He took a few more breaths before he pulled back and blinked. Only one Sarah now. His Sarah.
He blinked some more and looked around, then jerked back at the sight of four men peering down at them.
Sarah shifted off his lap and helped him stand. “Right. So, allow me to introduce you to my brothers.” She pointed as she called them out with one hand, and he was a little too happy when she kept the other hand wound through his arm in support.
She pointed to one farthest from them. “This is Lorenzo.”
Tall, though others were taller. He had a head of dark, wavy hair and a wicked smile played on his face. If Rio had to guess, he was the one who’d suggested twisting his dick.
“This is Nathaniel. Nate.”
Taller than the first, with long hair that ended at his angled chin. He was broad-shouldered, built, and could probably eviscerate him, if given the chance. Nathaniel had a steady, even gaze, giving nothing away, though Rio’s instinct guessed he was the ‘knee him in the balls’ suggestion.
“Marcello.”
Shorter than the rest, but somehow more formidable. His dark blond hair was a few shades darker than Sarah’s, and his mustache was darker than his hair. He was long and lean, but Rio could sense his strength from a few feet away.
“And, finally, Alex.”
Alex, his attacker he realized and, now that his brain was working again, he remembered this was also the future king of Valleria.
Christ.
Alex had his arms crossed, the glint of his wedding ring catching the light. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and power oozed from every inch of him, from the tips of his glossy shoes to the top of his dark hair. Alex also wore an expression that said he wanted to murder him.
“Everyone, this is Vittorio.” She leaned slightly forward and raised her voice. “Who has nothing to do with his family or their demands.”
Rio squared his shoulders and cleared his throat; it was still a little rough when he spoke. “It’s a…unique pleasure to meet all of you. Please call me Rio.”
Sarah let out a sound, as if she were stifling a snort. “No need to be formal with these jerks, Rio. And don’t bow to them. They’ll only think they’re important if you do.”
Alex was practically growling. “Sarah.”
She snapped. “Don’t use that tone with me, Alexander Robert Louis Santoro.”
Nate winced. “Oh, really. Does such a slight altercation call for full-naming him?”
She whipped around to Nate. “Just wait until I start on you, Nathaniel—”
Marcello held up both hands. “All right, let’s just all calm down.”
She inhaled sharply. “Calm down? You attacked Rio when we’d barely got in the door.”
She walked over to Alex and punched him in the arm.
“Ow! Holy hell, where did you learn to punch like that?”
When she reared up to punch him again, Rio stepped forward and put a hand on her arm. “Bella.”
She took another sharp breath, then huffed and stepped back. Her brothers gave each other a quizzical look.
Then a wicked smile—Jesus, she and Lorenzo may not look alike, but they both shared that same smile—came across her face. “Just wait until I tell Rebecca about this.”
Fear flitted across Alex’s expression, something Rio would have thought impossible just two minutes earlier. “Now, Sarah—”
“And I may punch hard, but Charlie punches harder. Doesn’t she, Nate?”
Unease crossed Nate’s expression. “Now, Sarah, beloved sister of mine, there’s no reason—”
Lorenzo rolled his eyes. “We get it, you’ll tell on us if we don’t behave. Fine, we won’t kick his ass. Anymore,” he added when Sarah simply raised an eyebrow.
At the sound of a faint buzz, Alex pulled a phone from his pocket. “Papa’s ready to meet you.”
Jesus, even Alex had an evil smile. What was with this family?
Sarah sighed. Rio didn’t like the way she sighed. When they made love, had sensational sex—those sighs were happy or yearning. This sigh, however, had sounded resigned.
“He wants to see me or Rio?”
Alex tucked the phone back into his pocket. “Both, but I believe he’ll start with you, sister dear.” He nodded his head towards a corridor. “He’s in his home office. I imagine Mama is there, too.”
“Great,” she mumbled.
Rio reached out and squeezed her hand. It wouldn’t be easy for her. “Do you want to go together?”
She gave him a little smile, and even that subtle tip of her lips brightened the world around him. He nearly forgot there were four men standing nearby who could easily eviscerate him for even daring to hold their sister’s hand.
She gave his hand a squeeze back and they let go. “No. Thank you for asking, though. I just need to face this myself.”
“Oh, good. You didn’t kill him yet. I still have a shot.” Another man, this one long and lean, walked towards them. He was dressed the least formal of all of them, in jeans and a plaid shirt, and his chiseled face sported a scruffy beard. He didn’t really share a resemblance with the other men.
Sarah narrowed her eyes. “Eddie!”
The man—Eddie, apparently, who he vaguely remembered as Princess Catharine’s fiancé—just grinned before giving Rio the once-over.
“He doesn’t look like an asshole.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” Lorenzo chimed in.
“You being the perfect example of that,” Marcello countered.
“What is going on here?” Sarah demanded.
All of Sarah’s family turned to Alex, who kept his eyes on Rio. Eventually, he spoke. “Your father called our father’s chief of staff, demanding millions. He claimed he had pictures of the two of you in compromising situations, which he planned to leak to the press.”
“It’s a lie,” Sarah said, at the same time Rio said, “He’s lying.”
Rio and Sarah caught each other’s gaze. He gave her a ‘let-me-defend-myself’ glare, and she begrudgingly nodded her acceptance.
Rio shifted his gaze back to Alex. “Did Franco give you any such proof? Send any pictures?”
Alex narrowed his eyes. “Franco?”
“Gianfranco. My father.”
“You call him Franco?”
“Well, I certainly wouldn’t call him father.”
“He’s not your biological father?”
Rio sighed. What was the point of this? “Unfortunately, he is. However, ‘father’ is a title earned. He hasn’t earned it. Now, did he provide you any proof?”
The brothers glanced at each other before Marcello took out his phone, swiped and tapped his screen, then handed it over to him.
Rio knew his father didn’t have any dirty pictures of him and Sarah. One possibility was that someone who’d seen them at the balls—either of them—had caught something on camera and had taken it as blackmail to Rio’s parents rather than Sarah’s.
Looking at the photo, however, revulsion coursed through him as he realized Franco’s play. Though Rio’s hand tightened on the phone, he didn’t show any other emotion.
The photo was of the mistress room at his family’s estate. It featured two people writhing in bed, a man with dark hair on the top, a woman obscured with long legs underneath. It obviously wasn’t him and Sarah. “Is this the only photo he sent?”
Rio’s expression hadn’t changed which seemed to confuse Sarah’s brothers.
Marcello nodded. “Your father said that was the first in a series.”
Sarah peeked over his shoulder, then shrank back with a look of disgust. “Ugh. Gross. I can never unsee that.”
Rio handed back the phone. “It’s not us.”
Alex’s voice was nearly a growl. “No? Then who are you fucking in that picture?”
“When I said ‘it’s not us’, that meant it’s not Sarah and it’s not me, either.”
Marcello crossed his arms. “Prove it.”
Christ. “It’s easy to s
ee it’s not Sarah, first of all. If you’ve analyzed the photos, and I assume you have, you’d have caught the woman’s reflection in the mirrors above the bed. She has dark hair. Not to mention, her body is nothing like Sarah’s. I mean, Sarah’s legs, for example—”
Alex pursed his lips and fisted his hand, ready to leap forward and pummel Rio, he was sure.
Sarah moved between them. “Stop! Rio, don’t antagonize these idiots.”
“Couldn’t resist, bella.” They had tried to kill him, sort of, after all. A chance to give them a taste of their own medicine, even verbally, was too hard to resist.
Sarah grabbed his hand. “Well, resist for me.”
He gave her an indulgent smile. “Of course, bella.” Keeping their hands joined, Rio went back to addressing the brothers. “The other man in that photo is Franco.”
Rio pointed at the photo, still on Marcello’s screen. “That body type is nothing like mine. Also, if you look closely, you can see the ascension ring on Franco’s hand. Only the current ruling prince wears it. Though I suppose you could have a copy of the ring made, the original could be verified, even via a good photo analysis.”
Alex gestured to the photo, disbelief clear on his face. “You expect us to believe your father sent us pictures of himself fucking his mistress to try to pass them off as you?”
Rio merely shrugged. They’d either believe him or they wouldn’t. Sarah believed him and, for now, that was enough. “He’s a vile, degenerate human being, and I use the word ‘human’ loosely, so, yes, I do believe he would have sent it. That room is in my family’s ancestral home. It’s the mistress’s room. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn he records what happens there.”
Disgust. Uncomfortableness. More disbelief. It was all on their faces.
Sarah tightened her hand on his. “I’ve seen that room. It’s gross and disgusting. His family is gross and disgusting. Rio is not gross and disgusting.”
“Bella.”
She ignored Rio and started pointing at the photo. “Rio had nothing to do with this disgusting attempt at blackmail. He’s not like that. He’s nothing like them. He’s kind and sweet and sexy—”
Lorenzo grimaced. “Really, Sarah.”
“—and he’s dedicated his life to doing good work. You said you looked into him. Well, if you did and you didn’t find that, then you didn’t do a good job.”
Alex started to speak but his phone buzzed again. “Papa’s asking for you again. You’d better get moving.”
Sarah scoffed. “I’d be there already if you weren’t trying to kill Rio. After I leave, you’d all better keep your hands to yourselves.”
“Oh. My. God.” Another voice—this one decidedly female—called from several steps away. A gorgeous woman walked down the hall, her full head of dark brown hair bouncing as she did. Though she was pretty, she wasn’t prettier than Sarah in Rio’s book.
The woman stopped beside Eddie and raked her gaze over Rio.
Eddie tapped her lightly in the stomach with his elbow, his voice a low growl. “Could you not ogle another man while I’m standing right here?”
The woman—Rio recalled now that it was Princess Catharine—merely smiled innocently up at her fiancé. “I wasn’t ogling. I was appreciating.”
Sarah huffed. “You were ogling.”
Rio blinked at the hardness in her tone. Was she jealous?
“He’s not yours to ogle, Cat. Rio, this is my sister Catharine, and her fiancé, Eddie. Ignore them, that’s what I plan to do. I’ve got to go see my father.”
Sarah gave him a quick kiss on the lips and strode away down the corridor.
“It’s good to see you, too, little sister!” Cat turned and waved as she shouted. Sarah kept on walking, but pointed a middle finger at her without turning back.
Cat’s lips spread in a wide smile. She scrunched her shoulders together and wound an arm through Eddie’s. “I just love coming back to visit. It’s always so much fun.”
Lorenzo snorted. “You always did have a twisted sense of fun.”
A lewd grin crossed Eddie’s face. “I love her idea of fun, myself.”
The men let out various groans, a couple shoving Eddie or slapping him on the head.
Marcello shook his head, a grimace contorting his face. “Keep talking like that and we won’t let you marry Cat.”
Cat let out a gasp of indignation. “Let me? I’ll do whatever it is I please, thank you very much.”
While the barbs continued between siblings and future siblings-in-law, Rio stood mute against the wall. He thought—very seriously, for at least thirty seconds—about making a run for it, but he didn’t want to abandon Sarah. She shouldn’t have to face her father’s wrath alone. Though her father wasn’t like his, he knew just what she’d be going through.
He didn’t know, however, how to handle a family like this. A family that was big and loud—something he’d never have guessed after seeing their reserved public demeanor—but also incredibly loving and caring. True, they’d threatened him and almost cut off his air supply, but they didn’t kill him. Now, even though Sarah had been gone for at least a few minutes, none of them went for him again. They were keeping their promise to their sister.
He didn’t know what to make of that, either.
He’d have to hold his own, somehow, and that meant speaking up for himself. He squared his shoulders.
“Pardon me.”
The bantering continued, all of them speaking over the other. How did they manage to understand a single word the other said?
“Pardon!”
Six pairs of eyes turned to him, some a little startled, as if they’d just remembered he was there. That he could handle. He was used to people forgetting his existence unless they wanted to blame him for something.
“Would you be so kind as to show me to a washroom? I’d like to freshen up before I greet His Majesty.”
They stood perfectly still, without moving, without even blinking an eye.
“Perhaps one of the agents could show me, then, if you’re busy?”
They finally moved, exchanging looks and some unspoken conversation.
Alex nodded once, then stepped forward and held out a hand.
Rio shook it cautiously while he kept an eye on the remaining crowd.
“I’d like to apologize.”
Rio’s brows shot straight up as he let go. “Pardon?”
“You heard me. I’m sorry for hurting you. I’m not a particularly violent man, unless it comes to protecting my family or my country. I won’t stand for Sarah being hurt, nor will I stand for threats against our family.”
“As for the first, I wouldn’t stand for Sarah being hurt, either.”
Alex took a long beat. “I can see that. Yes, I can.”
Rio wasn’t sure if he should push, but he did it anyway. “Sarah wouldn’t stand for it, either. She’d never put herself in a position to be hurt.”
A sadness crossed Nate’s features. “No one can guard against hurt, least of all hurt inflicted by someone else.”
Rio crossed his arms over his chest. “Then you don’t know your sister very well.”
Lorenzo’s eyes flared. “Now, hold on—”
“She’s stronger than you give her credit for. I never said she wasn’t vulnerable. Those who present themselves as the strongest usually are, Sarah included. However, she’s strong enough to weather this storm, and any that come after. That’s why she’s a damn good ambassador. She deserves credit for that.”
They all exchanged looks and—Rio was pleased to note—looked slightly abashed.
Good. They deserved it for how they’d treated him, but also what they’d assumed of Sarah.
Sarah’s family exchanged looks again, but Alex spoke. “About the photo…Sarah believes you, and I do trust her judgment. So, I believe you, too. Not to mention, you’re right; we can verify the things you mentioned about the photograph.”
A small burst of relief exploded inside him. “Thank you.�
��
“You seem to care for Sarah.”
Rio matched Alex’s piercing gaze. “You’re wrong.”
There was a sharp intake of breath by several people.
“Care is too simple a term for how I feel about Sarah. You underestimated me before. Don’t underestimate my feelings for your sister.”
Alex held his gaze for several moments, then nodded.
Rio’s eyes drifted down the hall, his thoughts on his bell’angelo. He hoped she was faring all right with her father.
A click of heels in the hall redirected his thoughts. His heart started beating faster, anticipation burning within him at the prospect of seeing her again. Her father must have been lenient on her for her to finish so quickly.
The clicks grew louder, and a woman with chestnut hair and a curvy frame drifted into view—Princess Rebecca, who he recognized—approached with a smile.
He dipped into a bow. “Your Highness.”
“Oh, please, rise.” She settled next to Alex and wove an arm through his. “There’s no need for formality here. You’re Prince Vittorio?”
Rio’s first impression of the future queen was that she seemed kind. As he’d known quite a few unkind people during the course of his life, he could easily recognize its opposite. No wonder the public was in love with her. “Please call me Rio.”
She gave him a megawatt smile. “Then you must call me Rebecca.”
He smiled back. “As you wish.”
Lorenzo gave him a hard stare. “How come you didn’t bow to us? Why’d you only bow to Rebecca?”
He lifted one eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest again. “She didn’t try to kill me, now did she? Nor did she suggest maiming a part of my body.”
Rebecca’s mouth gaped, and her gaze whipped between her husband and her in-laws. “What is going on here? Alex?”
Rio found a little too much pleasure in watching Alex visibly squirming beside his wife.
“Darling, it was nothing. Sarah—”
“Is a grown woman who can handle herself. You tried to kill him?”
Now all the brothers were squirming.
Better and better.
Marcello mumbled, but Rebecca was having none of it.
“What was that?”
Marcello ran a hand over his face. “He’s fine. It was nothing.”
Sarah & Vittorio Page 20
