Page 7 of Twisted Knight

“You don’t want to upset her?”

He snorted. “It won’t upset her; it will piss her off and she is even angrier these days.”

I laughed at that. “Hormones.”

“Terrifying.”

I sighed. “Fine, let's start over. Cassie told me you’re her best friend.”

He nodded, his face softening as a tender smile appeared on his face. I didn’t need to be a psychologist to know he really loved my cousin. “I think calling us best friends is a bit basic. It’s deeper than that. I love her like my sister, just like I love Luca like my brother.”

“And you don’t like the idea of a person you don’t know coming around and disturbing the dynamic.”

He remained silent; it was confirmation enough.

“Occupational hazard. I’ll stay out of your way and out of your head.”

He nodded once. “It’s better for you, trust me. You wouldn’t want to roam in there,” he said, tapping the side of his head with his forefinger. “You’ll come out traumatized,” he added with a laugh, but I didn’t need to know the man to see he meant it, which made me want to look in it now. Pandora’s box was my weakness.

All the thoughts of the complicated man beside me vanished when we passed the iron gate of a gigantic Victorian Manor.

“What is Luca doing for a living again?” I asked, not able to remove my eyes from the place.

“Business,” he replied evasively, stopping the car at the bottom of the stone steps.

He got out first and retrieved my bags from the trunk as I waited at the bottom of the steps, looking up at the structure.

“Come,” he ordered as he took the first step. “I know Cassie is eager to see you.”

I didn’t even get a chance to look around the hall as Cassie came out from a room waddling toward me with a wide grin on her face.

“India!” she squealed and I couldn’t help but laugh.

I’d not seen my cousin in over three years, and I’d forgotten how short she really was. Now almost at terms with twins she almost looked as wide as she was tall, but despite her obvious discomfort she seemed happy to see me.

“I’m so happy you came.”

I leaned down, giving her an awkward hug. “I’m so happy you asked me to come. How are the little ones doing?” I asked, resting my hand on her stomach.

She grinned, resting her hand on top of mine. “Restless and stubborn, like their father.” She looked up at me and blinked. “Oh, Lord, you’re stunning,” she said, reaching for her messy bun on top of her head, trying to straighten it up before whipping at some crumbs at the corner of her mouth. “I must look like a total mess.”

I shook my head. “Course you don’t, you’re glowing.”

“That’s because I'm sweating all the time.”

Dom let out a little chuckle. “Okay, I’ll leave you girls to it. I’ll take your bags upstairs.”

I nodded. “Oh no, wait, just leave me the carry-on. I've got something in it.”

Cassie’s face lit up as Dom looked at her with both good humor and tenderness in his face. It was quite intriguing, in fact, as he could switch from the detached man I’d met to the loving man standing in front of me. He had a lot of walls, that man.

Dom sighed and shook his head. “What did you convince her to smuggle for you?”

I frowned. “Was I not supposed to?”

Cassie glared at Dom, rubbing her stomach. “Don’t listen to him; he’s being dramatic.”

Dom turned to me, his eyes still full of mirth. “What?”

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