I take a step back and stop myself from covering my ears. “André, if you’re trying to––”
“I'm just telling you like it is,” his voice drops. “When Giovanni fucks, it’s simply an interlude to business. A natural instinct he needs to satisfy. Nothing more. He doesn’t add feelings into the equation. If he’s given you the impression you mean something to him, then he’s fucking with your head to make sure he can control you.”
No, that's not true.
I can tell André who his brother really is, and unravel a web of secrets. Instead, I bite my tongue and keep it all inside.
“You’ve already suffered enough for one lifetime. I won’t let you get hurt again. Not by him or anyone. He’ll never ask you to marry him, India. Are you prepared to be his mistress?”
I’m done with this conversation even though I’m finding it hard not to have Dré’s approval. I mean, how can he judge his own brother? The Souzas all slept around. André himself was a serial sex addict until Sinéad showed up and somehow snared his dick with a choker chain.
I remember all the naked women with fallen smiles and their failed attempts at winning him over after a typical all-nighter. André had no problem ordering them to leave his bachelor pad the next day.
Sometimes, when they thought they could squeeze a few more hours out of him, his security would have them escorted out of the building.
And now look at him. He’s happily married, and his wife is expecting twins. People change.
Anyway, I don’t see a fairytale white wedding in my future, because they’re a pantomime for people with too much money.
“You really did this for me?” I switch the subject and bury my face in his chest. “Thanks, Dré.”
He strokes my hair and kisses the crown of my head. “At least you’re back where you belong now. Come on. I’m fucking starving.”
My scalp prickles when he takes my hand and leads me through the doors. He knows this is only a visit, doesn't he?
Inside the room, a bar lines the back wall and smartly dressed servers skirt the central oval table, tending to the Souza gathering.
Tomás, dressed in a crisp white shirt, has a possessive arm around the back of Carina’s chair, both of them engaging in an intense conversation. When a smile dances across his mouth, she chews the corner of her glossy red lip and reaches for his hand.
Her returning gaze melts my insides. Not because their desire for each other is hot, but because I’ve felt that way. I’ve burned for someone too.
The youngest brother, Matheus, knocks back a shot, the movement in tandem with a good-looking guy seated next to him. To their left, Sinéad slowly rises from her chair to greet me.
Her cheeks are freckled from sunshine and a dreamy white dress disguises a slight baby bump. With her loose raven hair, she exudes effortless beauty.
They all stare when we approach the table, and it suddenly hits me. The Souza men are all in this room, except for Giovanni. My stomach twists. He should be here too.
I grip the purse strap hooked on my shoulder and smile, a little embarrassed by the attention.
“Happy belated birthday!” Carina offers a heartfelt smile and Tomás tips his whiskey tumbler in my direction.
“Well, well, if it isn’t our brother's cute little plaything.” Matheus raises another full shot glass. “Come and sit between me and Luke.” He waves two fingers at the waitress, motioning for more liquor. “I want to know all my big brother's dirty secrets.”
19
INDIA
“Let the girl eat,” Sinéad tsks and throws her arms around me. “Here, sit beside me. I’ve got some photographs to show you.”
I pull out the chair next to her and sit, hearing André’s request for bottles of Cristal, an alcohol-free cosmopolitan for his wife, and some decent music.
“I heard the good news.” I set my hand on top of hers, covering her tattooed wedding ring. “You’re having twins!”
Lion by Black Mathplays through the speakers and Sinéad subconsciously glances over at André, the same way she always does.
It’s the first thing I’d noticed about her when we met in his apartment. She had an ingrained reluctance to admit she fancied the guy, but the woman couldn't keep her eyes off him. I knew there was more to it, and truth be told, I envied their bond even then.
“One baby was a shock… but two. I should have known Dré would go big or go home.” She palms her belly and laughs. “At least we get one of each first time round, and then I’ll make Dré get the snip.”
