Page 60 of Bellini Born

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw how we were dressed. “I didn’t get my days mixed up, did I? This is Christmas, right?”

Matteo ignored his cousin, focusing on making the pancake batter, so I answered Enzo’s question. “Yes, it’s Christmas. We just decided to keep things . . . casual.”

“Casual.” He drew out the word slowly. “All right, then. I’ll be right back.” Dropping the bag of toys, he turned on his heel and left the room.

“Where’s he going?” I asked Matteo.

“Don’t know. Don’t fucking care.” The tension lining his neck told me everything I needed to know. He was pissed that Enzo had interrupted the little moment we were having.

By the time Matteo poured the first batch of batter onto the hot pan, Enzo reappeared. He’d swapped out his collared shirt and dress pants for a long-sleeved Henley and joggers, though the color scheme remained the same. The man was always dressed head to toe in black.

Tossing me a wink, he explained, “I’d have joined in on the pajama party, but I sleep naked.”

“Enzo! For fuck’s sake!” Matteo yelled.

“What?” Enzo held both hands up. “It’s true.”

“You know what else is true? Me losing my appetite because you put the mental picture of you naked in my brain.”

Enzo scoffed. “Please, like you haven’t seen it before.”

My eyes went wide. “Are we talking, like, a communal shower situation at the gym or more along the lines of sharing women?”

Matteo spun around lightning fast. “What?”

Heat flooded my cheeks as Enzo snickered, hitching a thumb in my direction. “I like her, She’s got a dirty mind. I can work with that.”

Shaking his head at me, Matteo said, “No, we’ve neversharedwomen. This idiot”—a murderous glare was aimed in hiscousin’s direction—“was referencing when our nanny used to give us baths together. As children.”

“Oh.” Embarrassment had my gaze dropping to my coffee mug.

“Where are my favorite little munchkins anyway?” Enzo asked.

Matteo turned back to the stove. “Sleeping.”

“Both of them?” Enzo couldn’t contain his shock.

“The early wake-up caught up to Bianca and messed with Serafina’s schedule, so yeah.”

“Ah, gotcha.”

Enzo’s phone chirped, and he frowned when he checked the Caller ID. “Why’s Bruno calling me from the front gate?” With the swipe of his finger across the screen, he placed his cell to his ear. “Yeah?”

Immediately, I could hear yelling. Whoever was on the other end sounded outright pissed.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Enzo let out a heavy sigh before turning to Matteo. “It’s Dario.”

“The fuck does he want?”

Enzo held the phone away from his ear with a grimace. “Apparently, he’s here for dinner.”

Matteo’s brows shot sky high. “I don’t remember inviting him.”

“Yeah, like that’s ever stopped him from showing up where he’s not wanted before. Want me to tell Bruno to turn him away?”

Shaking his head, Matteo replied, “It’s gonna be a headache either way.”

“Great, just when I was thinking we’d get one day of peace.” He stood, speaking to the security guard manning the gate as he walked out of the kitchen.