“I can be,” he said, lowering his voice as he bit her neck. “Or I can be what youreallywant me to be.”
She laughed. I rolled my eyes. Getting married made these men fucking pussies. It was ridiculous. Dean and I were the only two left without partners, and we usually commiserated while they acted like teenagers. Neither of us would admit that being around them all the time made it hard not to want what they had. Sometimes. Most of the time, all the PDA just annoyed me. Cat and Loren were still having a moment, so I looked away again. I’d never been that way with Crystal. At the thought of her, I inwardly cringed. That was a bad call from the start. Normally, cutting ties with a woman meant going back to my old ways — working, drinking, working out, and fucking whoever I was attracted to that night. That usually lasted for about a week before I got bored.
It wasn’t like I wanted to jump into another relationship. The whole fiasco with my ex was tiring enough. I was just being more careful about who I sank my dick into. Sometimes I envied Gio’s situation. I mean, a gorgeous woman shows up at your door, tells you you’re already married to her, and ends up being your dream partner? His arrangement was the only one I’d seen work out. My parents had an arranged marriage, much like Lenora’s situation now. The women always bickered about being told who to marry, as if any man wants to be forced into marriage. It was just the way things went for some people in this life. Even kings were used as pawns.
The laughter I’d been trying to avoid all night got closer, and I looked up to see Dominic, Rosie, and Lenora trying to escape the group they’d been speaking to. When I got here an hour ago, Lenora had been sandwiched between her father and husband-to-be, so I’d made it a point not to look in her direction. If I did, Giuseppe would call me over and talk my ear off all night. I’d already interacted with Dominic’s old man the other day. We drank his expensive bourbon, smoked my expensive cigars, and talked about life — his favorite topic, which was ironic, considering. I enjoyed hanging out with Giuseppe. He was a psychopath, but he sometimes reminded me of my father, and he told me stories about times they’d shared. He treated me like I was one of his sons, which felt nice. That was another reason I didn’t want to stand anywhere near Lenora while he was around. He’d probably read my thoughts, and since they involved soiling his virgin daughter, he’d kill me before the night was over. As if he knew I was thinking about him, he looked over at me and met my gaze, smiling and lifting his glass. I returned the gesture. His attention was taken away by Rosie, who went up to greet him. He opened his arms and kissed her on each cheek, smiling from ear to ear as he spoke to her.
I looked away and focused on Dominic and Lenora, who were headed our way. I tried to look away from her. I tried to tell my eyes to look at Rosie, who had joined them, but I couldn’t force my eyes away from Lenora. I let my gaze fall over her body, taking in every single curve I could make out in that dress. When our eyes met, hers were glossed over. It did absolutely nothing to help the situation in my pants, which confused and annoyed the fuck out of me. I’d been around plenty of beautiful women. I’d been going to strip clubs weekly with Mattia, Nico, and Marco. How the hell was Lenora fucking De Luca making me hard without touching me?
“Took you long enough.” I looked at Dominic because if I looked at his sister any longer, he’d catch on faster than his father, and the outcome would be the same — me at the bottom of the Hudson.
“Rosie had rehearsals,” he said, giving me a half-hug. “That dancer I told you about was there tonight. You should’ve gone with us.”
“Dominic.” Rosie slapped his chest. “I told you to leave Marissa out of this.”
“I think she’d be good for Rocco,” he said, looking over at Lenora. “Did you think she was pretty?”
“I guess.” She shrugged and looked away, biting her lip like she was uncomfortable, which, for unknown reasons, amused the hell out of me.
“Is she hotter than Rosie?” I asked Dom, keeping my eyes on Lenora to gauge her reaction. Her jaw twitched. She looked right at me and glared. Oh, shewasjealous. I bit back a smile. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This was too good, but it was also really fucking bad. Two more days. Two more days I’d have to deal with her, and on both days, we’d be surrounded by people who would undoubtedly kill me if I made a move, so I was safe.
“No one is hotter than Rosie,” Dom said loudly like he was making a fucking announcement in the middle of this engagement party. Rosie shook her head in exasperation when some heads turned our way.
“Quiet down, Dom. Yes, Marissa is hot,” Rosie said. “I don’t think she’d be good for you. She talks about herself too much.”
“Red flag.” I took another sip of tequila. At that, Lenora smiled, though she looked away quickly to hide it.
“Could be a good thing,” Loren said. Cat rolled her eyes.
“She doesn’t ask questions, though,” Dom said. “Isn’t that what you said? She talks so much about herself but never asks questions about anyone else.”
“Okay, maybe a yellow flag,” I said.
Lenora’s jaw ticked again. I tried to hold back a smile, but it was impossible. Normally, I stayed away from jealous women. They annoyed the fuck out of me with their false accusations, and they were always false. I barely had time for one woman. I couldn’t understand why they’d think I’d make time for two. After Crystal, I stayed away from women like that, but seeing Lenora’s reactions made me feel something. Jealousy looked hot on her. Everything seemed to look hot on her.
“What kind of women do you like?” Lenora asked, her eyes widening like she was shocked she’d asked the question.
“What do you care what he likes?” Dom asked. My heart started beating faster.
“I can’t ask a question?” she raised an eyebrow at him.
She was wearing a lot of makeup, but I saw her blush. Or maybe I was imagining things I wanted to be there. I stopped my train of thought, trying to remember what I had to eat and drink today and whether or not I'd smoked any pot. I didn’t smoke pot often, but it would be the only explanation for me acting like a horny teenager around this girl. Maybe I’d smoked pot last night with Nico and Matti while at the strip club. I didn’t remember much of last night, but I was sure it was like every other night I’d gone out with them. They’d hang out at Scarab, help me put up frames and install light fixtures, and then we’d go to the strip club and drink. They’d go to the back rooms with some women while I sat in the front, scrolling through my phone and idly watching the women dancing on the pole. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy watching them, but we'd gone so many times that I was on a first-name basis with most of them. I'd seen them in plain clothes, so the illusion was gone. I wasn’t one of those people who sat there picturing myself fucking my friends. I’d gone down that road before. No thanks.
“Are you asking what type of woman I like to fuck or what type of woman I would settle down with and marry?” I asked once Dominic stopped bickering.
She swallowed hard. “Is there a difference?”
“I mean, I wouldn’t die for any women I’ve fucked.” I tilted my head. “If I meet one worth dying for, I’d marry her on the spot.”
“On the spot.” Loren laughed. “I’d pay to find this woman.”
“And you’re a cheap bastard, so that’s saying a lot,” I replied. He flipped me off.
“How would you know?” she asked. “How would you know she’s worth dying for?”
My heart did a little skip that made me pause becausewhat the fuck?When did that question start making me feel shit?
“I have no idea,” I answered. It was the truth.
