“Is anything with Carlotta?”
Our little baby sister had been born with a heart defect and had spent a great amount of her first year in hospitals, which was why Dad worked even harder in the restaurants to pay for the medical bills. Without the money Diego earned as a Camorrista, we wouldn’t get far anyway. That was why I had been spending more time with Toni recently.
“She turned blue today, so Mom and Nonna took her to the ER. I don’t know when they’ll be back.”
“Is she okay? Should I go to the ER?”
“No, they’ll do the usual check-ups. She needs a new heart, or this will keep happening.” He sighed. In the background, I could hear clanging then Dad cursing.
“I’m sorry, Gemma. We wanted to celebrate with you. Nonna baked a cake. It’s in the kitchen.”
“Don’t worry. I had a great day with Toni in the Spa. I’ll put on something comfortable and watch a movie.”
“All right. See you later.”
I hung up. It was strange being in the house all by myself. Usually there was always someone home and that’s how I preferred it. I was about to head upstairs to exchange my jeans and shirt for something more comfortable when the bell rang.
Peering through the peephole, my stomach did a little flip. Savio stood on the doorstep, smiling.
I jerked back, stunned by the strong way my body reacted to his presence. I hadn’t seen him in over a year. He’d avoided me, I knew that now, and today he showed up as if nothing had happened.
I opened the door, trying to act casual, even as my emotions warred between fury and delight.
“Happy birthday, Kitty,” Savio said before I could tell him off and pulled out brand-new boxing gloves and shoes from behind his back. I’d been wanting these forever, but they cost too much so I’d kept using Diego’s old things.
My eyes widened and I snatched the shoes from his hands. I preferred to wear shoes when I sparred with Diego because he had a habit of stepping on my feet, and these boxing shoes were ultralight.
Savio smirked. “Good to know that you’re more excited about shoes than your fiancé. A typical girl after all.”
I bit back a comment, actually happy that he was here. The quiet house seriously freaked me out.
“Won’t you ask me in?” Savio asked with open amusement.
I hesitated. I was alone and explicitly forbidden from having male visitors. But Savio was my fiancé.
“I’m alone.”
Savio’s brows drew together. “On your birthday?”
“Emergency in the restaurant and my mom and Nonna had to take Carlotta to the ER.”
“Fuck,” Savio said. “Is she all right?”
His honest concern for my little sister made me forgive him momentarily. “Yeah. Her heart is too weak.” I stepped back and opened the door. Savio strode in, as usual, impeccably dressed in black jeans, white T and leather jacket. He looked impossibly good and it was the worst idea to invite him in when no one was around.
“Your dad and brother need to stop being so stubborn and accept the money my brothers and I offered to lend them.”
“To just interest rates?”
Savio turned and in our narrow corridor that brought us closer than I’d intended. His eyes slid over me. “No interest, Gem. We want to help our men. And we’ll soon be family. We wouldn’t even want it back, but your dad refuses to accept money.”
I nodded. That sounded like Dad and Diego. They both wanted to take care of us without help.
It was strange being alone with Savio, and suddenly I wasn’t sure how to act around him. Before seeing him, I’d been furious at him, but now I felt mostly confused.
“You look gorgeous. Eighteen suits you,” Savio said and set the boxing gloves down on the sideboard.
“Thanks,” I said, then quickly walked past him and into the living room to bring more space between us. Savio followed. He looked relaxed and self-assured as he took me in. He shrugged out of his leather jacket and the tight shirt beneath did nothing to hide his muscles.
I stopped in the middle of the room. Suddenly completely at a loss what to do. I’d never been on a date, of course. I hadn’t even spent time with Savio alone except for the few times he’d trained with me when I was younger. This was new to me.
Savio didn’t share my hesitation. Of course, he didn’t. He came closer and stopped in front of me. “Did you miss me?”
“You distracted yourself pretty good from what I hear, so you probably didn’t waste a single thought on me,” I bit out.
Savio took another step closer. I tilted my head back to keep an eye on his face, wary of his motives, and worse, my traitorous body. “Did Diego badmouth me again?”
“Is it a lie then?”
“Is what a lie?” he asked in a low voice. His head was closer than before and his gaze slid over my body once more. The possessive glint in his eyes sent a shiver down my back.