She picked up her pace, and I followed.
“You called me Kai.”
“Are you asking for a nickname?”
I laughed, my interest thoroughly piqued by this woman.
“As I said before, don’t fuck this up. Gio isn’t the best keeper of secrets.”
I couldn’t help grinning. She reminded me of a feral cat.
One word came to mind.
“Come, then, vicious. Let’s impress Gio.” I took her hand, feeling resistance for a split second before she let me lead her forward.
“What the fuck did you just call me?”
5
Gio’svoice was a low whisper from inside one of the stalls. I knew what he was doing, talking to and grooming his favorite mare, Mrs. Oscar. She was a gift from our grandfather on Gio’s seventh birthday. He’d wanted a male horse to name him Oscar after one of his favorite TV characters, so I’d suggested Mrs. Oscar as a happy medium. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
Strangely enough, he was never interested in riding. He’d said the probability of an accident was far greater than the joy of the ride. He preferred to keep his feet on the ground and control his environment. He’d always been that way for as long as I could remember. Cautious, observant, and obsessed with statistics.
“I had the stablemen get her ready for you.” The red grooming mitt in his hand stopped midair, yet he didn’t turn to face us. “Gio, you can’t possibly still be upset with me.”
“I won first place.”
“Of course you did. And I’m so proud of you.”
“If you were proud, you would have been there.”
His teenage dirtbag attitude aside, guilt twisted in my belly. I’d promised to attend his math championship, but as usual, business had kept me away. Throughout the years, I made it a point to be present in his life as much as possible. Not just for the bond we’d forged, but when I was with my baby brother, it was the only time I felt…normal.
I felt Kai’s gaze on me and became irrationally upset, even though nothing about his demeanor or expression brokered any judgment. Call it instinct. I’d been my brother’s protector his whole life. He’d unseated me as the baby of the family when I was just eight. I’d hated him. Hated the idea of my parents sharing more of their time and love. They had already spent enough energy on my oldest brother, as he managed to get into trouble often. But I knew Gio was special when I stared into his big, dark eyes from behind the glass. I thought he was the cutest thing in the world, even with all the tubes.
“Mamá sent me the video.” He shrugged. “Gio, you can’t be upset with me forever. Besides, I have a surprise for you. I—”
Twisting to look back at Kai, my stomach heated when I found him watching me intently, eyebrows drawn together as if he was trying to solve some puzzle. “There’s someone I want you to meet. He’s going to be part of our family soon. We’re getting married.”
My brother finally turned to face me. His handsome features contorted into a look of disgust.
“You better not be marrying that asshole, Rocco.”
Gio rarely cussed, only when something upset him, and Rocco Solis was a source of his rage more often than not. The son of my father’s late right-hand man and business partner and my childhood friend had been one of my parents’ obvious choices for this sham of a union. Still, I’d already given in to being bound to some bastard I didn’t love to fulfill my family’s debt and myabuelo’s dying wish. Being able to choose the man I’d be forcibly shackled to provided a sliver of solace.
With a chuckle, I touched his forearm and motioned toward Kai.
“You know I’d never. This is Kai Cain.”
“Hi,” he said, as enthusiastic as a teenager could muster. “He has cool hair. Is that why you like him?”
“Yeah,” I said with a laugh. “It’s one of his better qualities.”
Gio wasn’t a fan of my jokes, so his lack of humor didn’t surprise me, but his serious look wiped away my smile. Before I could ask, he took my bandaged hand and flipped it over twice before finding my eyes.
“Again?”
Gently pulling back from his grasp, I waved him off. “Just broken glass. A misstep in the kitchen.”
