Delgano: The Intro - Page 111

“I would enjoy your company, Wren.”

She smiled, chewing on the corner of her bottom lip. “I’ll be out front.”

He met her at the front door and stepped to the side to let her pass through, her body lightly brushing his. Although the contact didn’t stir any immediate feelings of lust, that didn’t mean he didn’t find her attractive. She and Larke favored one another, except she had hair like a paprika spice blend and a face covered with dark freckles. Because she was almost done with law school, her visits were short, but Larke had shared that she would soon be taking the bar. Once she passed it, she planned to spend time in Sweden, which meant it was possible to get to know her better. Unfortunately, a massive obstacle remained in his way.

“So, it’s just you, you said?” She slipped off her shoes and set the heels next to them in the entryway. “No one else? Just…us?”

“No one else,” he echoed. “It’s just us.”

He released the door, but it didn’t shut.

Without looking, he knew why.

Thanasis entered the house, quieter than rose petals landing on velvet, so focused on Wren that he took a few steps back, half-expecting Thanasis to bend and sniff at Wren like a wolf nearing an animal carcass.

Wren looked up at Thanasis, brows raised, waiting for him to say something, but intensity ran in Thanasis and Giorgio’s genes. The main difference between the two men was that Thanasis spoke perfect English and could maintain a conversation longer than four or five words. The main similarity was that the concept of “mine” was equivalent to locking onto a target with a surface-to-air missile. Then, according to Joel, the more time the brothers spent together, the more those differences vanished.

“Thanks again for walking with me, Athanasios,” she said. “I’ll be all right from here. I, uh, won’t be alone.”

Thanasis looked over, noticing him for the first time. It was well after midnight, but Thanasis was also wearing the same outfit from the party—an olive green jacket, black shirt, and black pants. Based on the little bit Dez had shared, Thanasis appeared to have a “thing” for Wren, but it wasn’t clear, to anyone, what that “thing” was. Possibly, it was even less clear to Wren herself.

Wren cleared her throat.

Adrían caught her gaze, and she discreetly tipped her head in Thanasis’ direction and then looked at the ground, tucking stray pieces of wispy hair at her temple behind her ear.

“Well, I’m tired,” she said, with a yawn that was nothing short of theatrical. “Good night, Athanasios. Adrían, I’ll see you in the morning.”

She hurried up the stairs, and Adrían watched her until she disappeared behind the wall of the upstairs hallway. Then he faced Thanasis again, whose narrowed gaze shoved a jagged shard of glass into his stomach.

Laughing on the inside, he gripped Thanasis’ shoulder, squeezed, and said, “Have yourself a good night, brother,” before returning to the main bedroom.

Less than ten minutes later, the door opened.

Wren entered the room, her hair and body silhouetted in the hallway light. She’d changed into a long T-shirt with a rounded hem, and her braids hung loose down to the bend in her elbow.

She climbed into bed, and he turned onto his side, facing her. “Olà, gatinha.”

“Hi,” she whispered. “What does gatinha mean?”

“Little kitten.”

Like before, she trapped the inside of her bottom lip between her teeth and worked it a few times, scanning his face. “That’s Portuguese, right?”

“Yes, it is. Do you speak any Portuguese?”

“Not a lick.”

“What about Greek?”

She rolled her eyes, a smile pulling at her cheek. “That…that’s not what you think it is. I said something about coming here instead of sleeping on a foldout at Larke’s, and Giorgio’s brother volunteered to walk with me. Dez was going to drive me if he didn’t.”

“This is a very safe property,” he pointed out. “A safe country.”

“A girl can never be too safe.”

“True.”

She cradled the side of his face, brushing his cheekbone with the pad of her thumb, and he could admit to himself that it was nice.