Page 26 of Little Rabbit

“Oh, now, you’re just trying to get me all hot and bothered, Boo Bear. Is this how you talk to your wife? Or do you save all these sweet nothings for me?”

“Lazaro, I think you lied to me,” Sienna remarks drily, drawing my attention. She’s staring at my friend incredulously. “You said he hadn’t hit his head, and your giant ass didn’t drop something on it, but the man clearly has a brain injury. Who the hell calls someone Boo Bear?”

“Maybe you fucked the brains right out of his head,” Lazaro tosses back with a wicked grin. Sienna flips him off, not the least bit embarrassed, before she turns to me with an expectant look.

“Clearly not, because that term of endearment seems to have a history. So again I ask, did you drop something on his head?”

Before I can reply, my father’s voice says in amusement, “I see why you are so enchanted with her, son. She will keep you on your toes.”

“Indeed. Sienna, allow me to introduce you to your new brother-in-law, Nico Armani, and my father, Pietro Caruso. Everyone loves me, so ignore their lies. We all know my Boo Bear won’t shoot me, especially not when his lovely wife would be so upset about it, and so would Sofia. She’d kill him on principle.”

“Stay the hell away from my wife,” Nico orders. “Sienna, Gia is anxious to meet you.”

Sienna’s lips pull into a slight smile. “I’m excited to meet her. And you as well, Don Armani and Don Caruso.”

There’s something in her voice has me looking at her sharply and narrowing my eyes. She arches a brow at me, and then turns her attention back to the call when my father says, “We will have much to discuss when you arrive, Ms. Harris, but call me Pietro. We are not big on formality here. In the meantime, Alessio, let us know of any updates you might hear, but Aurelio will stay on top of things. And Nico, you are not shooting my son.”

“Fine,” Nico replies curtly, and then I hear him disconnect.

“Just a regular ray of sunshine, as always,” I hear Zeno snicker.

The call disconnects, and I turn to Sienna, who has sunk back into her seat and pulled her legs up under her, staring out the window. “What was that?” I demand, watching her.

She turns towards me. “What was what?”

“You know what. That change in your tone when you were talking to Nico and my father about being excited to meet them.”

“You really aren’t helping your case. Did you want me to be rude and scream at them? Because I doubt that would help anything, and they aren’t the ones taking me against my will. That would be you. If you hear anything other than good manners, that’s your problem.”

I say nothing, and watch her for another moment. Finally, in a low voice, I say, “Do not test me again, Sienna, with whatever you have cooking up in your pretty little head. Nico is not going to help you, and my father wouldn’t dare. If you think you’re going to somehow convince them to take you away from me, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Do I need to remind you again that you’re mine?”

“Do I need to remind you that despite all of that earlier, I never agreed to belong to you? Sex is not an agreement.”

The desire to grab her and drag her into the bedroom is strong, and I clench my hands in my lap to keep myself under some semblance of control. “Don’t play word games with me, coniglietto. You’re mine, end of discussion. If I have to prove it to you over and over again, I will. Though if I have to, prepare to not be able to sit down for a week each time.”

Her eyes narrow at me. “I’m tired and I’m not arguing with you right now. You want to fight about this, we can do it when we land. Until then, I’m taking a nap.” Then she abruptly curls away from me, closes her eyes, and leaves me fuming.

I stare at her for another long moment, thinking how much I want to grab her and haul her ass into the back and prove my point, but instead, I turn to Lazaro, who is grinning like an idiot and glare at him. Not that the bastard gives a fuck, because all he says is, “Well, since we have some time, how about catching up on all the work you’ve had to neglect?”

I give a curt nod, and the two of us get up and make our way to the front of the plane. I glance over my shoulder and see Sienna’s eyes are still closed, but I know she’s not sleeping. No doubt the woman is plotting my demise, but the fact she’s finally here fills me with satisfaction that curbs some of the anger inside me.

She’s going to accept she’s mine soon enough, and once I have her around my family, they’ll help to sway her. Though something tells me I’ll need to keep my eye on Nico. I wouldn’t put it past the son of a bitch to stick his nose in my business.

15

SIENNA

Sicily

I should have figured they lived in a fucking castle. Because why not? I mean, the place looks like it’s straight out of a storybook. It is a beautiful sandstone color with white and gold accents that give it that rich feel. The elaborate gate is opened for us by the many guards all wearing the matching dark suits that probably cost more than an average family’s rent. Clearly this business pays well.

The road leading up to the castle is almost white in color, and the lush, well-maintained lawn is just the pop of color it needs to give it the luxurious look along with the charm of its age. The house itself has a lower door right off the driveway before double staircases lead up both sides, with a rounded door at the top that’s surrounded by stunning carvings. All around the front are windows and balconies, and I wonder how many rooms are in this place, and how I’m not going to get lost. Still, the little girl in me is screaming in delight at seeing such a place and actually getting to go inside.

The most interesting part of the house is how it spreads out in a half-circle on each side, which I assume are more rooms and hallways. It’s a perfect fortress while also being stunning. The driveway follows the circle of the home, providing cover from any prying eyes. Guards are visible everywhere, some staying close to the home, while others are out in the open, standing sentry.

Fuck, I’m definitely not in my element here.

In an attempt at humor, I remark, “You know, if you told me you live in a castle, I might have considered not putting up such a big fight. Do you all live here?”

---