Because he was always mad, and if he was going to be mad at anyone, it was going to be me. It was always me. And I didn’t mind. Our strange family connection made us close in a way that meant being mad at each other was a passing emotion.
We heated up quickly but got over it just as fast.
And I wasn’t just doing this for Cora. I was doing this for him. Because he had been through things, and my eldest brother was a ghost from the past who haunted him. I don’t know whether it was guilt or the fact that I secretly thought he was a decent guy, but Alessio deserved the epic love that Cora would provide. He would be changed by it if he’d only been willing to accept it.
“I’m not sure about this anymore,” Cora said cautiously. “Mina’s right. He’s going to be pissed.”
Was she serious?
I blinked at her. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Especially from you, Ms. Throw-Your-Panties-Off-Turn-And-Wait.”
“That’s different,” she said.
I returned an exasperated, “How?”
And then she twisted to face me, just as maddened, and broke my heart. “Because I didn’t love them, okay?”
In the rearview mirror, I watched Mina’s face transform with shock—her brows rose, and her mouth rounded with it. And after a long moment’s silence, Cora slumped back in the passenger seat and closed her eyes, looking a little red in the cheeks.
Her misery ate away at me.
I mean, how was I supposed to ignore that?
No.
Determination lit in my veins. This was happening.
Cora would get her happily ever after, so help me.
“Hey.” I reached out to put my hand on her shoulder. Cora squeezed her eyes shut. I shook her lightly. “Look at me.” And when she finally opened her eyes, I said four words that were likely to piss her off. “No pain, no gain.”
And she glared at me.
Called it.
“Look,” I began. “Men are fickle, okay? And sometimes, even though they might have a shiny, sparkling diamond in front of them, they don’t want it until someone else puts in a bid. So—” I reached down to the bag by her feet, lifted it, and shoved it into her lap, then grinned. “—let the bidding begin.”
Cora thought about it a moment. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, undoing her seatbelt and murmuring, “He’s gonna be pissed.”
Oh, boohoo. “So what? At least then he’ll have shown some emotion, for Christ’s sake.”
Cora’s head tilted, and a single brow rose. “Why does that lowkey make sense?”
There we go. Now, all we had to do was go inside and wait.
“See?” Cora lifted her bare foot onto a dining room seat as Davi Lobo kept his burning gaze high up on her thigh, where the white lace garter teased. Her skirt rode up, almost all the way to her hip, revealing the lower curve of her ass and the black satin panties she wore underneath. “This one is different from the black one. It’s plainer, but…” She thought about it. “I like it. I don’t know.” Davi’s eyes were trained on her bare leg, and Cora feigned innocence like a pro. “What do you think, Davi?” Her voice turned breathy. “Leather or lace?”
Immediately, the Portuguese man croaked out a heavily accented, “Two.”
“Two?” Cora’s brows lowered in confusion.
I smiled to myself. She didn’t speak fluent Davi like I did. “He means both.”
“O sim.” He twisted to look back at me, nodding. “Both.” He lifted one hand. “One good.” Then the other. “Two good.” He put his two hands together and grinned. “Both.”
Cora reached out to lovingly cup his cheek. “You do wonders for my ego, sweetheart.”
Mina’s phone chimed, and she checked the display. “He’s a few minutes away.” She leaned into me and whispered, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
I didn’t, but nothing else had worked. Anything was worth a shot.
Cora took her time slipping the garter off before placing it back in the bag and lifting out a tiny scrap of material. She stood straight, then placed it over her skirt.
Davi didn’t blink, and when he realized that tiny scrap of silk was a pair of skimpy French panties, he put a hand to his forehead and groaned softly, “Querido Deus.”
“Now,” Cora said, “picture this…”
“Okay,” Davi croaked.
“…but with nothing else on.” She motioned to her torso. “Nothing else. Nada.”
I could’ve laughed at the pained expression on Davi’s gorgeous face. I probably would have if we weren’t rudely interrupted.
“The fuck?”
The blazing fury that came from the open doorway should have alarmed me. But because there was obviously something wrong with me, the satisfaction I felt energized me enough to make me feel like I could kick down a door.
Stick to the plan, girls. Stick to the plan.
Cora barely spared him a glance. “Oh, hi.”
From where I sat, I didn’t even look up from my phone. “Look, everyone. It’s Oscar the Grouch.”