Disclaimer: none of the real ones is ours, just the made up characters.
Rating: NC 17
Chapter Four
Billy woke up to sun streaming through a window. He did not open his eyes, but began stretching lazily, until he realized he could not stretch at leisure. There was someone in the bed with him. A warm, long leg draped over his, and he remembered. Ginny.
It had been an amazing night. And he could not believe his luck. He would keep her, if she let him.
She moved in her sleep, snuggling up to him, and he pulled her closer. He inhaled the fragrance of her hair and played with a long black curl that fell across his chest. He was sated and content, but the memories of last night were enough to arouse him again. He chided himself. Ginny was exhausted and needed her sleep. So he disentangled himself from her. She sleepily protested, but Billy stood up and tucked her in.
A couple of minutes later, he stood in the kitchen, wearing pajama pants he had found in the bedroom. Her brother's he supposed. He was happily humming a song while investigating where to find the coffee, cups, and sugar.
While he was rummaging the cupboards, he did not hear the apartment's door open. So he was fairly surprised to see a man standing at the kitchen's door, observing him with much interest. Billy calmly set the coffee pot down on the counter.
It took him mere seconds to guess that this towering, dark man was Nina's brother. Dante. Billy swallowed, remembering assigned readings of "Paradiso" and "Inferno." Exactly which circle of hell were men who shagged one's sister confined to?
Dante leaned casually against the doorframe, dangling his leather overcoat by one finger. His lips bowed into a slight grin.
"Have we met?" he asked. His American accent was fainter than Nina's, but Billy could still hear it.
"I don'a think so," Billy replied.
Dante raised an eyebrow. "No? Then why are you wearing my trousers?"
Billy licked his lips nervously. This might be a good time to explain. And he was just about to, when he spied Nina shuffling into the kitchen, still rubbing sleep from her eyes. She was grinning like a well-fed kitten, and her feet made adorable little slapping sounds on the tile. Billy knew he should answer her brother's question, but he couldn't look away from Nina.
She'd only managed to close two buttons on the pajama top. Dark blue silk, with fine gray stripes. Matching, of course, the lace-up trousers Billy was wearing. Well, it would be really difficult to misinterpret this scene, Billy thought.
"Dante!" she cried the moment she saw him. Her eyes squinted, as if she still hadn't focused. But her arms were up, and she hurtled into her brother's arms. Dante looked somewhat surprised, but he should have expected it. Nina had, after all, been minding his pub for the last two days.
"Principessa!" he grunted, taking the full force of her brutal hug. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head against the top of her head. Billy studied the man thoughtfully. He was large, but Billy didn't think he was especially threatening.
Nina hugged her brother tightly, then wriggled free, stepping back a pace or two. Then she leveled a hard stare at him and slapped him on the bicep. Hard. It made a nasty popping sound.
"Not fair," Dante grinned, rubbing his probably stinging arm.
"What was that for?"
"That one was for the lemon-ice-daiquiri-mule-piss thing. Similar retribution awaits you for a three hundred twenty-one mixed cocktails in total." Her expression was fierce, but Dante just laughed gently. Dante took a couple of steps back.
"But Nina, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see Cuba and the Caribbean and..." He looked towards Billy who was standing n his kitchen, sipping a cup of coffee and observing the siblings. Dante's temper flared up.
"Why am I asking you for forgiveness, when you are… are having wild sex parties with a stranger in my home, Giannina? Who the fuck is this man? How long have you been dating him? You know that Mama and Papa would kill you and him if they knew... Wait, I could kill him myself!" yelled Dante at his sister.
Nina did not back off; she stood defiantly and said, "Shut up, Dante. You owe ME an apology, a big one, and who I am sleeping, or not sleeping, with is not your business. As it isn't mine who you shag in my absence," she blushed as she turned to Billy. "I am sorry, William. Meet my brother Dante, the ass."
Billy cleared his throat, considered his next move, and thought better of sticking out his hand for a handshake. Instead, he gave a nod, which Dante returned with a flat stare. Tough audience, Billy thought. But he'd played to tougher.
"Billy Boyd, pleasure to meet ye," Billy introduced himself quietly. "I've made some coffee… would you like a cuppa? Is the driver bringing up yer bags?"
Dante nodded, looking a little bemused by the soft voice and kind manners, but he let Billy take his greatcoat and lay it carefully over a chair. And he even let the Scot serve him a cup of steaming black coffee. Dante wrapped his fingers around the warm mug and glanced from the strange man in his kitchen to his half-dressed little sister.
Nina watched Billy's flawless handling of her brother and grinned secretly. Another of Billy's hidden talents: calming furious macho gay brothers.
"I met Nina at the Swan; she actually fought off some muggers and brought me back here to make sure I was okay," Billy continued, gesturing to the back of his head, which still sported a nasty cut. Dante couldn't see it, of course, but Billy's voice was calming and sincere. Nina wanted to hug him.
"Yeah," Dante agreed. "Nina's pretty fierce. You sort of had to be, where we grew up."
"Muggers were easy. Nothing a good kick in the balls couldn't fix," Nina remarked, donning her best tough-guy face and sitting at the black-tile bar.
Billy seemed amused. He raised his eyebrows, furrowing his forehead adorably. He poured her a mug of steaming coffee and pushed it across the tiles.
Dante stared hard at Nina.
"Muggers, really, sis?" he asked, frowning. When she nodded, Dante bit his bottom lip.
Nina could not handle his brother when he got in his worried mood. Dante was so fiercely protective of her.
"They wanted the winnings of the night and I had sent Royce and the guys home... but then William appeared and kicked their butts to the Thames and back. He is amazing, you know?" she said, rising and walking over to Dante who hugged her close to him.
"I am sorry, Nina. What if something had happened to you? My God, I wouldn't be able to live with myself... Nina, Bella..." he said, holding her.
"Nothing happened, Dan, I promise. William rescued me. I am fine, really!" she soothed his furrowed brow. Billy wanted to sneak back to the bedroom to dress, and leave brother and sister by themselves.
But Dante saw him and he wanted to have a few words with the Scot.
"Bella, go and dress, please? We can have breakfast together after that."
Nina looked from Dante to Billy and back. Billy nodded to her. He did not need her defending him from big brother.
She left, giving both a bright smile.
Dante walked over to Billy and showed him to the couch. Billy sat down and was prepared for everything, but not for what Dante said.
"I am very grateful that you saved her from the muggers, Billy. You don't know how much I am indebted to you for that. But listen to me, and listen good: you hurt her in any way, even one tear, and I'll have your kidneys for breakfast. Believe me, I will. Capisce?"
Billy nodded slowly. Big brothers were a pain in the arse, but this one obviously loved Nina a great deal. Which Billy could understand.
"I will never hurt Giannina," Billy said. It was a promise, a declaration, much more than a vow to keep her physically safe. Billy realized that he'd just sold his soul. But, oddly enough, he wasn't frightened, or even alarmed really.
"Nope," came Nina's amused voice from the doorway. "Not even when he takes me to Oklahoma at the end of the week."
Dante's face darkened, and he mouthed the word "Oklahoma" silently.
Billy aimed a startled glance at Nina. Now, why had she mentioned Oklahoma? Billy had been leading up to that, but… he caught her eyes and saw the mischief there. And suddenly, despite the imminent threat of pummeling by a rather large brother sort, Billy had to fight to restrain his laughter.
Nina met her brother's eyes and beamed at him. "I wouldn't mess with William, Dan. He is very dangerous and I don't have the time to take care of you when he leaves you battered and bruised. Spare me that and enjoy your last days in London with me ... Let's go, gentlemen?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
Return to top |
|
Next Chapter |
|
Send feedback |
