Page 31 of The Enforcer's Revenge
“As long as I have you next to me tonight, it’ll be perfect.” Brianna stood on her toes and kissed him again.
CHAPTER TEN
Twenty minutes later, Carina held her cigarettes so tightly they were likely half destroyed while Brianna tried to pry the pack out of her hand.
As Carina fought, she whined, “No wine. No wee?—”
“Oh, hi!” Brianna let go of the pack and slammed a hand over Carina’s mouth. Everyone else was busy loading the boat, but still, Brianna whispered under her breath, “You’ll be okay.”
Carina pulled Brianna’s hand away. “Do you know what kinda puttana I’ll be by tomorrow? I don’t even have the friggin’ gum on me. No patch. You and Tino will have to use me for target practice to put everyone else outta their misery. Trust me, don’t do this to yourself. What the fuck?” Carina spun when Nova bumped into her from behind. He had a big cooler in his arms, his biceps straining beneath his black t-shirt as Carina shouted at him, “Cosa?”
“I got you,” Nova said as he walked past her. “No one wants me leaving my cigarettes either, and you’ll like mine better.”
“That’s true,” Carina agreed and looked at Nova suspiciously. “You have some hidden? The good ones?”
Nova gave her a look as if she were insulting him by asking. “I’ve been smoking on the sly and hiding it from Rome since I was in seventh grade.”
“Oh.” Carina looked a little sad then, like something Nova said hurt her. “At least he gave a shit.”
Carina’s parents never cared when she started smoking. Her mother bitched that it made the house smell, and her father said she looked trashy, but neither of them really worried about her health.
“Yeah.” Nova nodded, like he understood as deeply as Brianna did. Then he tilted his head toward the boat. “Come on, princess. I saw Carlo hide some wine too. Your party rep will remain intact for this trip.”
Carina smiled. “Lola’s gonna kill him.”
“They had it out about the wine before you got here,” Brianna added because Nova had missed that part.
“Well, he’s Siciliano. He likes it when they bite,” Nova repeated Tino’s words from earlier. “I think he pisses her off on purpose.”
“Everyone keeps saying that. I’m dating a Siciliano,” Brianna pointed out, then had to ask, “What does that say about me? You think I bite? Is that how I come across?”
“Talk to someone else about that problem.” Nova started walking toward the boat before Brianna could complain. “I already know way too much about what the two of yous do.”
“I’m actually going to agree with Nova.” Carina followed her brother down the dock but raised her hand at Brianna. “Love you, though!”
Brianna stood there feeling the back of her neck heat. She didn’t fit in with all the other dancers, and sometimes she had to wonder if there was just something profoundly wrong with her. She’d been hanging around Italians too much, withoutthe sharp-witted charm they wielded so easily to cover up all manner of sins.
She was still standing there when Tino walked past and said, “Hey, sexy,” as he smacked her ass.
He had bags over each shoulder, but other than that, he seemed upbeat when Brianna asked, “Do I bite?”
Without even hesitating, Tino lifted his shirt and turned back to her. He looked at his stomach pointedly. She followed his gaze, seeing the love bites on his abdominal muscles he was not only showing off proudly now but would surely strip off his shirt and show to everyone on the boat in the name of getting sun later.
“That’s not what I meant!” She leaped forward and hit his shoulder. “And why didn’t you tell me we were going on the boat before you let me do that?”
Tino just laughed and dodged her hit. “It’s okay, baby. I’m proud of your bites… Bite me all over. I love it.”
Which was exactly what she was afraid of, so she hit him again.
“Stop being weird!” she snapped at him. “I’m serious. Do not be weird in front of your brother on this trip.”
“I’m always weird in front of my brother,” Tino assured her.
“Notthatbrother. I don’t want Romeo to think I’m some slut who’s corrupting you,” Brianna hissed.
“Is corrupting me an option?” Tino’s smile was wide and dazzling, all Sicilian charm that usually got him whatever he wanted. “Where do I sign up for that?”
Brianna just threw up her hands and gave up.
