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“Yeah, I guess she must’ve sic’d them on me. How else would they know we slept together?”
“You slept with her?” He claps me on the back. “Excellent.”
I roll my eyes. “Wanna beer?”
“Always.” Angelo follows me into the kitchen. “Why would she have sent them after you, though?”
“It’s a long, fucked-up story.” I open the fridge, grab two beers and toss him one.
Angelo catches it, cracks the bottle open and nods to the living room area. “I’ve got time. Let’s hear it. What did you do now?”
“Apparently, I pissed Gabriella off so badly that she sent her bulldog cousins over here.” God, that pisses me off. For all her talk about being an independent woman and doing things herself, why would she not handle the situation herself? I didn’t even think she got along very well with her cousins, so it’s hard for me to wrap my head around it.
“I didn’t think they got along very well,” Angelo comments, voicing my thoughts as we go sit down on the couch. “They’re always arguing and throwing each other under the bus in our meetings.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s weird. But how else would they know?” I think the better question is why the hell would she confide something so personal? Something about it all seems off and it’s bothering me. But what other explanation could there be?
“Maybe they saw you guys flirting and just assumed,” Angelo suggests.
“Nah, I don’t think so. They seemed pretty damn sure and warned me to stay away from her—and to stay out of her bed. Somehow, they knew.”
“Back to that.” Angelo waggles his brows. “Was it all you imagined it would be?”
I can hear the teasing in his tone, but the honest to God truth is it was so much better. But how do I explain that to my horndog, little brother? He has no concept of a relationship or having intense feelings for one specific, very special, woman. Hell, I didn’t either until Gabriella swept into my life like a tornado and upended everything.
“I don’t kiss and tell,” I say and Ang groans. “But, I will say I’m really fucking mad about what just happened. I can’t wrap my head around it. I can’t believe Bri would confide in those two morons. She doesn’t even like them.”
“Oh, so it’s Bri now, is it?”
It seems like I’ve given myself away, so what’s the point in pretending I don’t care and that I’m not harboring crazy, intense feelings for Gabriella?
“I really like her,” I admit in a quiet voice.
For a moment my brother doesn’t say anything. I’m expecting a joke or sarcastic comment, but he mulls over my words then his mouth edges up.
“I’m really happy for you, Enzo.”
“Happy for me?” I scoff. “She hates my guts.”
“Does she, though? I highly doubt it.”
“Shit, Ang. This whole thing is a mess and it’s going to get worse.” I quickly explain to him about how Gabriella confided in me about Holloway Corp. and the way I went behind her back. As the words come out of my mouth, I realize how bad they sound. Shit, I’m a total villain.
“Okay, that was a dick move, bro. Why the hell would you do that? I don’t blame her for being upset.”
“I’ve never hesitated in business. You know that. I’m a shark and go for exactly what I want. Fuck other people’s feelings. My main goal is to make our family money. A ton of money.”
“You have made us a ton of money already, Enzo. We could live out the rest of our lives and never run out.”
I sigh. I know he’s right. So why did I do it?
Because you wanted to see her again, a little voice says. And because you were pissed she left your bed early.
“And, yeah, fuck other people’s feelings…but not hers. Not the woman you just told me you’re falling for.”
Dammit, he’s right. How could I have been so blind? “When did you get so wise?” I ask gruffly.
Angelo chuckles. “I’m smarter than you, Vin and Miceli put together.”
