Page 37 of Little Dove

“It’s okay, Alessio,” the woman in the man’s lap says with a grin. “I’m happy to loan him to you when he’s being a pain in the ass. Maybe you can be the one to work that out of him by being a pain in his instead.” She lets out a laugh when the man holdingher says something in her ear and then kisses her like a man possessed. Clearly someone does not agree.

“He’s going to kill you,” another female voice says in exasperation, but I still can’t quite see her. Is this the other cousin Lazaro mentioned? “Pietro, if that happens, do I still get to live in your fancy castle?”

There’s a honeyed chuckle and then a smooth, Italian-accented voice replies, “Cara, I will gladly kick him out now if you prefer. You’re so much prettier, and much smarter to talk to.”

“You can stay in his old room next to mine,” yet another Italian voice declares. “We’ll become the best of friends.” There’s the sound of hand smacking against a head, and I hear Lazaro give a low chuckle, which gains attention.

Within seconds, the entire room is facing us, and it takes everything inside me not to turn and run. The tension in the room is so immense that I grip Lazaro’s hand in mine like a lifeline. How do you not buckle under it? I keep my head up by sheer force of will, and keep my expression blank.

I can do this. I can do this.

“Great first impression,” a new voice says wryly. I turn to see an older version of Lazaro step forward. He gives me a warm, welcoming smile. His hair is starting to turn salt and pepper, but his beard is still that same dark black color. He has more lines on his face, but there’s a kindness to him that has me smiling back at him. “Welcome, Amara,” he says, stopping next to his son and holding his hand out to me. I pull mine from Lazaro’s, and then blush when he kisses my hand and winks at me. “I’m Aurelio Cattaneo, this one’s father. If he ever gives you any problems, you just let me know and I’ll straighten him out.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say shyly when he lets go of my hand.

“You have your own woman to flirt with,” Lazaro grumbles at his father, but there’s no heat behind his words. Aurelio ignoreshim and steps back to allow another man who approaches to greet me.

This is Don Caruso. It has to be. The way he carries himself, and the power surrounding him, broadcasts that this is not a man you fuck with, ever, but the smile he gives me is warm, welcoming, and gentle. It’s disconcerting. I feel like I should bow or something, but he simply takes my hand as well, kissing the knuckles with sparkling dark eyes and says, “Welcome,cara mia.It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Please ignore this craziness. My sons like to annoy each other like young, misbehaved children.”

Oh, the charm is thick, and I can’t help but smile at him, despite feeling another blush warm my face. “Hello,” I say shyly. “Nice to meet you.” He’s not as large as Lazaro, but he’s definitely over six feet, and unlike most of the other men in the room, he’s clean shaven.

Slowly, more people come forward, though I notice quickly it’s only the men, not either of the women. They hang back, and my stomach curdles. Looks like I was right, they’re not happy I’m here. I force myself not to look at them, and focus only on the men in front of me.

I meet Massimo and Zeno, two of the Caruso brothers, and both of them take my hand to kiss it sweetly, flirting and shooting grins at Lazaro when he grumbles at them. Massimo is the most different from his father and brothers in looks, but he still has the same charming and powerful vibe to him as the others. He shares their height, standing a couple inches over six feet, but has dark blonde hair and hazel eyes. His features are also a little softer, but the beard seems to give him a bit of an edge. Zeno also has dark blonde hair, but his dark eyes and features are all Pietro.

Then I meet Alessio Caruso, who gives me a beaming grin. He’s a younger version of his father, with a slightly thicker beard.His dark eyes are bright as he says, “Nice to meet you, Amara. Don’t believe a thing that Lazaro has told you, or anything Nico tells you, either. He’s pining for me, and hides it behind that grumpy exterior.” He shakes my hand, then winks.

Well, that solves the mystery of who called Nico Boo Bear. I glance over at the other man, who is glaring at Alessio, before I turn back to Alessio and smile at him. “Sure, that’s the look of a man pining,” I chuckle.

“He’s gotten very good at hiding it. You should have seen the tears the other night when I went to get Sienna her engagement ring. He was so overcome with regret and grief, he was ready to end it all.”

“I was ready to endyou, get it fucking right,” Nico barks.

“Liar,” Alessio mouths, giving a sad shake of his head.

“Better get used to it, this is a common theme between the two of them,” one of the women says with a sigh as she moves forward. I take her in, feeling a sharp blast of shock to have a face so like my own looking back at me. Her eyes are hazel where mine are green, and she’s about an inch taller than me with a fuller figure and defined muscles. “Hi, Amara, I’m your cousin, Sienna,” she says with a warm smile, holding out her hand. “I know this is a lot, but I really am so happy to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say with a shy smile of my own. I feel so uncertain, like I don’t know what to do or say. “It is a lot.” As if on cue, Lazaro moves to stand behind me, his hand resting on my back in a silent show of comfort and support. I should step away, not blur the lines any more than they already are, but I can’t make my feet move. Sienna glances up at Lazaro, her smile widening and her eyes full of amusement.

“Things will get easier now that you’re here and can get to know us,” Sienna assures me. “But it doesn’t hurt to have someone in your corner when you need a break.”

Alessio moves closer and wraps his arms around her, pulling her back against him. “I’m always in your corner,coniglietta,” he assures her, kissing the top of her head.

Sienna’s lips twist into a wicked grin. “I meant Gia and Sofia,” she informs him. He says something I can’t quite catch, but by the flash in her eyes, she likes what she’s hearing.

Before I can stop myself, I blurt out, “It sounds like he has someone else in his corner, and you might need to be prepared to share him.”

The room erupts into laughter, including Lazaro, but when I glance over at Nico, his scowl only deepens.Uh-oh.The woman on his lap, that I’m assuming is Gia, is grinning from ear to ear. “Ignore him,” she tells me. “He’s a bit of a Grumpy Gus.” Between her and Sienna, it looks like Gia and I are the most similar in height, body shape, and hair color, though her eyes are dark unlike Sienna’s hazel and my green. At least there’s a way to tell us all apart. She pushes up off her husband’s lap and rounds the desk, with Nico right behind her, sticking close. “It’s really nice to meet you, Amara,” she says warmly. “I know this is a lot all at once, but I promise you’re safe here. I’m Gia Armani.”

“Thank you,” I say simply.

Nico eyes me, not saying anything until Gia tilts her head up at him and gives him a pointed look. Guess he’s not the social type. “Nico Armani,” he says after a moment, holding out his hand to shake mine quickly. He doesn’t offer anything else, and I fight back the urge to shuffle my feet. Just like Pietro, Nico has the air of being the man in charge. He’s over six feet of lean muscle, dark hair and eyes, a five o’clock shadow that covers his jaw and upper lip, and a look about him that says you don’t want to meet him down a dark alley late at night.

I can’t tell if he just doesn’t like me or distrusts me, so I just nod and step back. Lazaro is right behind me, his hand on myback in comfort once again. “Nice to meet you,” I say politely. “You have a lovely home,” I say to him and Gia.

“It’s dark and scary, but I actually kind of like it,” Gia admits with a knowing smile. “Sienna’s trying to convince me to warm things up, but I like them the way they are.” She gives Nico a loving smile. “Though I do have a few plans I’d like to put to use once everything is settled.”

I watch Nico’s expression change as he looks down at her with nothing short of adoration. This man is clearly deeply in love with his wife. “You know you have carte blanche to do whatever the hell you want with this place,topolina,” he reminds her gently. Gia beams at him, not even glancing back at me. Okay, so those two are sickeningly in love, got it. It’s sweet, really.

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