Serafina followed my gaze to her son. “He refuses to wear wings. He always wanted to swim without them. He’s stubborn. I can’t take my eyes off him for a second.”
“They are so different for twins,” I said, indicating Greta who’d only given me a quick smile but otherwise seemed lost in her own world.
“They are,” Serafina said softly, stroking her daughter’s head with a soft smile. “She started ballet lessons six months ago. It almost gave Remo a heart attack. He thought she’d become a fighter… like you.”
I considered the quiet girl. “Maybe in a few years. If her brothers and cousins all fight, maybe she’ll want it too.”
Serafina shrugged, but it was obvious that she doubted it.
“How’s Carlotta doing?” Kiara asked.
“She’s recovering quickly. We really hope that she’ll be able to be a normal kid soon. She’s never been allowed around other kids because the risk of getting an infection was too high.”
“Carlotta and Aurora are close in age, they can play once your sister is well enough,” Leona said.
I nodded, touched how they tried to make me feel welcome.
“You took undergraduate courses at UNLV, right?”
Leona gave a nod. “Yeah. I finished my undergrad shortly before this little one popped out of me. And you’ll start in a few weeks, right?”
“I don’t know. I never really wanted to attend college. It was more something to do while Savio decided when we wanted to marry.” Realizing how pathetic that sounded, I added, “But now I’m not sure what to do. I didn’t even sign up for courses that interest me.”
“Why don’t you do something you enjoy then? It’s not like you’ll ever have a day job,” Kiara said.
“You could become a self-defense instructor for women and children. You know how possessive mafia men are. They’d never allow another man to teach their daughters or wives how to fight, but nobody would be bothered if you did it.”
I blinked at Serafina. Why hadn’t I thought of it?
“You could start with Massimo, Nevio, and Alessio,” Kiara said. “The men have enough on their plate, so they don’t often have time to work with the boys.”
“I wouldn’t mind working out again,” Leona said. “Since I got pregnant with Aurora, I didn’t have time for defense training… or any kind of training really.”
I grinned, loving the idea. Fitness and fighting were my passion.
We spent the next few hours chatting like that until Savio came our way. The moment he spotted me lounging in my bikini, his expression became so hungry that I felt like we were doing something indecent.
“I think we should give the newlyweds a bit of privacy,” Serafina said quickly.
I almost asked the girls to stay because the way Savio was watching me made me feel hot and bothered. Soon we were alone. Savio was still in street clothes but made me feel naked. “You’re staring.”
He shook his head. “I think you’re really trying to kill me, Gem. That bikini is a joke.”
I hid a pleased smile by putting my sunglasses on.
He leaned over me. “Tell you what. I’ll get changed and then we’ll take a dip.” After a quick kiss, he stalked away. I turned on my stomach, trying to decide if swimming was the best idea. I needed every layer of clothing I could get between Savio and me to resist his charm.
A few minutes later, a familiar shadow fell over me.
“Did you know that you have the prettiest dimples…” Savio began.
I didn’t bother to turn around. “I don’t—”
“…above your perfectly shaped ass.”
I snapped my mouth shut. “What are you talk—”
His hot breath ghosted over my lower back. “Right here,” he said in a low voice that sent a pleasant shiver through my body. His mouth touched a spot right above my ass. Shock shot through me, then indignation, and I was about to whirl on him. Then he began to suck the spot and my limbs turned to mush. What was happening? Heat pooled in my belly. Oh my God. What was he doing with his lips?
He released my skin, then dragged his lips along my lower back. “And here.” He latched onto my skin again, sucked and licked. The heat of his body ghosted over my thighs as he leaned over me.
I should tell him off. Throw my drink in his face and smash my knee into his balls, but I couldn’t move. Savio’s mouth was a weapon in more than one way. I’d heard it from more girls than I cared to recount, but this bordered on insanity. How could he render me motionless by touching his cursed lips to my lower back?
I could hardly breathe, was waiting for my lungs to stop working because every other part of me had.
And then finally, Savio released my skin and stretched out on the lounge chair beside mine. He reached out and slowly pushed my sunglasses up so he could see my eyes. His mouth tipped up in a lazy smile. “That good, hmm?”
If my tongue hadn’t still been tied, I would have given a clever comeback. Instead, heat shot into my head. It had been good, so good that I couldn’t think about anything but the fact that he would see how good if he took a closer look at my bikini bottoms.
Savio chuckled. “If this got you this hot and bothered, Gem, just imagine what my mouth would do between your legs?”
I was trying very hard not to, but of course I did. Toni had once mentioned something along the lines until I’d asked her to never mention her activities with my brother again.
Savio’s smile widened because he knew. He leaned closer and I held my breath. “I know you’re stubborn as fuck, but you’re punishing yourself, not just me. We’re all alone. You don’t even have to say a word. Just close your eyes and I’ll take it as permission to part your legs and bury my face in your pussy. No sex, just my tongue, Kitty.”
Don’t close your eyes, Gemma. Do not dare closing your eyes.
I closed my eyes. I was such a goddamn loser, but the throbbing between my legs was too strong to resist.
“Good decision, Kitty,” Savio growled in my ear before the sunchair groaned and I felt his warmth over my thighs once more. He pressed a kiss to my ass, and I almost moaned. Had anticipation ever killed someone?
I could practically feel how smug Savio was, but right then I didn’t care. There would be time for regret later, and I would regret it, no doubt.
Savio palmed my ass cheeks.
A high-pitched scream rang out. My eyes shot open. A shadow darted past me.
“Ass bomb!”
Nevio catapulted himself from the edge of the pool and did the aforementioned ass bomb. Cold water splashed everywhere. In my face, my cocktail, all over my body. And it doused me with a necessary dose of sanity. I turned around.
Savio, too, was drenched and a look at my face and he knew the moment was over. His eyes latched onto Nevio who was floating in the pool with a wide grin. “That’s it, PIA. I’m going to abandon you in the desert!”
In two large steps, he was at the pool and then he dove in.
I quickly got up, gathering my belongings, not my dignity though, because that was gone. Savio had won today, and he knew it. I wasn’t sure how, but I needed to tip the scale in my favor again, if only my body would cooperate.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Gemma running away as if the devil was at her heels. Nevio splashed me again. Serafina rushed toward us. “He escaped.”
I managed to grab Nevio and held him fast despite his squirming. “Don’t pretend you didn’t use the little PIA as a cockblock on purpose.”
Serafina rolled her eyes and took her struggling son from me. “Enough, Nevio,” she said sharply, and finally he stopped.
I narrowed my eyes at him. He only grinned. I couldn’t wait for him to be a teenager so I could ruin his sex life.
She turned around and left me in the pool, not bothering to hide her smug smile. I pushed myself out of the water. “Fuck.” I’d almost had Gemma, but now her stubbornness would get in the way again. Sighing, I jogged after her.
She was already in jeans and shirt when I found her, gone the delicious bikini that had deprived my brain of blood.
“Do you think I could start working as a self-defense instructor for girls and kids?”
I paused, thrown off by the topic. “I thought you were going to college to study these feminism courses.”
“You know I only signed up for them to annoy you.” She bit her lip. “But it’s not something that I’d enjoy. I’d rather help people get comfortable in their bodies and learn to defend themselves.”
“Then do it. What’s stopping you?”
“I thought…”
I raised my eyebrows, moving closer. “You thought?”
“I should get your permission first. You’re my husband and…”
I pulled her against me despite her protests. “If that’s what you want to do, then do it. You don’t need my permission for that.” I smiled. “How about we continue where we left off at the pool?”
She slipped out of my hold, making an innocent face. “I don’t know what you mean.” Before I could grab her again, she left the room. Running again, Kitty?
Did giving in to me scare her that much?
That night I could see Gemma’s stubborn streak in full effect. She didn’t allow me more than a quick kiss once we were in bed.