Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
I cleaned up my hair, drained the tub, then did my best to mop up the water we’d gotten everywhere, hanging the soaked towels on the side of the tub, then slipping into the fluffy white robe since I had nothing else.
Taking a deep breath, I went to the door, opened it, and moved out into the suite.
Massimo’s back was to me, but his two brothers looked up, giving me soft smiles in greeting.
Seeing them, Massimo turned, gaze taking in the change.
“Fucking love it, babe,” he said, nodding.
That swelling thing my heart did?
Yeah, I was pretty sure that was the beginning of something I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt for a guy before.
It felt strange even to think the word.
But there was no denying it.
I was falling in love with Massimo Grassi.
As insane as that was.
“Thanks. I needed a change,” I said, resisting the urge to reach up and touch it. “Where’s Nicky?” I asked.
“That brother of yours is a better brother than any of us are,” Nino told me in that deep, rough voice of his. “He insisted on going to that all-night box store to grab you some clothes and shit.”
“He didn’t have to do that. He needs to rest.”
“Think we’re all a little jazzed up,” Nino said, shrugging. “Besides, when someone wants to do something nice, figure best bet is to let them.”
That was fair enough.
As crazy as it was, there was probably a part of Nicky that felt guilty about the whole Lucas thing. Since he spent more time with him. Since he felt like he should have seen the signs or something.
At the end of the day, though, people were really good at pretending, at putting on masks when they needed to.
Hell, our own parents were proof of that. We had child services called on us several times and each time, our screwed up parents managed to lie their way through the investigations and not have us taken away.
Lucas learned from the best.
And he would have known that if Nicky suspected something, he would have found some way to get me out and run, which would hardly have put him in a good position with his hero Colin.
“Don’t let us get in your way, hon,” Nino said, waving to the bed. “We were just going over some shit before we go to our own rooms.”
After the events of the day and night, I really did need to sit down, so I went ahead and climbed on the bed.
“Is… where is Nicky going to stay?” I asked. “Not his apartment, right?”
“No,” Massimo said, shaking his head. “It’s best for Nicky right now to lie low. Shit is going to get hectic for a while when everyone learns their leader and the enforcers are gone. We want to make sure he doesn’t get wrapped up in some sort of street war. We got him a room here too for the night. Maybe two.”
“And then?” I asked, hearing the tension in my own voice.
“Then it is up to him,” Massimo told me. “But you, I figured, were coming back to Navesink Bank with me. If you and Nicky have other plans, though, I—“
I knew what he was doing.
He was giving me an out.
He was making it clear I had options, that I wasn’t going to be subject to his demands like I had been to Colin’s.
Which only made me fall a little bit more for him.
That was why I cut him off.
“I would like that,” I told him. “And I imagine that Nicky will follow me there. Not to your house, of course. I can buy him a place. I mean us. I can buy us a place.”
God, that was a bad slip, right? Especially so early in our relationship.
When he said I would go back to Navesink Bank with him, he didn’t mean to his actual house with him. Like… moving in.
“You can do that. If that’s what you want,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “If it feels better having something of your own. But I meant to my place with me. You. Or you and Nicky. Your choice.”
“You really need to go to his place,” August said. “It needs a woman’s touch.”
“Says the fuck with no headboard,” Nino said.
“I’m having one specially made,” August shot back. “And you can’t talk when you had Smush help you decorate your place.”
“When you want something done right, you hire people who know what they’re doing,” Nino said, shrugging. “Can we get you anything?” he asked, turning back to me. “There’s not a lot of places open, but we can find you some food. There’s got to be an all-night diner in a twenty-mile radius. This is Jersey,” he added, smirking.
“We’re so close to breakfast. I think I will just wait,” I said. “But thank you so much. All of you. For everything.”