Twisted Hearts (The Camorra Chronicles #5)(93)

I grabbed a swimsuit—a sexy two-piece, which Toni had bought for me and I’d never worn because it was too revealing. Wrapping a towel around myself, I headed outside. It felt strange walking through the Falcone mansion as if it was my home. It would take time to get used to my new surroundings.

Laughter and screaming reached me from the pool where Alessio and Nevio were chasing each other. Kiara waved. She, like the other girls, was stretched out on lounge chairs. I made my way toward them. Dark hair pulled up into a cute bun atop her head, Greta was perched on Serafina’s chair, browsing through a picture book. Leona held her baby girl in her arms and Kiara watched her youngest son Massimo as he stumbled after Alessio and Nevio.

I sank down on a free lounge chair, keeping the towel around my body.

“Are you okay?” Kiara asked gently.

I nodded.

“I still can’t believe Savio is married,” Leona said with a laugh. I gave her a hesitant smile. Neither did he sometimes.

“He isn’t really the marrying type,” I agreed.

Serafina’s eyes narrowed. “Does that mean he’s made an ass out of himself again? If he pushed you, we’ll kick his ass for you.”

I laughed, relaxing. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” I dropped my towel and stretched out on the sunchair.

“Please tell me he’s still suffering from blue balls,” Serafina said, whistling as she scanned my body.

I flushed.

Kiara did too. At least, I wasn’t the only one who had trouble talking about sex.

“We slept well,” I said.

Serafina clapped. “Good for you.”

Leona giggled. “You’re a bit too invested in Savio’s sex life. You’re getting as creepy as your husband.”

Serafina shrugged. “Savio deserves to suffer a bit. Look at Gemma, he’ll be suffering like crazy having that body right in front of him without getting any.”

Nevio and Alessio jumped into the pool and I jerked upright, worried they’d drown.

“They can swim,” Kiara said with a tender smile, then rushed forward to stop Massimo from following. “You can’t yet, young man.” She kissed his chubby cheek and put water wings on him despite his loud protests. Alessio, too, was wearing them.

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.”