Page 22 of Primo DeLuca

Chapter Eight

Primo

I lifted my face to the camera at the front door so the twins would see me clearly. The door popped open, and a weird need to see and touch Nevah again made my pulse race. I tempered my steps, feigning a calm and easy stride that didn’t match the anxious edge riding me.

The living room sat empty, but the sound of the television in the den drew me in that direction. Aurelio and Alesso acknowledged me with head nods and wide smiles, that said more than words ever could.

Alesso, with her small frame and delicate features, had an approachable demeanor. Aurelio, with his brawny size and towering height, appeared the more intimidating of the twins. However, Alesso was older by ten minutes and the most dangerous of the two. Thankfully, the twins weren’t the hugging kind, so our head gestures and smiles sufficed for greetings.

Nevah sat with her legs tucked under her and her head against the back of the couch facing Alesso, and Aurelio sat behind her. My cousins might have appeared like two normal people to outside eyes, but upon seeing the way they surrounded Nevah, I saw two of the deadliest assassins I knew protecting my precious package. One would never know that, like me, they were carrying enough weapons on them to take out a ten-block radius.

Nevah’s head lifted when I stepped closer to the couch. The moment her eyes met mine, they grew wide with recognition. She stood quickly and appeared to be preparing herself to run.

She rushed in my direction with a quiet sense of relief washing over her features. When she threw her arms around me, tight and sure, I released a little chuckle at the action.

This situation didn’t make any logical sense. We didn’t know each other, but it felt like we knew each other.

“You okay?” I asked, whispering into her hair after wrapping her in a tight embrace. A deep inhale gave me a good whiff of her alluring scent. My hands were rubbing up and down her back with a caring touch I didn’t even know I was capable of delivering.

She glanced up, locking those big brown eyes with mine.

“I’m scared. I want to go home.”

Her tone rang with sorrow and a quiet pleading that made me want to fulfill her request, but I couldn’t. And although I suspected that she was scared, I wasn’t picking up fear.

“You’re my responsibility now. I can’t let you go off alone and end up hurt or killed.”

My words had tears welling up in her eyes. I couldn’t imagine how she felt and prayed, one of those emotions was confidence in me and my ability to take care of her. My arms tightened around her, folding her in a reassuring embrace.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Her head dropped and rested against my shoulder before she nodded, acknowledging my words. The throat clearing ceremony taking place drew my attention. The twins stared at me with Nevah like they were seeing a marvel in the making, their brows pinched tight with confusion.

“Nevah said that you two met tonight. It certainly doesn’t appear that way,” Aurelio stated, his eyes narrowing at the sight of us.

“Is there something you want to tell us?” Alesso questioned, continuing where her brother left off.

“No. We met, we’re here, and now we have to figure out how to live with how we got here,” I said, being vague on purpose. I couldn’t explain how we had gotten here anymore than I could explain my weird attraction to Nevah. All I knew was that I wasn’t willing to allow the person who was after me to get to her.

“It was a DeLuca who ordered my hit, and I don’t think it’s meant for only me. Someone may know what we truly are. If so, we may be a part of the hit that took out Don Ermanno. Either that or there’s another DeLuca here in St. Louis that is out for DeLuca blood.”

Nevah’s head jerked up, her gaze flashing around the room at each of us before she placed it on mine.

“You weren’t lying at the club. Your own family is really trying to kill you?”

“Yes,” was all I said. I wanted to say more but reminded myself that we were only hours into our relationship, and I’d already said too much in front of her.

“We’re going to give you guys some privacy. I need to get some sleep,” Alesso announced, her gaze bouncing between me and Nevah, who hadn’t let go of me yet. The quick thump of her heartbeat pumped fast and strong enough to tap out a beautiful rhythm against me. She was scared, and I was the only thread of safety in this world that was unknown to her.

I cast a quick nod at each of my cousins before they stood and left the room, their steps in sync. The rhythm of their footsteps faded before their doors closing sounded. I walked us to the couch and sat with Nevah tucked into my side, her head resting against my pec.

We didn’t speak one word but sat comfortably within the security of our embrace. Her gaze fell to my right hand, taking in my missing digits for the first time. She retracted the arm she had around my waist and moved it closer to my hand, not stopping until her fingertips were brushing mine.

My first instinct was to jerk my hand away, but the idea that she was willing to touch what some people found disturbing was impressive and endeared me to her that much more. She kept her hand atop mine and melted into my embrace without saying a word. Her action caused a smile of contentment to settle on my lips for a long time.

I hadn’t realized I’d fallen asleep until my head made an attempt to detach itself from my neck. Nevah was lying on her side with her head on my lap. Her mouth was so close to the bulge in my pants, it appeared she was preparing to give me head. The sight made me harder and forced me to reposition her in an attempt to calm down.

Once I placed a small pillow under her head and covered her with the throw from the back of the couch, I let my head fall back. The ceiling was the perfect blank canvas that allowed me to think clearly about all that had taken place tonight.

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