He laughs and shakes his head, showing off his cute dimples. “You know where to find me, sis.”
Even though he’s in his junior year, I still haven’t gotten used to Vinnie being gone so much. During football season, he barely made it home because of the grueling travel schedule and never-ending workouts and practices.
“You look bigger.” I take a step back and stare at him. “Soon you’re going to be so big you’re going to look like one of those guys with a shrunken head fromBeetlejuice.”
He’s almost as tall as Angelo and Lucio, with the same thick mocha eyebrows, but his hair matches mine, filled with warm caramel browns and streaks of chocolate. His arms have grown, becoming thicker and more defined, looking more like a man than a kid these days.
“Beetle-what?”
“Never mind.” I shake my head, wishing the kid would expand his horizons and taste in movies just a little bit beyondThe Fast and the Furious.
“Shut up,” he teases and shows off his way-too-big muscles, flexing them repeatedly. “I’ve been bulking for football.”
“Uh, yeah. I can see that.” I wave my hands in his direction and mock him by hunching my shoulders and raising them near my head like the Hulk. “How do I look?” I say in a deep, macho voice, stalking around my apartment like an idiot.
The perfect V in the center of his top lip flattens as he crosses his arms in front of his chest and glares at me with his striking green eyes. “Like an idiot.”
“It’s like lookin’ in the mirror, huh?” I giggle as I continue to act a fool, and Vinnie can’t help but laugh too.
“Are you going to be a pain in my ass all weekend?”
“I’m sure you’re thebigman on campus. Someone has to give you a reality check, little brother.” I head toward the bedroom I made up for him. “Come on. Get settled. I’ve got to go to work.”
He leans against the doorframe, studying me as I finish making up the guest bed for him. “You look thinner,” he says softly as he studies me.
“Is that how you compliment all the ladies? Because you’re going to be single forever with lines like that.” I punch the pillow and toss it near the headboard.
“No. You look good, sis. I’m just wondering why you look thinner.”
I place my hands on my hips and glare at him. “I started working out. Why?”
He raises his hands in the air when I start to move toward him. “Just making an observation. As long as you’re doing it the right way and not starving yourself to become a bean pole like you did after the Tommy Pasquale incident.”
I blow a piece of hair away from my eyes that had fallen during my tug-of-war with the sheets that never seem to want to fit over the mattress.
“Unpack and settle in,” I tell him before brushing past him in the doorway. I don’t feel like rehashing the past with my little brother or explaining how my heart was a little broken after saying goodbye to Leo. “I’ve got to get to work.”
“Okay.” He stalks into the living room and stretches, barely able to hold back a yawn. “I’m going to come help out at the bar tonight.”
My eyebrows shoot up because Vinnie never wants to work. “You are?”
“I figure you could use some help.”
My mouth hangs open, and I blink at him, wondering if I heard him right. “Say that again.”
“I figure you could use some help.”
The only reason Vinnie would want to work is pussy. It’s his driving force in life. Well, women and football, to be exact. “If you’re planning on hooking up with some barfly, don’t even think about bringing them back here. If you come there to work, that’s fine, but it’s not a pussy buffet.”
“Come on, sis,” he pleads with an innocent face. His dimples deepen, making him look sweet, when he’s the furthest thing from it.
Vinnie has always caused trouble, but usually, Angelo and Lucio would get blamed because people thought Vinnie was an angel. The boy had troublemaker written all over his face, but it seemed to be visible only to us and nobody else.
“Keep that shit in your pants.” I point toward his lower half. “We don’t need some neighborhood skank trying to get knocked up by the great Vinnie Gallo. You got me?”
“If I pick someone up, I promise I’ll put a raincoat on it.”
I gag, being overdramatic, but he’s still my little brother. The thought of anyone wanting to have sex with him is just plain gross. “Just cover that shit. I’d hate for you to drop out of college because of a quick fuck.”
