Page 15 of Sins of the Orchid

“I better go.” I smiled and pressed a kiss on his cheek. “Love you. See you on Tuesday.”

“Call me every day and text me every hour.”

A choked laugh escaped me. “I’ll try to remember to text you every hour. But not when I’m sleeping.”

He grinned. “If you happen to wake up, then text me.”

I shook my head, smiling. “Okay, I will,” I promised.

“Love you, Amore.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

One more hug and I hurried out of his office and out of the foyer into the fresh air. Adriano was waiting for me, leaned against his Mustang, flicking his lighter. He was constantly playing with that damn thing.

“About time,” he complained, taking my bag from me and throwing it into the trunk. Giving me a quick peck on my cheek, he opened the door for me, and I slid into the seat. Once he was behind the wheel, I started talking.

“Sorry, I ran into Lorenzo. Then your brother.”

“Santi is here?” His eyes briefly glanced in my direction.

“Yes. He knew you were taking me to this party. Did you tell him?”

“No, but I assume he knows now.”

Ah, damn. Santino suspected Adriano was taking me to a college party, and I had confirmed it. Sneaky gorgeous bastard.

“So how was the trip?” I inquired, changing subjects.

“It was good. Just business stuff.” Adriano might tell me a lot of stuff, but he has never told me anything about the underworld business. I didn’t know whether it was to protect me or the Russo empire. “You look pretty.”

I chuckled at his compliment. They came easily from Adriano’s lips, too easily. He dished them out like candy.

“Thanks. I couldn’t pull off looking much older. I’d need a lot of make-up and a different kind of dress, but then I’d never succeed in leaving the house.”

“You look perfect,” he drawled. He sounded sincere and my cheeks colored. I eyed him, observing his jeans that hugged his legs just right and the plain white t-shirt that showed off his biceps. White looked good on him, just as it did on Santi, highlighting their tanned skin tone.

“You look good too,” I replied. “Like the perfect college boy.”

He threw his head back and laughed, carefree. It was why I liked Adriano so much. He was so carefree, and I wanted to soak up his happiness. He was the polar opposite in character to his older brother. Santino was tense and dark; Adriano was happy, relaxed, and mischievous. Albeit both brothers were ruthless and dangerous when dealing with the enemy.

Adriano took my hand and pressed a fleeting kiss on my knuckles.

“As long as you think I look good,” he murmured against my skin.

“I do,” I said with a chuckle. “You know you look good. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have girls fawning all over you all the time.”

He waved his hand, still holding mine, as if dismissing all those other girls. But it flattered him, I knew it did. I have seen firsthand what a smooth operator Adriano was. He’d drop a schmoozing comment with a hint of a compliment, make a girl blush, then greet her in the hallway by her name and boom. They ran after him, proclaiming their undying love and welcoming him into their beds. Then when he wanted to get rid of them, he’d act like we were an item.

I loved him, but he acted a bit like a manwhore. Still, I’d never rat him out. He had my back; I had his.

Twenty minutes later, we were at the party. It didn’t take long at all for Adriano to bask in female attention. They were attracted to him like bees to honey. I was actually impressed that Adriano stuck with me for longer than usual. He had to be worried some boys would get too close to me.

He roamed the room with me, introducing me to everyone. To my delight, everyone thought I was a freshman. Girls kept asking in roundabout ways whether I was Adriano’s girlfriend. I’d just smile and avoid answering. We had an odd friendship, but it worked for us.

With spiked fruit punches and other drinks floating around, Adriano became more relaxed. I stuck to ginger ale. Grandma would crucify me alive if she smelled alcohol on me, and I wasn’t willing to jeopardize our Italy trip.

“Hey, babe.” Adriano kissed my cheek. “I’m going to step away for a second. Dance with geeks only, and if something happens, you scream for me.”