Apollonia, who was one of Brando and Scarlett’s neighbors, had offered it to us to use while we looked for a place of our own. Apollonia’s daughter was married to Mitch and Viola’s son. The daughter was close to giving birth.
The Fausti family, especially Mariano’s part of it, might have branched off, but they did not venture too far from their roots.
The amount of traveling was something I was adjusting to. However, it seemed second nature to Mariano and his siblings. This was the norm for them.
My head was tilted back, my hair fanning out behind me, and my eyes were turned up to the overcast sky. “It is lucky for me I am no longer afraid of storms,” I said. “It seems the last few months have been a constant barrage of them.”
“It’s the season for them,” Mariano said. “But the sun always comes out.”
I blinked at him when I turned my face forward. “This is true.”
He kissed the top of my head. “I’ll always take care of you, Annie.”
“I know,” I whispered. “This is why I am no longer afraid.”
His eyes stared into mine, and I grinned at him.
“Give me a smile,” he said.
I did, and he leaned down and kissed me, telling me how much he loved me, how proud he was to be my husband, even though I caused barroom fights, and how he would always be my knight. My own prince—dropping the Casanova title.
I smiled, then realized what he had said. I sat up some in his arms.
“I caused the barroom brawl?!”
He exploded with laughter, and I was, quite honestly, hypnotized by the sound of it. His bright white, perfect teeth would be the last thing his prey noticed before they left this world. I would be willing to do this, be an offering, if his mouth devoured me.
“Yeah, Annie. You.”
“Explain this to me, Mariano.”
“Fuck me sideways.” He sighed. “I’m Mariano when you start to getspeziata.” He shook his head. “Did Chili ask you to dance or not?”
I wiggled to be set down. He set me on my feet but took a step back, as if he were preparing for my attack over what came next. I ran a hand down my dress. It was long, buttoned-down, with a gold belt that cinched my waist in. A pair of sexy four-inch black stilettos, the toe open, the points gold, had straps that wrapped around my ankles.
Mariano had gifted me more jewelry. I wore the many bangle bracelets he had my great-uncle design and create for me. My husband also gifted me with a pair of new sunglasses. The oneshe had first given me were oversized and dark with a gold and diamond emblem on the side. The new pair had a gold frame, light brown tinted frames, but were also oversized. He said these made me look like a bug, but I loved them!
My husband looked me up and down, his eyes heating. “Later,” he whispered. “The heels and nothing fucking else.”
“Sì, this is true,” I breathed out. It was the answer to the question he had asked me about Chili. My mind automatically threw it out, and my mouth delivered. It just so happened to work for his last comment as well. He got me this way, mindless, when he gave me that sexy Fausti look, and when he made comments to me that added fuel to the fire his eyes had started.
“Yeah, it is.” His tongue touched his bottom lip, as if he was starving for me and could already taste me there. “You’re going to be my sweetdolce.”
“Ah, yes, this is true, but what I meant is…the part about Chili asking me to dance.”
“Bene.We have that part down.” He spoke in full Italian next. “Tell me, what happened after, my wife.”
I waved a hand. “Ah, his old lady.”
He cracked up when I called the woman this. This was what Chili had called her.
“His woman—” I rolled my eyes “—started to get, ah,sassywith me. Telling me I could not take her man, as the old country song sings about. I believe this was playing on the jukebox and seemed to spur her on. I did not want her man. I told her this as well. After this, she demanded to knowwhyI did not want him.” I tapped my temple. “Trulypazza! However, I answered her. On the long list, the last reason was that herold mansmelled of chili. She went after me, Magpie went after her, and…I do not remember how the rest got started.” I waved a dismissive hand.
However, the memory would always bring a grin to my face when I recalled it. I had never seen anything like it. A punchhere. A punch there. I was almost positive I saw in real time as Chili’s teeth were dislodged by PapàBrando.
Mariano roared with laughter. “Fuck it,” he said, picking me up again. “Why else didn’t you want him, Annie?”
I laughed at how ridiculous it all sounded as well.
