Page 28 of Tilly
“Are you saying the million men at your place aren’t capable of doing the same?” she counters.
“They are,” I tell her. Because if I thought for one second that any of them wouldn’t, I’d cut their throats myself.
“Then I’m going home. With you. I don’t need babysitting. I don’t need to be holed up in my childhood bedroom on the off chance this guy carries through on his threat.”
“It’s not an empty threat, Matilda.” I sigh. “He means what he says.”
“I know. And so do I,” she tells me.
Chapter Fifteen
After a lot of yelling, some screaming, and a few tears… Antonio and I finally left my parents’ house. He tried to talk me into staying behind, but I didn’t want to spend another night away from him. I wanted to sleep in his bed with his arms around me.
What I didn’t expect was for two of my cousins to turn up five minutes after we got here. Alessandro and Enzo told Antonio they were his new “semipermanent” houseguests.
Thankfully, Antonio took it all in stride, showing them each to a guest room and telling them to help themselves to whatever they needed. I was mortified. I still am. I cannot believe my father and Zio Theo sent their minions to babysit me.
“I can hear you thinking,” Antonio says, his voice husky from sleep.
“Sorry.” I roll over and face him.
“Don’t be sorry for thinking. It’s one of the things I love about you. Your beautiful brain is like the eighth wonder of the world, ragazza.”
“That’s a bit overboard.” I laugh.
When Antonio rolls himself on top of me, I moan, enjoying the feel of him for a few seconds. And then freak out.
“Shit. I’m late!” I push at his chest.
“Late for what?” he asks, letting me shove his body off mine. Because, let’s be honest, it wasn’t my strength that moved him.
“Class. I can’t be late to class.” I jump out of the bed and start rushing around the room.
“You’re not going out today, Matilda.” Antonio sighs.
I pause, look up from the floor, and glare at him. “Excuse me?”
“I said… you can’t leave the house today,” he repeats.
“That’s what I thought you said.” I nod while making no effort to listen to him. “I’m not missing school, Antonio. It’s important to me. And I can’t miss it,” I tell him as I walk into the bathroom. By the time I shower and dress, Antonio’s no longer in bed.
I find him, along with everyone else, seated at the table in the dining room.
“Morning.” I greet Rafe and Emillio, while glaring at my cousins.
“Morning, coz. Great to see you too,” Enzo says. It’s clear Alessandro is the smarter of the two. He wisely keeps his mouth shut.
I sit down, and Antonio places a plate full of food in front of me. I catch Enzo’s gaze across the table as he raises a single eyebrow in my direction. “Shut up,” I tell him.
“Whoa, Little Valentino cusses? How did I not know this?” Emillio asks as his face splits into a grin.
“That’s not cussing,” I’m quick to correct. “Shut and up are not curse words.”
“Oh, but the intent was there, which makes it a cuss,” he counters.
“Matilda, Emillio’s going to accompany you to class today,” Antonio tells me.
My head snaps to the side. “Why?”
