Page 3 of Savage Prince

The waiter appears, flashing a smile, and a tumble of dark hair falls over his brow. He looks oddly familiar. I’m fairly certain I hooked up with him a few weeks ago after an all-nighter at Hollywood, another famous club in Milano teeming with celebrities and amazing parties.

“DueAperol Spritz,” says Santi in his best Italian accent, holding up two fingers.

A few more months and he’ll sound like a local. His adoptive mom was Puerto Rican, so having arrived already speaking Spanish definitely gave him an edge over the other interns. Still, I’m impressed by how good he’s gotten all the same. I was lucky enough to have been taught Italian byPapàandNonnaas a child. My grandma was adamant I learned at a young age, just like all of us Valentino and Rossi cousins. We may not all speak it often, but we know more than enough to get by, not to mention all the good curses.

When the waiter saunters away, Santi turns his mischievous gaze on me. “He’s gorgeous, and he looked like he wanted to fuck you.”

“Been there, done that.”

“Seriously? Are there any hot, single men in Milano you’ve yet to screw?”

“Yes, you.” I offer him a wink, and his head falls back as he cackles. With deep mocha skin and a model-like physique, my friend is beyond good looking. He’s tall with lean muscles, and a heart-stopping smile that has both women and men swooning at the sight of his Afro-Latino ass.

“Trust me, if I were into pussy, there would be nothing to keep me away, girl.”

“Oh, I know. Not only am I gorgeous, smart and funny, I’m also fantastic in bed.”

His cackles only get louder, showcasing his blindingly white, perfect teeth. “I bet you are.” He finally straightens and takes a sip of water as the fit subsides.

The waiter returns just in time with our bubbly Aperol Spritzes. After placing Santi’s bright orange drink down, he leans in as he delivers mine. “Ciao, Serena, tutto bene?”

“Si, grazie, all good.” For the life of me, I can’t remember his name and he’s not wearing a nametag. I glance down atthe napkin, trying to avoid his questioning gaze, and a scrawled phone number catches my eye. No name though.

“Call me sometime. I’d like to take you on a date. I had fun the other night.”

I stare up at him, slack-jawed for a long moment before he shoots me a wink and saunters away.

A low whistle purses Santi’s lips, and I jab my elbow into his side. “Don’t start.”

“What? He likes you… why don’t you give the man a chance?”

“I don’t date, I don’t do relationships. I already told you.”

“But why?” He drags the last word out for a long whiny moment.

“I don’t know. It’s just not in me.” My shoulders slowly lift. “Actually, none of my best friends back home do.”

“Oh, you mean the notorious cousin crew?” He grins like he’s actually met the rest of my family. What I haven’t told him yet is that they’re coming to visit in a few days. It’s Alessandro and Alessia’s birthdays so they decided to make a trip of it and the whole crew is meeting up. I’m weirdly protective about my relationship with my cousins, and I don’t like to share them. I fully realize how insane that sounds, but as the oldest, being the protector has always been my role. Even though the twins are barely a year younger than me, I’ve always considered myself the mother hen. Which is weird because I don’t have a maternal bone in my body. I’m pretty sure I don’t even want kids.

“Actually, they’re coming to visit on Friday.”

“Your cousins, all the way from Manhattan?” His dark brow lifts.

“Well, Bella is still interning in Rome, but yeah, the rest are flying in on the jet from home.”

“On the jet? Of course they are.” A hint of hurt flashes across his expressive irises.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I just wanted to keep them all to myself while they’re here, I guess. I haven’t seen them in months and?—”

He raises a dismissive hand. “Nah, I get it, it’s fine. They’re you’re family.”

But he still looks genuinely hurt. And now I feel like a shitty friend. He’s the one person I’ve really connected with since I moved here, and I don’t want to jeopardize our friendship.

“We’ll all go out one night, okay? Bella is only here for two nights because she has to get back to her medical internship in Rome so let’s do an aperitivo on Friday.”

“I’m not sure if I can make it, but I’ll let you know.” He picks up his glass and takes a long pull from the straw.

An uncomfortable silence lingers over the table, and now I just wish I could take it all back. Why didn’t I just tell him sooner?

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