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“He stopped by to get coffee, and I was literally walking out the door, but I couldn’t turn him away, so I told him to come in. We talked a little; it was nice.”
Realization passed through Ella’s features. “Oh my God…You like my brother.”
Like? That was a strong word. She respected him, admired him at times even, genuinely thought he was an amazing person who would do anything for his family and friends. He was also insanely good looking, always willing to lend her an ear, and made the stress in her life momentarily vanish with a simple glance at his blue eyes. Those eyes were familiar, comforting, and lately had made her think about a future she never saw for herself. They set her mind on fire, penetrated her thoughts and lingered there far into the night.
Oh God.
“I do.” Cami buried her face in her hands. How did she allow this to happen? “What am I going to do? I don’t do relationships. They’re messy and complicated. I’d rather just meet someone, have sex a few times, and go our separate ways, happy and satisfied.”
“I just want to state that it is my brother that we’re talking about here, and it is very weird for me, so please spare any and all details that would relate to you two eventually doing it.”
“Sorry, but I don’t have anyone else to talk to about this.”
“You could talk to Krissy. Or literally anyone but me.”
“I could, but he’s your brother, and before I even let anything else happen, I want to make sure you’re cool with this.” Until the words were out of her mouth, she hadn’t realized how much she really wanted to pursue something with Enzo. They may have wanted different things out of life, but she couldn’t deny how he made her feel, at least not anymore.
“Why wouldn’t I be cool? My best friend and my brother together? I honestly couldn’t think of something that would make me happier. You both are such good, kind-hearted people. Rough around the edges a little, but you mean well.”
“But…?” Cami could sense it coming.
“You’re both also strong willed and determined to be right. You’ll either fall madly in love with each other or commit murder. I’m crossing my fingers for madly in love, but I’m not so sure.”
Cami laughed. “He does get on my last nerve.”
“Who knew all the banter between you two in the last couple of years was really pent up sexual frustration? It all makes sense now.”
“No,” Cami said. “Maybe.” Confusion sucked her in, spinning her head and making her question everything. “I never looked at him like that before…recently.”
“Subconsciously you probably did. And now you have to come in with me.”
The last thing she needed was Ella playing matchmaker. If anything was going to happen with Enzo, Cami wanted it to happen without any outside influence.
“Please, do me a favor and not say anything to him.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“The look on your face says otherwise.”
Ella pressed her lips together, but it was a losing battle against the smile emerging.
“El, please. This isn’t some guy I’m never going to see again. This is your brother, and I don’t want to mess this up and make it awkward. Let’s just go with the flow for once.”
“Fine,” Ella said. “But if you two get married, I’m calling dibs on maid of honor.”
“Marriage? We haven’t even actually kissed yet.”
“Let’s just say I have a good feeling about this.”
Cami was happy Ella did, because she wasn’t sharing the same sentiment. She wasn’t the relationship type, never had been. She was always more in it for the fun, and as soon as the fun died down, she was gone. She never thought long term, never looked beyond the moment. With Enzo, she could envision a future, and that terrified her more than anything ever had before.
Chapter 11
Enzo went straight to poker night after work, not bothering to stop home first. Ella was out looking at coffee tables for his place with Cami, and he didn’t want to accidentally stumble upon them. Not after he’d almost kissed Cami earlier. He had gotten her cheek, but if he was honest with himself, he really wanted to capture her lips and feel her mouth move against his, run his fingers through her red strands of hair, pull her close, and inhale her vanilla coffee scent.
He forced the thought out of his mind and walked into the house, carrying two to-go bags from the restaurant. He made his way to the dining room and cheers erupted as he stepped inside. “Finally,” Dominick said. “We thought you might have gotten lost.”
“Nope, just got stuck chatting with a customer.”
