I took in a deep breath and blew it out.
“He’s like a bad penny, always turning up. And until he does, you’ve got me. What more could a girl ask for?”
“Oh, please,” I muttered. “You’re no better than him.”
“Hey now, I might just be a little better,” he said with a quick, cocky smile. “I show up on time.”
I elbowed him in the stomach lightly, but he stood firm.
Just then, the room seemed to hush. I turned my attention to the patio doors, and there he was—Max. He was speaking to Marco, filling the room with the intensity he brought along with him.
“Oh, there he is. Pretty boy himself,” Vincenzo muttered.
I sighed, shaking my head slightly. “It’s about time,” I replied, trying to hide my relief.
Vincenzo leaned in a little closer. “You know, if he keeps you waiting like this again, just give me a call.”
“Is that so?” I teased, raising an eyebrow. “And what do you think Max will have to say about that?”
He smiled. “Would you like me to go ask?”
I took a sip of my drink. “You seem to have the courage, but one enigmatic man in my life is more than enough. Two is just overkill. And you should know, if you plan to impress a girl, you might want to sleep with a lot less of them.”
He turned to me slowly, lifting his brow. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, please, Vincent. Everyone knows your track record. You haven’t been seen with the same girl twice.”
“What? Areyou callin’ me a dog, Clarke?”
“That’sRomanoto you. And yes, actually, I am. I see where your eyes land, and you need to keep them off my sister.”
He scoffed. “I was never planning on going there, Romano. But since you mentioned it, how is she doing? I haven’t spoken to her yet.”
My eyes narrowed. “This is your warning.”
He ran his tongue over his teeth. “And let me guess. You’ll be the one to show me the consequences.”
As if Daisy could hear the two of us talking about her, she came right up beside me with a cosmo in her hands. Vincenzo looked up.
“Or maybe I could learn my lesson from the woman herself.”
Daisy smiled, unaware of what we were talking about. “What lesson?” she asked.
Vincenzo smiled.
“No lesson. He was just leaving, and so were you,” I said, trying to push her away from him.
Max caught my eye across the room and held my gaze for a moment before excusing himself from Marco. “Rosalie,” he greeted me.
“Max,” Daisy interjected. “Could you please tell Sebastian and Dante to stop eating all the finger food? We still have half an hour until the gallery.”
Max smiled, reaching his hand to the small of my back. “Always a pleasure, Daisy. I’ll handle it.”
“I’ve got it,” Vincenzo said, with a wink in Daisy’s direction.
“Thanks,” she said and excused herself. She didn’t like Max much, but I took no offense, because Daisy didn’t like any mob man much—which I hoped was still the case, as Vincenzo followed after her.
As they walked away, Max’s grip on the small of my back tightened, pulling me closer.
