Page 41 of The Prices We Pay (Vittori Enterprises #1)

Josephine

A s much as I wanted to crawl into Luca’s bed and not leave it for the next twelve hours, Sebastian insisted that I shower and eat some dinner.

When I protested like a petulant child, he simply laughed and carried me into the bathroom.

He sat me on top of the counter, gave me a delicate kiss on my forehead, and started filling the bathtub with warm water.

After I threw my hair back into a bun, he picked me up, set me down in the bath, and climbed in right behind me.

He took his time bathing me and kissing every inch of my skin.

And while it wasn’t sex, it was a form of closeness I didn’t even realize I was craving until it was happening.

While I know Sebastian was holding back, and he has so much more to give, I’ll also admit he was right.

The intensity of what happened in that bedroom, combined with the extreme intimacy of this aftercare, has me coming down from a cloud that feels like it was ten miles in the air.

I just keep falling and falling, and I know sooner rather than later, I’m going to crash.

The only thing that’s keeping me going is the smell of… oh my god… is that pancakes and bacon?

As if right on cue, my stomach growls while Sebastian dries me off, working an insanely soft towel over my legs. He chuckles deep in his chest as he looks up at me from his kneeling position and says, “Hungry?”

“If that’s breakfast for dinner, I might literally marry you guys right now.”

For a brief moment, I watch his face flash with desire before he buries it with his boy-next-door smile.

“Breakfast for dinner is Luca’s favorite.

The man would drown himself in syrup if we’d let him.

” I can’t help but laugh at the thought of such a high-powered individual’s weakness being a sugary breakfast. My stomach growls again, and Seb makes quick work of drying me off the rest of the way.

“Arms up,” he commands as he slips one of Luca’s shirts over my arms. It’s long enough that it covers my ass, which is perfect since I refuse to put dirty underwear back on after I’ve showered.

Sebastian pulls on a pair of sweats and an old Yankees T, and I stare as his muscles flex with each movement.

I still can’t get over how fucking sexy each of them is, and I’m the lucky bitch who gets to have not one of them but all four.

Sebastian’s head pops through the collar of his shirt, and he runs his fingers through his damp hair, pushing it away from his face. “Hey, Seb?”

His blue eyes lock with mine. “Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

Reaching out, he grips my wrist and yanks me against him. He wraps his arms around me and kisses the tip of my nose. “You’re welcome,” he whispers before landing another firm smack on my already sensitive ass. “Come on, Love, let’s get you fed.”

Sebastian and I make our way downstairs in time to find Luca, Dante, and Enzo setting the food out on their dining room table.

I make it down to the second-to-last step and freeze.

Sebastian simply winks at me and moves across the room to help them.

I can’t help but stare as each of them makes a knowing smirk in Sebastian’s direction before going about their business.

They’ve each changed into their own versions of loungewear.

Enzo in black sweats and a white T; Dante in cotton shorts that hit him mid-thigh and an old Navy shirt; and Luca in dark blue joggers and a black fitted T.

All four of them are barefoot and smiling as they move from the kitchen to the table and back. Despite everything… they’re smiling.

They’re sitting down and eating dinner together like a family. And they’re smiling.

I can’t remember the last time I sat down at a table and had dinner with a family.

Before mine became so irrevocably broken, we had them every single night.

We would sit down and talk about the highs and lows of our day.

What we had going on that week and what we were excited about.

We joked and laughed and smiled… until we didn’t.

The Taylors often invited Jasper and me to the ranch for family dinners, but it was never the same.

I always felt like an outsider looking in on what the perfect family was that I wished I had.

But as I watch the four of them set an extra space for me at the table, I realize that this isn’t what most people would describe as a perfect family.

It’s one they created for themselves. They met out of chance and circumstance and decided that they needed one another in their lives.

They didn’t care that they weren’t bound by blood, only that they were bound by their devotion to making the life that they wanted for themselves.

Just as I’ve been trying to do for myself all along. Only… they let each other in when I was bound and determined to keep everyone out.

But I’m not an outsider here. I’m where I’m supposed to be. I was meant to be here. Meant to see their smiles, just as they were meant to see mine .

The realization hits me like a freight train, and tears sting at my eyes again.

Damnit, Joe. Do not cry again.

But Dante sees me before I can blink them away. He studies me for a second before a smile takes over his usual stern expression, instantly understanding exactly what I’m thinking without even having to ask. “You good?” He mouths.

I nod, and he nods his head toward the table where the most delectable spread awaits me.

Slowly, I make my way down the steps and toward the dining table when Enzo spots me out of the corner of his eye. One of his ever-present mischievous smiles is plastered on his face, but there’s a different twinkle in his eye when he directs it toward me. One that longs… one that burns for me.

“Hey, Sweetheart,” he greets me as he looks me up and down.

For a split second, I find myself feeling embarrassed over the fact that they all know exactly what just went on in Luca’s room, but I quickly recover.

Because I’d be willing to bet any amount of money that the three of them were the ones that encouraged Seb to come help me. They knew I needed him in that moment.

In two quick strides, he’s wrapping me in his arms, the smell of amber and spice enveloping me. He kisses me on the cheek before whispering in my ear, “You feeling okay?”

I answer with my face buried in his neck, “I’m okay.”

Luca steps up to our side. Still wrapped in Enzo’s arms, he whispers in my other ear, “I could get used to the sight of you in my clothes, Vita Mia.”

Enzo straightens and looks at his best friend. “What about me?”

Luca rolls his eyes, but he can’t fight his grin. “You steal my clothes all the time, Enz.”

“And? I might not look as hot as Joe, but I’m still pretty fucking hot, right?” Enzo wiggles his eyebrows dramatically.

Just when I think he’s going to tell Enzo to fuck off, Luca kisses my opposite cheek before smacking Enzo on the ass and answering, “A very close second, Amico.” Without another word, he walks away and takes his seat at the table .

Enzo stares at me, eyes wide. “Did that just happen?” he asks in an excitedly hushed tone.

“Yeah, honey. I think it did.” I giggle.

“Well, fuck me.”

I kiss his parted lips. “Maybe later.”

My giggle turns into an all-out laugh when Dante says, “Amore Mia, you’re going to give him a heart attack before he gets his dinner.”

Enzo and I make our way to the table. He sits in a seat next to Luca, and I sit in the one Dante has pulled out for me between him and Seb. I reach for the stack of pancakes, and Sebastian playfully slaps the back of my hand. “Let us get it.”

I roll my eyes playfully. “I can plate my own food, Sebastian.”

His eyes narrow as he says, “And I said, let us get it, Josephine.”

Across the table, I watch as Luca curls his lips in, fighting a knowing smile. Refocusing my stare on the blonde man next to me, I narrow my eyes to match his and answer lowly, “Yes, Sir. ”

Next to Seb, Luca piles his plate high with pancakes. Topping them with strawberries, chocolate chips, whipped cream, syrup, and even sprinkles.

Fucking sprinkles .

My eyes are watering from trying so hard to hold in my laugh. Looking up, he eyes me, staring at him. “What’s so funny, Josephine?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if I’m dating the Easter Bunny with all that sugar on your plate.”

All four of them stop what they’re doing and look right at me. Luca asks, “Is that what we’re doing, Vita Mia? Are we dating?”

Jesus fucking Christ. I look at them all deadpan.

“Well, if we’re not dating, then I don’t know what I’m doing here.

Because I’m not blowing up my life as I know it for not one but four men who live lives with the extracurriculars that you do if you don’t see it going anywhere. So… you tell me, Luca. Are we dating?”

He looks at his best friend. “Enzo?”

“Fuck yeah, we are.”

“Dante? ”

Dante’s large hand wraps around my bare thigh and looks right at me. “If that’s what you want, then I would be honored.”

Warily, Luca asks Sebastian, “Mio Re?”

“If the five of us can agree that regardless of who we are or are not sleeping with, we are one unit. This relationship”—he circles his finger around the table—“means more to me together than it does apart. I will not risk what we all have together if we can’t be parts of one whole.

” All four of us nod in unison. “Then, yeah, Love. We’re fucking dating.

” Sebastian plants a quick but deep kiss on my lips before doing the same to Luca.

“Can I eat my pancakes now?” Luca asks with a pleased grin.

“Yes, Buddy the Elf. You can eat your pancakes now.”