Falling For The Mob

61 Hurt

Zoë

Having had my first night of decent rest, I walk towards the dining room feeling no trace of the amount I had to drink last night. At the table I find Addy feeding Mason as Derek and Michael are lost in conversation about whatever they usually talk about.

“Good morning.” I smile, taking a seat beside Addy, who immediately loses all attention for her newborn.

“It is a great morning indeed. How did you sleep, Zoë?” That little twinkle in her eyes tells me enough.

It shouldn’t surprise me that Addy already figured out that I didn’t sleep in my own room. “Shouldn’t you be feeding your baby?”

With her being so invested in me, she doesn’t notice Mason shoving his fist into the applesauce in front of him. I laugh as she manages to stop him just before he shoves the contents in his hair, causing the need for another bath.

After cleaning him off, she wastes no time turning her attention back to me. By now, I’ve had some coffee, half a sandwich and I'm able to handle whatever she can throw at me.

“If you must know, yes, I slept in Sam’s room, and no, nothing happened. We talked, and since I’m going to be stuck here while she searches for Gianni, this is best. It would be impossible to avoid her anyway.”

I know I’m playing with fire, letting my guard down and letting her get close to me. I’m just confused, that's all. She was completely honest with me last night, for the first time. And I needed that from her.

I leave out the part where Sam spent the night holding me, and that I’m sure she is the only reason I slept at all. It was an emotional day for both of us, and it was only out of familiarity that it happened. Nothing else.

“Sure, okay.” Addy replies with a hum, clearly not believing a word.

“What do you mean by that? We agreed to just make the best of the situation, nothing else.”

“Is this about Sam and Zoë having sex last night?” Lawrence chimes in as he appears on her other side. His smirk is as playful as ever, the same one he had at the breakfast table in Paris.

“No, you missed the first part where Zoë said that they only talked.” Addy cuts in, her gaze not leaving me for a second. I roll my eyes again, but as all eyes turn to me from the other side of the table, I feel the urge to crawl under the table.

“Damn, I’ve always seen Sam as a closer, but I guess we were wrong.” Michael and Derek break into laughter.

Somehow, in the last minute, my sex life has become the number one breakfast discussion topic.

Grunting, I focus back on my breakfast as their laughter continues. I’m not particularly happy about this, but I do have three older brothers, and this type of humiliation is all too familiar.

Suddenly the door slams shut behind me, causing both of them to sit up straight in a panic. Even Addy and Lawrence seem to drop their smiles as Sam walks in, staring daggers at her two youngest cousins. She fills the room with that uncomfortable icy atmosphere.

I think I'm starting to understand how this family works. She’d never kill them or cause permanent damage, but she would not think twice about giving either of them a black eye for a comment like this. Afterall, she’s done it before.

Her cousins shake in their seats as Sam sends them silent threats. The room remains tense until Jack chimes in.

“That’s quite enough.” He places his hand on Sam’s shoulder and gives her a gentle shove towards her seat. “I trust that you all had a pleasant night, but we have matters to discuss.”