“But then I let her go, and I don’t know if she would ever let me back in.”
“Man, If she’s important enough, she doesn’t get a chance.”
“Well, I can’t justtakeher!”
“Well, technically you ca—”
“And after the way I left things, I doubt she’d be willing to even listen to my apology, much less accept it.”
“Have you tried fucking her against a wall?”
I look up at mycousin, equal parts bewildered and frightened.
“I’m going to take that as a no, then. Okay, our plan of action is to somehow weasel your way into her vicinity via her brothers. Blame it on teambuilding or some shit, but if she won’t come to you on her own, you’re going to have to use her family. Then you do whatever you have to do to get her alone.”
“And what, beg on my knees?”
“Nah, you tell her exactly what’s going to happen with your words while you show her why she can’t live without you with your body.”
“Okay. I think I can do that…”
“No offense, but you’re going to have to nut up a little, Teddy. I can tell you’re a gentle soul, but sometimes a woman needs a fucking villain. Do you get me?”
“Sure…”
I listen as Sasha hashes out his plan in more detail, writing down notes of exactly what I need to say to Ellie, but all I can think about is what he said earlier. I can’t believe I’m thinking about bringing that warm, soft woman into this world of danger. Even if I do manage to get her back now, what’s she going to say when she finds out I’m basically the Godfather?
Chapter 16
“Remind me againwhy I’m dressed to the nines for dinner tonight?”
And I really am. Nonna wouldn’t take no for an answer, and now I’m dressed like a fifties pinup girl at her behest. She played me, too. This afternoon, I was minding my own business, responding to emails and thinking about Teddy, when she sat on the end of my bed and started reminiscing.
“Oh, look at this photo album! I don’t think I’ve ever shown you this one. It’s me in my prime! Or at least, one of my primes! You know you always told me you’d let me doll you up in my old style one day, tesoro. Can we do it today? You don’t have anything else planned, do you?”
Then she gave me her most pitiful, pleading look, and before I knew it, I had Hollywood waves down my back and a vintage-style dress that she conjured out of nowhere. Now, as she goes to extra trouble to set the table and tastes her sauce for the twentieth time, I know she’s up to no good.
“Well, now that you mentioned it, I did want us to be a little zhuzhed up because I invited someone over!”
Oh no.Please,pleasedo not let this be Nonna trying to set me up with another one of her friends’ grandsons. The last time she tried, Papa, Gabri, Nikki, and even Leo had glared him into tears. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone run out of our front door so fast. Granted, Gabri was actively sharpening his steak knife at the table and could have cut through a tire with it by the end of the meal, so I can’t blame him.
“Nonna, the last time Pretzel was here, he told you he was allergic to tomatoes—”
“The last few games I’ve been chatting to him, and he’s such a nice boy. I know your brothers like him, and you know it’s important to me to have the team members over at least once apiece.”
Oh no.Oh, this is so much worse than Gladys’s oily grandson. Please, don’t tell me my sweet, precious Nonna invited…
“Cuddles! Or at least that’s what the team calls him. I asked Nikki and Gabri, and they know how important it is to me as the grandmother of the captain and alternate captain that the team is a family. They said they thought it was a wonderful idea and that tonight would be perfect! I think they’re wrapping up some business with your papa, but Leo should be here any minute now—”
Dong.
The doorbell echoes like a death knell through the house as Nonna smirks. I’m standing here in a fit and flare dress, complete with a halter neckline, boobs almost all the way out, and the man I’m obsessed with, who never returned my good luck text after we had one night of passion, is about to walk through the door. Nobody in their right mind would put this outfit on with any intention other than to entice, and I can tell by the gleam in her eye that my grandmother knows it.
“Oh, what a gentleman, arriving ten minutes early. Not too early to be an imposition, but early enough to let me know he was ready well ahead of time, because our occasion is important to him! You just don’t see manners like those these days, Elia. Now, if you’ll greet our guest, I’m going down to the wine cellar to find the perfect bottle for tonight.”
With that, she’s gone, and if I wait a moment more to answer the door, it’ll be obvious that I was avoiding him. The moment I actually open it and come face-to-face with Teddy, I wish I had run and feigned sickness instead. He’s grown his hair out and pulled it roguishly back from his face with a clip. His beard is starting to come in more heavily, too, and I wonder if this has to do with why Gabri and Nikki are so shaggy lately—
“Win streak,” he says lowly.
