I’ll Burn Anyone (The Challenge Night Series Book 2)

by K. L Mann

I chuckle. “You know you’re sleeping here, right?”

  “Yeah yeah, mom. I know not to drive drunk.” He sets the bottles down in the free space on the table and sheds his sunglasses, then jumps onto the couch with a sigh. He’s dawning his more alternative style today, looking emo yet somehow not emo. The kind of rockstar ‘I don’t give a fuck’ style that girls drool over. “Are we spilling secrets before, after or during drinking?”

  “All of the above, crack open the bottles!” I decide, filling a glass with cranberry juice just above half way. Marco fills the remainder with vodka and pours himself a stronger version of the drink.

  “Alright, judging by the massive fucking bruises on your neck I’m going to guess Gio finally gave in.”

  I nearly choke on my drink and widen my eyes. I guess we’re starting off bold as shit tonight. I’m not entirely okay with the fact that my little brother knows so much about my man’s sexual proclivities but beggars can’t be choosers. “You could say that,” I say, taking another big gulp. “I’m uh, kind of dating both of them now.”

  He stills, freezing mid sip. “Luca and Gio?”

  I hum and nod in agreement.

  “Luca Caruso and Gio Colombo are… dating you? At the same time?”

  “Uh huh,” I agree.

  “I should have brought more liquor,” he curses, taking a big drink from his glass. “I’m never letting Katherine leave the country again, I should not be the person you talk to about this.”

  “Oh please,” I chide. “You talk with Lorenzo about sex all the time!”

  “He’s my older brother, that’s normal. You’re my sister and your banging fuckin’ Gio and Luca. You grew up with them, it’s fucking complicated to say the least, A.” He slings back more liquid and shakes his head.

  “It’s not that strange,” I snap.

  “I’m not saying it’s wrong, A. I’m just taken back. For fucks sake, you bullied Luca as a ten-year-old little girl and now you're on his dick.”

  Huh?

  Bullied him?

  “Okay, first of all, don’t mention his dick and make it weirder than it needs to be. Second, what the hell do you mean I ‘bullied’ him?”

  He looks perplexed as if I should remember what the hell he’s talking about. “A, you met Luca, the damn 16-year-old street kid, and made him target fucking one. You teased him about not looking Italian and accused him of being a Russian spy. You pointed out his scars all the time and even asked our dad why he ‘adopted a broken boy.’”

  My heart seizes in my chest.

  No way. No fucking way I did all that.

  That’s… that’s awful.

  “No, that’s not possible,” I argue.

  “You know I love you, but you were a spoiled little bitch in your own world when you met him, A. Mamma said you thought papa spent too much time with him and Lorenzo and Gio liked him more than you, so you retaliated. But you definitely treated him like shit for that first year. I’m sure he’s gotten over it at this point, I just meant to point out how times change and shit, you know?”

  “Well now I feel like a dickhead,” I mumble, throwing back some of my own drink.

  “You were ten, and jealous. Shit happens,” he argues with a shrug. “Anyways, so the three of you then? You planning on picking one?”

  “I don’t think picking is possible. They’re both mine and I’ll burn Italy to the ground before I lose them.”

  “You’re such a Vitale,” he teases. “So dramatic.”

  “Hush,” I urge, punctuating my command with a glare. “So, how’s it going on your front? Any progress with the forbidden love?”

  He pours straight vodka from the bottle down his throat and stops after a few gulps.

  “That good, huh?”

  “Yup.”

  “Well, fuck her, you’re the shit. She’ll give in, you’re irresistible, baby bro,” I joke, hoping to make him smile.

  I succeed and he tops off both of our drinks. “So, do you love them? Both of them?” His question is fair, but unexpected.

  I hadn’t really thought about the L word coming up in conversation. It’s only been a few days with Luca and only one real day with Gio. Still, it feels like I’ve been theirs for years. Maybe because in my mind, I have been.

  Taking out my phone, I type out a message.

  Arianna: Yeah, I think so. Not going to let them hear it for the first time on camera though.

  Marco: Good thinking. Make ‘em work for it.

  We laugh together, putting away our phones and scrolling through the digital movie library. Finally agreeing, Marco clicks on Sausage Party, claiming it's hilarious when drunk.

  We talk some more about random crap in our lives, and then start to take a walk down memory lane. A very bumpy walk.

  “Oh my God,” I wheeze through a laugh. “Do you remember when you stuck a lollipop in my hair and I didn’t want you to get in trouble so I told mamma it was Lorenzo who did it!?” I can barely finish the story before cackling even harder at the visual memory playing in my mind.

  Marco roars out a laugh. “You were such a bad liar, he was 19! Why would he put a lollipop in your hair!?”

  “I was 11, I didn’t want you to get yelled at,” I admit with another small laugh.

  It’s true, I used to always protect Marco from getting into trouble. I hated seeing papa disappointed with him so I never blamed him for anything, even when it was actually his fault.

  “What about the time that we got high…”

  “Ohmygawd,” I curse. “Lorenzo found us fucking tripping on mushrooms in his backyard. I think we were literally laying in the grass choking because we were laughing so hard. And he didn’t tell papa! He was actually cool for once, until the morning when he reprimanded me with his stern face. Such a drama Queen.”

  He snorts. “I can’t believe you convinced me to take them with you to begin with.”

  “All I said was, ‘hey, wanna get high?’ and you said ‘on what?’ It wasn’t exactly like I begged you!”

  “I’m pretty sure you tried to pet Lorenzo’s hair when he put you to bed,” Marco says, smiling like a jerk.

  “I did not,” I lie. I definitely did.

  “Sure,” he fakes agreement.

  “What about when I graduated and you came to the ceremony fucking black out drunk with Angelo and I saved your asses?”

  “I’ll never forget about that. Top ten best sister moment for sure,” he agrees. “I can’t believe you got us in the car so fucking fast. We were totally being belligerent.”

  “I bribed you with pizza,” I remind him.

  “Alright, shot time, then more ridiculous memories about how awesome we are.” He grins, taking a few swings from the bottle and passing it my way.

  “You’re going to get me in trouble,” I accuse but take a few sips of the burning liquid anyways. Vodka is disgusting but Katherine and Marco don’t even make a face when they guzzle it down. I, on the other hand, wince like a bitch.

  “I’m good at that,” he points out, taking it back and pouring more down his throat.

  “Do you think you’re an alcoholic?” Wow, I’m definitely buzzed because that was a bit deep. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

  He shrugs. “Nah, it’s cool. I don’t know, maybe, I guess. I don’t really see a problem with it at this point. Like sure, I probably black out too often but I’m graduating early, and functioning in society. I’m not a mean or sad drunk so until it becomes an issue, I don’t see myself stopping.” I nod in agreement, bobbing my head slowly and sipping some cranberry juice to wash out the vodka taste. “Besides, if it were an issue, Lorenzo would step in or Gio would ban me from Club Lucifer so…”

  “Makes sense,” I admit, with a shrug.

  He tilts his head in my direction. “You worried about me, A?”

  “Always. You’re my little brother. I shot a lady in the foot for calling us unstable, because let’s face it, she was not talking about Lorenzo. No one would ever sa
y such a thing about the prodigal son.”

  “Yeah that was fuckin’ wicked by the way. Also a top ten best sister moment.”

  “Well, I’m glad I’m on your good side because I’m definitely going to be on Lorenzo’s shit list when he gets home.”

  “Katherine will rain him in, he’s pussy whipped as fuck.”

  No, he’s in love. There’s a difference, right?

  “I hope so. I’m crazy about em’.”

  “Oh you’re definitely getting drunk if you’re being that honest,” he chuckles out his reply. “You could do worse, they’re alright guys when they aren’t being dicks.”

  “I think Luca likes you though, he’s always annoyed when Gio and you fight.”

  “He understands being an outcast, that’s all.” I don’t argue with him, it’s not my business, instead, we turn up the music and continue to drink our hearts out.

  Luca

  Leaving Arianna with only Vito had been a seemingly harmless idea, until she invited over trouble. My only saving Grace is that I find them and Gio doesn’t. They’re passed out on the couch together, sleeping under two separate blankets with their feet touching each other as they are balled into shells. The room is trashed, which is unsurprising considering the two empty bottles of vodka on the floor.

  It’s 3am and I’m dead tired, but I need her to sleep. I need to feel her warm body against mine, snuggled up like we’re one person.

  Sighing, I make my way over to her. Her nose crinkles when I plant a kiss on it. “Arianna?” I whisper, hoping not to wake Marco. She mumbles in response. “Come on princess, let’s get you to bed.”

  One of her eyes peeks open, and her mouth parts. “L–Luca?”

  “Shhh,” I coax her, taking off her blanket softly and pulling her body into my arms. “Let’s go to sleep, baby.”

  She nods, leaning her head against my chest. I double check that Marcos’s chest is rising and falling properly before leaving the room and heading to the elevator. Arianna is mumbling into my chest and I can’t tell if she’s still drunk, too tired or hungover and in pain already.

  “What’s that, baby?”

  “I bullied you,” she murmurs, and her voice cracks. “Marco told me.” Her chest shakes and she catches her breath. Tears hit my pecks as I try to process what she’s saying. “When you came to live with us, I was mean to you.”

  Oh Jesus. My sweet girl.

  “Baby, you were ten years old.”

  “I was awful,” she retorts with a sniffle.

  We hit the basement floor and I stride us both to my room. “Do you need to pee before you go back to sleep, princess?”

  She nods sheepishly, wiping away her tears. I slowly put her down, seeing if she can stand on her own. I’m relieved to see that while she’s probably still a bit drunk, she’s not wobbly. She makes her way to the bathroom and I search for a shirt to put her in.

  Even drunk and half asleep she makes my heart pound. If she were to choose Gio and leave me, I don’t know if I’d survive it. I thought I could be happy with her happiness alone, but now I think I have to be responsible for it, even if it’s only half of it.

  I think about the things I would do for her, and the list seems endless. My princess is mine, even if she’s Gio’s too, she’s still mine.

  Once she’s settled in my shirt and out of her street clothes and slumps into bed, laying on her side so that I can cuddle up behind her. One of her hands awkwardly reaches over her, angling to fist my hair into her hand softly. She sighs at the connection.

  “You got the prettiest hair, Luca. It’s so blonde, so soft and fluffy,” she murmurs. “I wanna play with it all the time.”

  “Thank you, princess, I like your hair too.”

  “Blue eyes. Such pretty blue eyes. I wanna lick them. You know geckos lick their own eyeballs? Gonna lick yours too like a gecko,” she mumbles, barely audible strange promises. She snorts and then giggles. “Gecko is a silly word.”

  Her drunk rambling is interesting to say the least. “You can lick my eyeballs in the morning, sleep princess.”

  “Why would I lick your eyeballs? You’re a weird guy, Mr. Fluffy hair, blue eyes.”

  Unable to stop it, I chuckle at her confused state. There’s a beat of silence where I think she might be allowing herself to drift off.

  “I’ll never bully you again, Luca. You’re my best friend,” she promises into the darkness.

  “You got my heart, princess.”

  Her breathing is soft and steady, she’s asleep and I wonder if she heard me. Yet the soothing feeling of being with her in bed quickly allows me to rest, and the world goes peacefully dark.

  Normally the bed moving in the dark of morning would startle me to the point of drawing a gun, but the smell of gunpowder and cologne lets me know I don’t need to attack. Gio slides his arms around Arianna, partially stealing her from my grip.

  “Gio,” she pouts into his chest.

  “Go back to sleep baby, it’s 5am,” he murmurs back.

  “I bullied Luca,” she whines, sniffling back more tears. “Marco told me I was mean to him. I said back things. I said horribly awful things and I hate myself for it.”

  “Shhh, baby,” he coaxes her. Gio looks over her body at me in the near darkness of the room. “You were ten and jealous that he was getting your dad's attention.”

  “I was mean, I don’t wanna be mean to Luca, he’s my best friend, Gio. I probably made him cry. I would have cried if someone said that stuff about me,” she sobs, sniffling again.

  She definitely didn’t make me cry, but I also know what she’s talking about. The first year I moved in with Lorenzo she hated seeing me. Though, when she turned 11 she had already begrudgingly accepted me as a part of the family. I have an heirloom to prove it.

  He pulls her in tighter to comfort her. “You’re still a little drunk baby, sleep. You can make it up to him when you’re sober.”

  Her head bobs as she nods in agreement. “Gonna marry you both someday,” she whispers, dozing off.

  I really hope that’s not just the vodka talking. Gio and I share a look before falling back asleep.

  Six hours of sleep.

  I manage six hours of sleep.

  Waking up at 9am has never been all that possible for me. Pleasantly, Arianna has wrapped herself around me as my eyes creek open. Gio’s still in bed too, gently running his hand up and down her back. In what feels like an instinct, my hand does the same to her thigh and she starts to stir, mumbling like she’s trying to wake herself up.

  “Gotta make it up to you,” her little voice murmurs into my chest.

  Before I can argue how unnecessary that is, Gio moves closer. “That’s right baby, you have to make it up to Luca. Tell him to lay down on his back for you.”

  I cock an eyebrow at him, but he gives me one of those ‘trust me’ looks and I give in.

  “Please lay on your back for me, king. I want to make up for being a brat.”

  How can I argue with that?

  Nodding, I roll over enough so that I’m flat on my back. Gio sheds my shirt over her head, exposing her tits and blue lacy panties. “Take his cock out, and get your sorry little mouth on it, baby girl.”

  Fuck.

  Why is it hot that he’s directing her? Shit.

  She slides to all fours, her ass facing Gio and her mouth inches from my pants. Slowly, she eases them down enough to pull out my cock, making it throb in her hand. She wastes no time, wrapping her lips around the tip, licking in circles to make it wet.

  “Deeper,” Gio commands, pulling off her panties while she works. She hums in agreement and then sinks further down, making herself release a tiny choking noise. “That’s right baby, make Luca feel better. Choke on his cock.”

  “Fuck, you look so pretty down there, princess,” I praise, watching her eyes flutter open and shut as she sucks me tighter.

  Gio’s hand fingers through her hair and he latches on, catching me completely off guard. He pushes her hea
d down, making her take me even further, earning a gasp from both of us.

  Holy fucking shit.

  “Shit, that feels good,” I stammer, trying to keep my hips from bucking.

  “Hot little fucking mouth she has, huh?”

  My dick jerks between her lips, I stutter through a moan and nod. Gio smirks, pulling her head up by her hair. Arianna comes up gasping for air with saliva dripping down her chin and tears in her eyes; irresistible as fuck.

  “Get on his dick, and tell him you’re sorry until he comes inside of you baby.”

  She scrambles to get on top of me as he assists, helping her straddle me. Her hand wobblers nervously as she holds my wet dick to line herself up. As she’s about to sink down, Gio pushes her shoulders down from her side, thrusting me inside of her balls deep.

  “Fuck!” We both curse.

  My hands find her thighs, steadying her in my grip. She freezes for a moment, tipping her head back lightly and arching her back.

  “Up and down baby girl, you know how,” Gio encourages, snatching her nipple in his mouth. She gasps and starts to move, clenching around me as she comes down with every stroke. “Now tell him how sorry you are while you take his cock, baby.”

  “I’m so so sorry, Luca,” she stammers in a breathy moan. “I didn’t know I was so mean to you. I would never say those things now.”

  “You said very mean things, baby,” Gio tsks, rotating his body behind hers. He grabs her waist and starts to make her pace pick up. He’s using her like a toy to fuck me and I can’t help but find it utterly fucking sexy and bizarre. “Did Luca deserve that? Your words?”

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  Arianna pouts, gasping each time he forces her all the way down. “No! No, he didn’t deserve it. I’m so sorry.”

  I want to say that it’s okay, that I never held it against her, but Gio dominating this entire situation is too intoxicating. “Give him a kiss and come on his dick, baby. Make it up to him.”

  She nods, humming through a moan as he pushes her head down. Her chest hits mine and our lips lock. My tongue slips into her mouth as she cries out. Her orgasm vibrates through her and she clenches down on me. Gio grabs her ass and makes her fuck me faster, driving me over the edge with her.