Twisted Hearts (The Camorra Chronicles 5)

Diego gave me a tired smile. “You’ll be fine.”

I nodded, then got out of the car. Savio came out of the house and toward me.

“You look as if you’re going to puke any moment,” Savio said with a laugh, then he stopped, grabbed my wrist and tugged me closer. His fingers dug into my skin. “Are you scared of meeting my brothers? You’ve talked to them before, and I really would have thought you of all people would be braver.” Again that deep laugh before he kissed my temple, throwing me off completely. “There’s no reason for you to worry.”

My skin warmed and my pulse sped up even more. The spot where his lips had touched my skin tingled. How would it feel to have his lips on mine?

Savio regarded me closely and shook his head. He turned his face away as if he couldn’t bear looking at me a second longer. “Girls that know of their effect on men are dangerous, but you, Kitty, are killing me without even realizing it.” He chuckled, but it was a very dark, very sarcastic sound. His eyes slanted to me and he leaned down again, cupping my head. I froze. In the few days since Savio had become my fiancé, he’d touched me more often than in the years I’d known him before. None of these touches had been inappropriate, but they felt intimate and possessive, and my body’s reaction to them was far from innocent. “Sweet sixteen is mighty sexy and hella tempting when it comes in a package like yours. I’m glad you’re such a fucking good girl. Maybe I can keep my promise to your father after all.”

“Promise?” I said in a raw voice. His closeness was wreaking havoc with my body and mind.

“To keep my hands off you until you’re officially mine, before God and whoever else needs to give his approval.”

“You are touching me.” Why was my voice so low, so… sultry?

Savio took a deep breath, then he gave me that teasing smile. “Believe me, Kitty, the kind of touching I’m talking about will leave you hot and bothered, and even more breathless than you are now.”

I felt hot and bothered by his simple kiss to my temple and his closeness already.

“Fuck,” Savio muttered and stepped away. “That look’s going to get us both in trouble.”

I had to stifle a smile, even though I really didn’t need the kind of trouble he was referring to.

“Come on, let’s go meet the crazies.”

“What if I say something rude or embarrassing?”

“Rudeness is Remo’s mother tongue and if you manage to embarrass either of my brothers, I’m going to buy you that Porsche you’re so crazy about.” He linked our fingers and dragged me into the house.

“The amount of time it took you to bring the girl from our front door to the dining table makes me wonder if Daniele will ask me to put you down like a horny dog tomorrow.”

“Our encounter was perfectly innocent,” Savio said.

“Not thanks to you, I’m sure,” Serafina muttered.

A very unladylike snort-laugh erupted from my mouth, which made me blush furiously.

Kiara gave me a kind smile and walked over to me. She hugged me. “Welcome to our home.”

I gave her a shy smile then my eyes landed on the people gathered behind her. My heart sped up.

Savio stayed close to me and I was eternally grateful for that. His presence gave me the necessary confidence to face his brothers and Fabiano Scuderi.

The blond man was the Camorra’s Enforcer and his reputation and the fights I’d witnessed made me as wary of him as of the rest of the men. Each of them shook my hand. They were reserved, distantly friendly. Serafina and Leona, on the other hand, were as welcoming as Kiara and hugged me before they introduced me to the kids.

There were Remo’s twins, two achingly beautiful toddlers with almost black eyes and pitch-black hair. The girl wore a pink tutu and had thick curls. The moment Kiara led me toward them, she stumbled toward Remo and lifted her arms. He picked her up and pressed her against his chest. Her twin regarded me boldly, while Kiara’s boys were too small to show a big interest in me.

I was overwhelmed by so many new people, but I kept up the smile.

“Let’s eat,” Kiara said with a knowing expression. “I’m sure you’re starving.”

Everyone headed for the table and Savio tugged me along. I sat down beside him, watching in astonishment how Nino and Kiara carried in the food together. I tore my eyes away and gave Nevio a smile. He poked his tongue out with a cheeky grin. I returned the gesture, causing him to grin.

“Great, another bad influence for the kids. As if there weren’t enough of those around already,” Remo said.

I winced, my eyes widening.