Twisted Bonds by Cora Reilly

CHAPTER 10

NINO

––––––––

My mind had been goingover my last conversation with Kiara for the last two days and even as I climbed into the cage for my fight training with Remo, it was still very much at the forefront of my mind. I’d always known that marriage would lead to children eventually. I wanted them for the name Falcone to live on and right now I was the only one of my brothers who had a woman who was capable of becoming a good mother. I didn’t have a single doubt in my mind that Kiara would be a wonderful, caring mother.

Remo climbed into the cage. He looked eager for a fight. I was distracted and Remo landed a few hard hits in my side and stomach in the first few minutes before I used an opening and rammed my knee into his kidney. He jumped back with a groan, then did a roundhouse kick, which I barely managed to avoid.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

I held up my palm to stop the fight. “It’s Kiara.”

Remo frowned. “Is it because of yesterday?”

“Yesterday?”

Confusion showed on Remo’s face. “She asked me to train with her, had me chase her through the house.”

Kiara was getting more confident. It was reassuring to know that she was really taking her fight training seriously. “I assume it’s because she wants to be able to defend future children.”

Remo narrowed his eyes and leaned back against the mesh. “So, is she pregnant?”

“Not yet. She’ll stop taking the pill in January.”

“She told me she wants kids.”

My eyebrows rose. “She talked to you?”

He shrugged. “I got the feeling she was worried if I’d be okay with kids in the mansion.”

I looked at my brother, the scar on his face and his forearms. Scars from defending me and our brothers against our mother. Then the scars on the rest of his body, many he suffered in the time we were in hiding, fights that put food on our table. “And are you?”

He gave me a wry smile, which I returned.

“If anyone can be a good mother, then it’s Kiara,” he said. “She’s like a fucking mother hen, even to me.” He shook his head.

Kiara loved taking care of others. “Our children will be lucky to have her as a mother.”

“You’ll be a good father, too. Even when you didn’t feel a fucking thing, you managed to raise Adamo and Savio with me, and look how well they turned out, the little shits.” He grinned twistedly. “The house is big enough even if you decide to have ten kids.”

“Maybe you’ll have kids at some point as well?”

Remo’s face shut down. “No, I don’t have the necessary patience for a woman. I’m better off fucking whores.”

I narrowed my eyes at him in thought. We both knew there was a woman he couldn’t forget. Bringing her up would have led to a disagreement I wasn’t in the mood for.

Remo pushed away from the cage. “What about that fight you promised me?”

I prepared my tattoomachine in one of Savio’s vacant rooms, not wanting Kiara to overhear the sound of the needle.

When everything was in its place, I sat down and propped my left arm up on the table in front of me and turned on the machine. Savio leaned in the doorway and watched in silence as I began to outline Kiara’s name on my wrist over the scars and amidst the flames, then added a few music notes before I started filling each letter with ink.

“I never thought you could care about a girl,” Savio said. “And now you’re tattooing a name into your skin.”

I briefly glanced up from my work. “I don’t think it would have come this far with any woman but Kiara. She’s ...” I couldn’t even find the right word to describe Kiara properly, and I was rarely rendered speechless.

“Yeah,” Savio murmured. “That girl makes it fucking hard to dislike her, and I put so much effort into it in the beginning. All for nothing.” He flashed me a grin. “She’s the only girl I talk to more than a few sentences without getting at least a blow job as reward.”

I cocked an eyebrow.

“Jealous?” he asked.

“Jealousy requires an aspect of insecurity. I know Kiara is only mine.”

“And people call me arrogant.”

Sighing, I returned to the task.

“I’ve been thinking about getting another tattoo.”

“Not a girl’s name, I assume,” I said dryly.

Savio scoffed. “The girl that puts a leash on me hasn’t been born yet.”

“What kind of tattoo do you have in mind?”

Savio grinned. “A bull’s head.”

“Where?” I asked suspiciously. Knowing Savio, I had a good guess where he’d want that kind of tattoo.

One corner of Savio’s mouth curled.

“That’s going to be quite painful.”

Savio gave me a so-what look. “I can deal with pain.”

“Will you add a piercing to make the image complete?”

“Nah, I’m not so keen on piercing my dick.”

“I can start drawing up a few images and you can decide which one you’d prefer. If you want the tattoo to cover your entire pelvis and lower belly, we’ll need a few sessions to get it done.”

“I know. I witnessed the progression of your artwork, remember?”

“I should warn you that a tattoo in that area might stop your recreational activities for a couple of weeks, or at least make them quite uncomfortable.”

“We’ll see.”

Shaking my head, I returned to working on my tattoo. I wanted to get it done today to surprise Kiara with it as a sort of early Christmas present.

KIARA

I got up right after sunrise to cook and bake everything for Christmas eve. This was our first Christmas together and I wanted it to be special. The Panettone dough was allowed to rise while I got everything done for the lamb roast. I didn’t have much experience preparing meat. Nino and his brothers loved lamb so I wanted to surprise them with it. After calling Giulia and wishing her a merry Christmas, I set out to work. Luckily, she could give me a few tips to guarantee the success of my cooking endeavor.

It was close to dinner time and I had changed into a floor-length red evening dress and was setting and decorating the dining table when Nino came in, dressed in form-fitting black pants and a black dress shirt with the top buttons undone, giving view to his colorful tattoos. His eyes took in the table with the red candles, gold-colored napkins and silverware.

“You should have asked one of us for help. It’s too much work,” he murmured as he ran a hand down my side until it came to rest on my hip. “And you look absolutely stunning.”

Smiling, I shrugged. “I love cooking and decorating, so it doesn’t feel like work. And thank you, you look very good too.”

“I have something for you. Part of your Christmas present.”

I hadn’t been sure if Nino was the type to give presents. He and his brothers hadn’t really celebrated Christmas in the last few years, at least not in any traditional way.

Nino stretched out his left arm and rolled up his sleeve, revealing a new tattoo: my name amidst music notes.

My breath caught in my throat as I took in the beautiful ink-art. “When did you do this?”

“This morning. You were busy cooking so I used the chance.”

I reached out to trace the letters then stopped myself. If Nino had inked it only this morning, the skin must be still tender.

“It’s okay, you can touch it.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

Nino smiled wryly. “Kiara, it’s nothing.”

Nodding, I very lightly traced the skin under the tattoo, trying to keep my emotions under control. I’d just put on make-up and didn’t want to ruin it with tears. “Thank you. It’s a wonderful present. I know how important your tattoos are to you, and having my name on your skin with your brothers ... it means a lot.”

Nino cupped my face and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. “You and my brothers are all that matters in this life. I want you close at all times, even if it’s only in name.”

I blinked. “Don’t make me cry.”

He frowned. “I have no intention of making you cry.”

“I know.” I laughed and blew out a breath. “What time is it? Fabiano and Leona are supposed to arrive at six.”

“We still have fifteen minutes.” He reached into the back pocket of his pants and pulled out a very small parcel. “This is your second present.”

I took it and opened the velvet box, revealing ear studs with a big red ruby in the center and small brilliants all around it. “Gorgeous.”

“Let me,” Nino said, taking them out and putting them into my ears.

“And?” I asked.

“Perfect.”

“Wait a sec,” I said, then quickly walked over to the bar where I’d put Nino’s present. It was quite heavy so I was glad when I handed it to Nino. I could see curiosity in his eyes. “Unwrap it.”

Nino ripped away the wrapping paper, revealing a leather-bound book about anatomy. “It’s a collectors’ edition from 1925 with hand drawn images for all the body parts...” I was hoping it was something Nino liked. Whenever we were in the library together, Nino was often drawn to medical books.

Nino began perusing the book slowly, his eyes flitting as he scanned the pages with the drawings. When he finally looked up, his expression was alight with eagerness. “That’s perfect. I can’t wait to read it and compare it to the newest books on anatomy.”

I stifled a laugh. Only Nino could be excited about something like that. Nino was kissing me sweetly when steps rang out.

“Do I smell meat?” Savio asked, sauntering in, followed by Remo and Adamo, all of them wearing shirts for once.

I grinned. Soon Fabiano and Leona joined us as well, bringing wine. I hugged Leona tightly. “How’s your mother doing?”

“Better. She’ll be released from the hospital in two days. She never knows when to stop,” Leona said with a small sigh. She would have wanted to celebrate with her mother for once but after an almost fatal overdose, she was stuck in hospital once again.

I caught Fabiano exchanging an exasperated look with Remo, which Leona caught as I led them toward the table. “He doesn’t understand why I still try to help my mother, but he helps her for me anyway.”

I touched her arm. “Because he wants to see you happy.”

We all settled around the table, and as expected the lamb was the highlight for the men. I enjoyed watching everyone more than the actual food. It was just beautiful having my new family at one table, celebrating together, and I couldn’t help but wonder if next year at this time, I’d have a little baby to take care of as well.

After dinner, I led everyone into the living area of Nino’s and my wing, then settled at the piano. “Why don’t you stand around the piano?”

They all did, confused why I’d brought them here.

“I composed music pieces for each of you. They aren’t perfect yet, and they might develop over time, but I think they’re not bad considering the limited time I had,” I said quickly.

Nino squeezed my shoulder. “Your music is always marvelous.”

“This is for you, Remo.” I started playing the tumultuous melody, focusing solely on the keys and my fingers, not daring to look up for anyone’s reaction. When I finally risked a peek, Remo’s arms were crossed and with an unreadable expression he leaned against the piano.

I swallowed. “This is for you, Savio.”

It was an easy-going melody, playful, only occasionally underplayed by darker tones. Savio nodded his approval when the last note rang out. “I sound fun and sexy. You nailed it, Kiara.”

Adamo rolled his eyes.

“Now you Adamo.” This one had been the hardest. Recently Adamo had been quiet and thoughtful, but I didn’t want his melody to be haunting, so I chose to base it on the feelings he evoked in others. It was a smooth melody, one that made you want to relax in front of a fire with a glass of wine.

“It’s so cool that you can create something like that,” Adamo said.

I felt my cheeks heat and shrugged then cleared my throat before I looked at Fabiano and Leona. “For the two of you I created one melody.”

Surprise crossed their faces.

“You created something for us as well?” Leona asked.

“You belong to this family,” I said, then played the last melody.

Leona bit her lip when I was done, came over and hugged me tightly.

Savio pointed at Nino. “What about Nino? Doesn’t he get a song?”

“He’s had his song for a while now.”

“Why don’t you play it?” Fabiano asked.

I gave Nino a questioning look. Not saying a word, he came over to me and I made room for him on the bench so he could sit down. I could feel everyone’s eyes on us as we began playing, our fingers working together without ever getting in each other’s way, our thighs touching. Nino’s warmth and his mere presence gave me new confidence playing this personal song. Nothing mattered in that moment but the two of us.

The last note rang out and our eyes met. I smiled, wondering how this melody would sound if I added a third string to it, one for our future child.

When I finally turned to the rest of our family and caught a dark gleam in Remo’s eyes, a hint of worry flickered in my belly. I gave him a smile, which caused him to give me his own twisted version in return.