Page 47 of Bellini Born

My elbow made contact with his ribs. “Shut the fuck up.”

“That’s right, take out all your aggression on me so Summer has no clue that you’re pissed as hell she might’ve scratched the paint job on your most prized possession. Wouldn’t want anything ruining your chances of getting into her pants, now would we?”

It was pure fucking instinct that had me reaching into my holster to whip out my gun and press the muzzle directly into my cousin’s forehead.

Low and lethal, my words came out through a tightly clenched jaw. “Isaidshut. The. Fuck. Up.”

To his credit, Enzo didn’t flinch. He knew it was entirely within my rights to kill him if I so chose.

“Uh, I’m just gonna head back down to the gatehouse.” Paulie’s slightly nervous voice could barely be heard over the blood roaring in my ears.

“Good idea,” I replied, my eyes never leaving Enzo.

Once retreating footsteps sounded, the man whose life I could end with a single twitch of my index finger said, “If you’re going to shoot me, get it over with already. Either way, you’ve just shown your hand.”

He was right. Within the hour, word would spread throughout the organization that disrespecting Summer would be a fatal mistake. They’d know how much she meant to me, and that would be enough to put her life in danger.

As I let my arm fall to my side, the haze of red surrounding my vision cleared, and I cursed under my breath. “Fuck.”

The relieved rush of air that flew past Enzo’s lips was the only indication that he’d been nervous while I’d held him at gunpoint. Stepping backward to put space between us, he huffed out astrained laugh. “Didn’t realize how badly she’d gotten into your head.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” I muttered.

It didn’t matter that I was used to Enzo busting my balls; something inside me snapped when he made it sound like Summer was nothing more than a conquest, with the implication that once I got her into bed, I’d lose interest.

Did I want to fuck the woman into oblivion? Hell yeah, I did. More than ever before, now that I knew how incredible she looked when she came. But it was more than that. I wanted to protect her, cherish her, worship her.

Claiming her body was only the start.

“Maybe it’s best if I don’t stick around for dinner,” he offered.

I holstered my gun. “Don’t be fucking stupid. It’s not like you can cook for yourself.”

“You know, I would correct you, but that would only screw me out of a free meal, so I think I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

“Wait, are you saying youdohave control over the things that come out of it?“ Sarcasm colored my words.

A smirk tipped up a corner of his lips. “Why would I answer that when it’s so much more fun to keep you on your toes?”

My eyes lifted to the ceiling. “You might be good at dodging bullets, but it’s a wonder you’ve survived this long without becoming a victim of friendly fire.”

“Almost crossed that one off the bucket list today.” The asshole snapped. “So close.”

“I’m going inside, and if you have plans to follow, I suggest you find a way to contain the verbal diarrhea.”

He gave me a mock salute. “Sure thing, Boss.”

There was plenty of space between cars inside the massive garage, but I still went out of my way to make sure my shoulder knocked into his as I passed. In the end, the joke was on me, though, because while I kept fit, I was no match for the manwhose job was to be an enforcer. His muscles had muscles, so I was the one who came away the worse for wear after our collision.

When I opened the door to the mudroom, the scent of sugar hung heavily in the air.

Enzo practically moaned from behind me. “Oh God, if she bakes, I’m moving in.”

“Over my dead body.”

“Yeah, you keep forgetting that can be arranged.”

He was teasing, I knew that, but it still set me on edge. After my father’s murder and then Allegra’s, I didn’t find it funny. Not when there were people counting on me to protect them, and my track record of failure on that front haunted me.