“Your brothers,” I whispered.
His thumb traced over my skin as he looked at Angelo and Stefan. “I shouldn’t have left you with them,” he said in a hushed tone. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m fine,” I assured him since this wasn’t the place to talk about the rough sex I had with the twins. So I clutched his hand and smiled. “Thank you, Nico. I’ll be okay.”
Stefan inched his hand up my thigh, snapping my attention back to him. “Are you feeling any better?”
I put my hand over his to stop him from going any farther. It didn’t seem like he was going to pull an Angelo and try to finger me again at the dinner table. But as a precaution, I held his hand in place.
“I need some air,” I muttered.
Angelo slid my chair out from the table. I rose to my feet with Stefan’s help, and my kinky boss winked as our eyes met. He was becoming my new obsession. Something more than attraction drew me to Angelo. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I felt an odd sense of peace with him.
The Vitales looked down-right pissed. Their eyes flicked between Nico and me. They didn’t seem to care as much about the twins touching me as they did Nico.
I was probably paranoid.
“I’ll take her,” Stefan offered.
Angelo touched my shoulder. “Feel better,dolcezza.”
Sweetness.
I loved their cute nicknames for me. If only Dante would stop being such an uptight dick and stop calling me Miss Vianello. It wouldn’t have killed him to use my first name.
Angelo resumed his place at the table.
I glanced up at Nico, who towered over me, his big body invading my space. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I will always worry about you,” he whispered.
After last night, there was no doubt in my mind that Nico had feelings for me. And I had them for him.
Stefan hooked his arm through mine. “Let’s get you some air.” He glanced at his father. “We won’t be long, Papa.”
I was hoping I could go outside with my dad, so we could talk. But Stefan insisted on accompanying me. Nico stayed behind and sat beside his father, who shot dagger eyes at him.
Stefan led me to the outdoor patio that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. I had a similar view from my apartment. But Salvatore’s patio was three times the size, had an even larger pool and spa, and a perfect view of the ocean.
Stefan steered me over to the table and sat beside me. “Are you sure you don’t want me to call the doctor? I can get him over here in ten minutes.”
When Stefan acted this way, I felt like he was my boyfriend. Not my boss or my captor. Not the man who would probably end up putting a bullet into my skull.
I shook my head, even though my chest was tight. “It will pass. The medicine is working.”
He leaned forward and grabbed my hands, massaging my skin. “What triggered the asthma attack?”
“I don’t know,” I lied.
“No one was smoking. Was it someone’s cologne? I know Paulie wears way too much.” He tipped his head back and laughed. “And your friend Bella bathes in Chanel.”
“No, it wasn’t anything I smelled.”
“You can talk to me, ya know.” He tightened his grip on my fingers. “I’m not like Dante. I won’t bite off your head.”
“Thank you, Stefan, but I’m fine. I don’t know what triggered it. Sometimes, it’s out of my control.”
“Is the salty air helping at all?”