked over. Given their shrugs, this must be a regular thing between these two, but I was starting to feel sorry for Elio. It wasn't like he was the one who cut my hair.

I grabbed Cin by the waist, yanking her off him and backing up a few steps because she was still throwing punches and kicks.

“Cin. Cin! He didn't cut my hair.” She stilled, turning her head to me, and I let her go. “I'm serious. I was…” I glanced over at the slicked-back, strawberry-blond-haired male who was sporting a growing black eye and a split lip, but he was smiling like this was the best day of his life. I closed my eyes and took a breath, resetting myself before I faced Cin. “I was the one who cut my hair. It was meant to be more of a power move and threat, but he I guess… took that as an invitation.”

Her mouth opened and shut a few times before she yelled, “Of course he did! I told you he was crazy!” I mean, that was after I met him, but I wasn't about to tell her that as she was glaring at us.

Elio took that moment to comb back his hair. “Sure, sure, I’m definitely fucked in the head, but, peaches,” he licked his bloody lip, “she is secretly crazy, which you know is my favorite kind!”

Cin threw up her hands. “Perché, Dio? Perché sono maledetto ad essere imparentato con questi uomini fastidiosi?”

Elio walked around the kitchen island toward her. “Hey, hey, hey. You know the rules. No Italian when you don’t have an Italian speaker present.” His eyes flicked to me with sympathy before returning to her with a scowl. “It's rude, Cin.”

Cin nodded like she was an autopilot until she remembered what just happened and grabbed my hand. “I need to get you away from them. They’re the worst, and they can't have you. I refuse.”

Again, I didn't know exactly what she meant by them having me, but I knew she was doing something for my benefit, so I followed her. This time, I didn’t make the mistake of looking back. If I did, he might follow.

The backyard was almost as massive as the house itself—just as manicured as the front, but littered with drunk people. One guy passed us, walking like a newborn fawn. Cin purposely stuck out her foot, and he fell face first into the grass, not moving. At least it was nice, soft grass.

In one corner, a group huddled together in a cloud of smoke. It didn't take a scientist to know what they were doing. Then there was a loud crowd by the glass doors playing beer pong. Cin steered us away from all of that, finding a dark corner that was lit up by a small gazebo. It would be romantic if it wasn't at a frat house, even a posh one.

“Okay. You should be good here. Far enough from those leeches.” Her eyes narrowed just as Elio came into view, sliding open the glass door to step out into the backyard. “I'm going to get us something to drink. Stay here. I’ll bring some safe dic—I mean, people to meet.”

She scampered off before I could say a word, yelling at Elio about getting back in the house to do his job, or something to that effect. They were all a little quirky, a little off in opposite ways, and all of them were abnormally attractive. Was that a family trait?

My pondering of the Ricci family must’ve caused the fates to stir. Out from the darkness, Luca appeared like the Grim Reaper, with a bottle of wine, two glasses, and his lazy smile that would make any woman swoon. I had a bad feeling about this. I glanced around, hoping to find Cin, but she was nowhere to be seen.

“Don’t look so nervous, cara mia. I don’t bite.”

He swaggered up to me, taking the loosened cork out with his mouth before pouring both glasses like he was born to do it. “I have a useless gift of being able to tell what kind of drink people enjoy, and as soon as I saw you, I knew you would enjoy the finer things in life. You're not here to throw back shots like these children, nor do you want to guzzle down beer like a neanderthal.” His rant ended with him sneering at the partygoers around him like they were ants and he their master.

“But you…” He returned to me, questions in his eyes as he hesitated, the tips of his lips curled up. “You are not like them. You want something smooth yet sweet. Something with a little bite that has you wanting more. This Chateau Latour Pauillac is perfect for you.” He handed me a glass. I took it, trying to figure out the best way to avoid drinking it without getting on his bad side.

“I’m not much of a drinker, so I'm sure this will be better suited for someone else here.” I looked across the lawn and found a girl with gorgeous golden hair, men circled around her. Her eyes kept drifting this way, and I realized that she had her sights on Luca. I lifted my glass toward her. “I bet she would love to share something like this with you.”

He made a show of looking around me, rolling his eyes, then sitting down next to me. Notes of amber and spice wafted off of him, and I hated to admit that it was an appealing smell, one I didn't mind having close to me. “She’s fun if you like fucking someone who acts like a dead fish in bed.”

I lifted one brow at his comment. He was already showing me he was the guy I thought he was—a player, through and through. He shrugged like it was no big deal, like bad sex, and paying the price for it, was something he was used to. Typical frat boy.

He looked down at my untouched glass and gave me a knowing smile. “You think I poisoned it?”

I swirled the wine in the glass and lifted it to the light like I had seen people do on TV. “It has nice legs.”

Barking out a laugh, he settled down just as fast. “Fine. You saw me pour the wine into both glasses, but I guess you didn't see me uncork it. Let's hope that this will set your mind at ease.” He lifted the glass to his lips and took a large sip before turning back to me. “See? Nothing is wrong with it. I wouldn't spike my own drink.”

His logic was sound, so I didn't see any way out of accepting his offer. I also didn’t think it was wise to upset Cin’s brother, so I figured one sip wouldn't hurt. I lifted the glass and let a good sip pass my lips. The bold flavor of raspberries and spice immediately tickled my tongue, but it went down smooth.

He was right. I did like this, and it annoyed me that he could read me so easily.

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