Benito snatched me back. “Se lo tocchi, ti strappo le braccia e te le infilo su per il culo,” Benito said.
An involuntary shiver raced down my spine and wrapped around my cock, stroking it softly.
“Don’t you dare respond in Italian. Speak English or get out.”
Quincy smiled brightly. “This marriage is different than I expected.”
How so?I licked my lips nervously. Was it obvious to him, too, that everything between me and Benito was raw, unfamiliar, and intoxicating?
Quincy looked at me intently. “I wanted to see how serious he was about you.”
What the hell was Quincy on about? But more importantly, why in the fuck was my heart racing? I peeked up at Benito but turned away before we locked gazes.
“Quincy and I met when I came back to America.” I needed them to calm down. Maybe if Benito knew a little about him, he would be less likely to kill him.
“Good old days when it was just me and Har.”
I glared at Quincy. “??????????????” (Shut up. I’ll shove a knife down your throat.”
Quincy winked at me. Benito’s fingers tightened around my arm until I knew it would leave bruises.
“Came back?” Benito asked. It sounded like it took everything he had to ask the question and ignore Quincy.
His shoulders were still too tense for my liking. I ushered him to sit down, and he did so, but not before yanking me to his lap. I’d protest, but I found it far more comfortable than the couch.
I shrugged. “My mom is American. I was raised here until I was seven. Went back to Japan until I was thirteen. Been back and forth until recently.”
“You didn’t even know that about him?” Quincy asked, shaking his head. “I know everything; how many stitches he’s had, which bones he’s broken, and even who he took to senior prom.”
What the fuck?It was like Quincy was baiting Benito. Why? It wasn’t like Benito would care about any of that stuff. It was meaningless.
“It must be hard being married to someone who knows nothing about you,” Quincy said.
Lorelei took that moment to walk back into the room with a tray of tea and… were those cookies? I had no idea where she got half the shit on the tray or where she even got the tray.
“There wasn’t much, but I found a few things.” She sat it down on the coffee table. Her eyes widened as they landed on Benito and me. A small smile crept onto her face. “Oh, thank goodness.” Tears shimmered in her eyes, and she fanned herself.
I was up and moving toward her in seconds. “What’s the matter?”
She shook her head. “Stupid baby making me cry.” She wiped her eyes and smiled up at me. “It’s nothing. I just never thought I’d see you happy.”
What, me? Happy? Was I?
It might be stupid to some, questioning if they were happy or not, but I never really thought about it. I wouldn’t say I hated my life. It was hard as fuck sometimes, but whose wasn’t? Was I happy twenty-four-seven? Fuck no. Then again, happiness wouldn’t be anyone’s goal if it was so easy to grasp.
I glanced at Benito briefly. One little look and my heart raced as warmth spread throughout my chest.
“Oh, do you two want to feel the baby?” She offered her stomach. “I have no idea what I’m having just yet. Notin wants it to be a surprise.”
Quincy made a noise, and I glanced his way. He rolled his eyes. I got the distinct feeling Notin wasn’t the great guy my sister portrayed him to be. Then again, they never were.
She moved closer to Benito and me. She was only 5’ 4”. Even pregnant, she was small and delicate looking. Benito stood, and everything rational left the building. His tattooed hand reached out at Lorelei’s insistence. I slapped it down before they could come in contact. My heart was firmly in my throat; I could taste it.
Lorelei laughed, none the wiser. “Har has always been super protective of me.”
Yeah, that was why I had slapped Benito’s hand away. To protect my sister. Not because the idea of him touching her or seeing them together, especially with her being pregnant, made me violently ill.
Lorelei sat down finally and sighed. She had perfect posture, and everything about her screamed she was raised to be someone’s wife. She reached for her tea and slowly lifted it to her mouth.