Dark Saint [Romano Brotherhood, #1]

29 | Nina

I slap a hand over my mouth, every muscle in my body tensing. From next to me, Leah speaks through gritted teeth.

"This is the worst fucking part. Fuck fuck fuck."

"Oh my God. Oh my God, I'm so sorry." My leg jerks and my voice wobbles as I apologize to the woman kneeling before me.

Leah loses it, erupting into bright laughter, and I quickly follow. We squirm like a couple of idiots in the salon chairs as the bottoms of our feet are mercilessly tickled by the roughness of the pumice stone.

"Nobody else is reacting this way," I gasp out. "Are we insane?"

"Fuck, probably." Leah's chest heaves like she just ran a marathon, and we both calm down as the assault on our feet finally comes to an end.

"You two are fucking maniacs," Tommaso pipes up from next to me, where he's in the middle of his own pedicure. "It's not that bad."

"Ooh, me big man. Me not ticklish," Leah grunts in a scarily accurate impression of a caveman.

"Jesus. This must be the circle of hell reserved for devilishly handsome people like me. I can't believe I'm doing this shit."

"Nobody forced you into that chair," I point out, and he pins me with a deathly glare.

"I deserve something nice. It's not easy chaperoning you two," he insists.

He's right about that. Leah and I have dragged Tommaso all over town this morning. First to brunch, then shopping, and now pedicures before we head back. I do feel for him, but not too much. He's enjoyed himself thoroughly if brunch is anything to go by. We got tipsy on Pineapple Mimosas and Aperol Spritzes as he regaled us with stories.  

After Tommaso accidentally nailed a woman in the face doing a dramatic reenactment of the time he bitch slapped Santo in the middle of a particularly rowdy Monopoly game, we were politely asked to leave. 

My cheeks ache from laughing. I didn't know I could have days like this but Santo, of course, proved me wrong. He organized this, wrangled Tommaso into tagging along while they took care of some business. 

He said he wanted me to have fun, to enjoy myself like a normal person. And knowing he did that for me is so... nice that I feel a genuine lightness to my step as we leave the salon. Most importantly, there's a lightness in my heart, all because of Santo.

The man who makes sure that I'm not only okay but have everything I could ever wish for. Despite the fact that we are on the brink of all-out war.

I was surprised he was okay with me coming to the concert tonight, but it makes sense that that's the safest place for me since I'll be with him and his family. The nature of the situation aside, I'm a little excited. I've never been to a concert. Tommaso said it's not the type of music "someone so innocent and, y'know, you" will enjoy, but we'll see about that.

"I still think you should've taken my $20 and gotten your toes painted. We could've all matched," Leah sighs as we leave the salon.

"I'm a millionaire, sweetheart," Tommaso winks, and I roll my eyes at his cockiness. 

Heads turn as we pass, women of all ages eyeing him like they're starved lions and he's the last slab of meat. His easy, confident walk and permanent smirk make him look more approachable than his brothers, and I just know he's drinking in all the attention. 

I casually stick my foot in his path, nearly tripping him up. He narrows his eyes at me threateningly, and I find myself laughing. 

As we pull up to the mansion, and I stare at the bizarre fountain out front that has now begun to remind me of home, I feel a ball of sentimentality squeeze my chest.