That's when my phone rings again. I scowl at the name that appears on the screen.
Alphahole calling.
There is only one alphahole I know. And how the hell did he get access to this phone and have his contact details keyed in already?
"Aren’t you going to answer it?" Cassandra asks.
"No." I decline the call, switch off the phone for good measure and then drop it on the sofa next to me.
"Hmm…" Cass scowls at me. "Not sure Christian would be happy to hear you say that."
"To hell with Christian." I sniff.
"Was that him?" Theresa scowls. "Is that who you hung up on?"
"Maybe…" I raise a shoulder. "Not that it matters."
She wipes away the moisture on her cheek. "So, are you and he really going to stay separate until your wedding?"
At least, my love life seems to have intercepted what could have been an altercation between the two of them.
"It would seem that way," I reply. "I mean, we are only following tradition, aren’t we, by staying apart?"
"You would be the only one who would be doing so." She leans forward in her seat, "Aren’t you tempted to, at least, test drive him before the wedding?"
"What?" I frown. "No, of course not. If anything, I am happy Nonna is helping to reinforce this particular convention."
"I don’t know of a single couple who hasn’t broken this custom," Theresa drawls.
"So you and Xander…?"
Her features crumple, but then she straightens her spine.
"No, we didn’t. And not for lack of trying. I mean, I should have known then that he was having second thoughts, but you know, I thought he was only being a gentleman."
"The Sovranos being gentlemanly?" I scoff. "Now I have heard everything."
"Not all of the brothers are so … rough," Cass protests.
"If you are thinking of Adrian," I peer into her features. "Well, of course, you are thinking of Adrian; I have to warn you not to be taken in by a polite facade."
"But he is the most silent of all of them." Cass frowns. "I mean, surely, he can’t be worse than your Christian."
"Not my Christian." I huff. “And that’s exactly what I mean. The quieter they are, the more lethal their sting is. Still waters and all that."
"Hmm…" She strokes her chin. "I’ll keep that in mind. Not that I intend to get to know him better or anything."
"Of course not!" I cough into my hand.
Theresa’s gaze bounces between us. "So, the two of you are involved with the Sovrano brothers?"
"No." I scowl.
"Hey," Cass protests, "don’t drag me into this." She jerks her chin in my direction. "I’m not the one getting married in a few days."
And I won’t be either, if I have my way. "True that," I mumble. I raise my hand to push the hair away from my face, and Theresa’s gaze widens. "Wow!" She stares at my fingers. "That’s some ring."
"Yeah…" I lower my hand to my lap.