Page 52 of Ruined By Protection
"You're early."
I look up to find Damiano entering, eyebrows raised in mock surprise.
"Don't get used to it," I reply, as he takes his seat at the head of the table.
Enzo enters next, phone in hand as always. He barely glances up as he takes his seat across from me. "The Colombians confirmed for Friday," he says to Damiano. "Their shipment arrives Thursday night."
"Good," Damiano responds, then gives his brother a pointed look. "No business at the dinner table, remember?"
Enzo rolls his eyes but pockets the phone just as Zoe enters with baby Sofia in her arms. The tension in the room immediately softens. Even Enzo's perpetually-annoyed expression eases at the sight of his niece.
I hear female voices in the hallway and my pulse quickens. Lucrezia enters first, followed by Evelyn and Noah. And then—Hazel.
My breath catches. She's wearing an emerald dress that clings to her curves, her honey-blonde hair swept up to expose the delicate line of her neck. A small emerald pendant rests against her collarbone, drawing attention to the smooth skin of her chest.
Our eyes meet briefly before she looks away, taking a seat between Evelyn and Lucrezia.
"You clean up nice," Noah says to me with a smirk, noticing my attention on Hazel. "Special occasion?"
I give him a look that would make most men shut up, but Noah just grins wider. Asshole.
"Ettore's lamb deserves respect," I say dryly, which earns a laugh from Lucrezia.
"Only Matteo would dress up for a piece of meat," she teases.
"Some things are sacred," I reply, my eyes involuntarily drifting back to Hazel.
She's listening to something Evelyn is saying, nodding along with a small smile. The emerald dress makes her eyes appear more green than amber tonight.
Damiano raises his glass. "To family," he says, his standard toast.
"To family," everyone echoes, except Hazel, who simply raises her glass with a polite smile.
The first course arrives—a small plate of arancini with truffle aioli. Enzo leans forward with that shit-eating grin of his.
"So, I heard you had an unwelcome visitor at the casino today," he says, cutting into his appetizer. "Redhead, with legs for days, wouldn't take no for an answer."
I shoot a glance at Daniel, who suddenly becomes very interested in his wine glass. Fucking gossip.
"Nothing I couldn't handle," I say, keeping my voice even.
Enzo snorts. "That's not what I heard. Security said she was practically climbing you like a tree before you had her escorted out."
I feel Hazel's eyes on me from across the table but don't look her way. Instead, I take a slow sip of wine.
"She has boundary issues," I say finally. "Nothing new there."
"Some women can't take a hint," Lucrezia says, twirling her wine glass. "Especially with you, Matteo. You've got that whole mysterious, dangerous thing going on."
I roll my eyes. "I'm about as mysterious as this arancini."
That incites a laugh around the table, even from Damiano. There was a time when we'd all talk shit like this, Damiano included. Before he took over as Don after his father's death. Before the weight of family matters settled on his shoulders.
"Remember when Matteo had that stalker?" Enzo continues, apparently determined to embarrass me tonight. "The senator's daughter?"
"She wasn't a stalker," I protest. "She was... persistent."
"She showed up at your apartment at three in the morning with not a stitch on under her coat," Enzo reminds me.
