Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 65112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
“You’re late.”
I hold up the bottle. “You’re welcome.”
He takes the wine and leans down to kiss my cheek. “You’re still late.”
“By like five minutes. It’s LA, you’re lucky I’m not an hour late.”
He looks pleased to see me, which takes some of the heat out of my annoyance. Nico always was handsome in that easy, social way that makes people trust him instinctively. Dark hair like mine, the same green eyes, broad shoulders, and a smile so charming he could talk his way out of murder charges.
I step inside and slip off my heels by the entry rug before he can remind me that this is a shoeless house.
“What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing.”
I blink at him. “Nothing?”
“Try not to sound so suspicious.”
“It is suspicious,” I marvel.
He laughs and starts toward the back of the house. “I had dinner catered, so tonight is really chill.”
“That feels like a trap,” I grumble.
I follow him into the kitchen that’s three times the size of the one we grew up with. His floors are wide-plank, and the low, warm track lighting always makes his living space feel like an art gallery. The massive marble island is full of already-plated food, and the glass doors open to a patio where the last of the evening light has bled out over the hills.
“I thought we’d have dinner on the patio tonight,” Nico says casually, grabbing a bowl of pasta from the island. “It’s such a nice night.”
I nod and go out to see two men sitting at the table already, each nursing their own glasses of red wine.
“Gentlemen, this is my sister Valentina,” Nico says behind me. “Val, you probably remember my best friend Sebastian. And next to him is his cousin, Matteo.”
“Valentina,” Matteo says, standing up and stepping forward to kiss my cheek. “You’re way too beautiful to be Nico’s sister.”
“I got all the looks,” I joke, instantly liking him. I turn to Sebastian. “Nice to see you again.”
Frankly, I don’t remember ever meeting Sebastian. I know he came to our parents’ funeral, but I’ve blocked out most of that day. It takes all my willpower not to gawk.
It’s not that I didn’t know, in theory, that Nico’s best friend was attractive. He’s not one of LA’s most eligible bachelors for nothing. It’s that nothing about the vague idea in my head prepared me for the actual reality of Sebastian DeLuca in person.
He’s bigger than I expected, built like a defensive lineman. He doesn’t stand, but even sitting I can tell he’s several inches taller than Nico and Matteo. Black hair and dark eyes that make his face look sharper, harsher than the pictures in the gossip magazines. Undeniably, unbelievably hot. Also, apparently, the rudest man in the universe.
He doesn’t smile when I look at him. He just watches me. My skin prickles under his gaze.
“Valentina,” Sebastian finally says, his voice low and deep. “Nice to see you.”
I hold his gaze because I’m not weak and because something ugly and proud in me refuses to be the first one to look away. There’s a small scar near one eyebrow that only makes him look even more dangerous.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Matteo cuts in smoothly, breaking through the strange static between us. “I was starting to think Nico made you up.”
“Unfortunately for Nico, I am very real,” I quip, sitting down hesitantly next to Sebastian. Based on the half-empty wineglass next to Matteo, this is the only open seat.
Nico puts the bowl of pasta down, then grabs the already open wine bottle on the table and pours some into an empty glass for me.
“Drink,” he commands. “Maybe it’ll make you less difficult.”
“I’m not difficult,” I bristle.
“It almost took an act of war to get you to dinner.” He chuckles before going back to the kitchen to grab the rest of the food.
“Let me help you,” Matteo says, getting up and following him.
Sebastian is watching me intently enough that I feel it all the way down my spine. He looks at me like he’s taking inventory, trying to figure out all of my secrets. It’s unnerving. I take a drink of wine mostly so I have something to do with my mouth besides say something stupid.
When Nico and Matteo come back, we all eat and talk like old friends, even though I’m just meeting Matteo and Sebastian for the first time. That’s one thing about Nico. He never lets anyone feel awkward or left out in his presence.
Sebastian doesn’t talk much at first. Matteo is charming enough for both of them and commands a good portion of the conversation. He’s funny, loud, and openly expressive. Nico laughs more than I’ve seen him laugh in years, and it makes me happy. There was a time when I didn’t think I’d ever see him smile again, let alone laugh.