Page 107 of Dominance

“You talking about me?” Isabella snaps from the doorway, leaning on the frame.

She’s a gorgeous woman. Dark, curling hair down to her waist, unusually light, flawless skin. Aless is a lucky man. Even more so as I glance down at the swell in her belly.

“That’s my wife you’re talking about, there, Zero.”

Isa gives us each a hug, a kiss on the cheek.

“Speaking of wives…” she teases, giving me a look.

“Oh, don’t even start…” I grumble.

“Adri’s in loooove,” Ciro sings.

“I’m in arrears, more like.”

“No one understands you when you speak in thesaurus, Adri.”

“Should I say Dom’s got me stuck between your head and a hard place instead?”

“Hard place? Heh. Don’t be gross, dude, we’re brothers.”

“And don’t compare Ciro’s head to a rock. Rocks have substance,” Ero adds, tapping Ciro’s locked knee with his, nearly dropping him to the ground.

“Some things never change.” Aless shakes his head.

“Oh, they change all right. But never for the better.”

“Case in point, Adriano’s still a downer.” Aless takes Ciro and I around the shoulders, guiding us in. “Come! We’ve got food and coffee. Let’s talk on the veranda. It’s an incredible view up there.”

“Good God, listen to him, gushing over his ‘views.’”

“Oh, wait ’til you see our garden out back!”

“Um, do I need to check your man card?” Ciro snorts.

“What’s wrong with gardening? It’s for the kid!”

“The kid?” Isabella raises her eyebrows again. She’s going to get tired of making that face while we’re here.

“Speaking of ‘the kid,’ I finally get it, what they mean by glowing. You look amazing, Isa.” I give her a genuine, warm smile. Despite the way we met, the suspicion and the accusations on my part, all of which wound up being true on her part, Isabella grew on me.

Mostly because of the effect she had on Alessandro.

Her deception, trying to discover our family secrets wound up leading her to the truth about her brother and reuniting with her sister-in-law and niece.

At least some people get happy endings.

“Thank you, I feel like a bloated toad most of the time, but at least I wear it well.” She leads the way up the stairs, past the library, and out the open door onto the patio.

Flopping down on the couch, I take in the mind-blowing overlook, hints of snow high above, sweeping down to lush green, then an explosion of color, wildflowers in full bloom all along the mountainsides.

Vibrant reddish gold and honey colors draw my eye.

Why does everything remind me of her?

“I don’t think I ever appreciated this place as a child.” Aless joins me, offering me a steaming cup of espresso.

“Yours will, though.”

---