"It was supposed to be. What do you mean she's not over it?" I wasn't even hiding the fact that I was staring at them. The woman had her hand on Nico's arm, leaning in close enough that her breasts pressed against him. Nico's eyes locked on mine, and he licked his lips, smirking.
"She thought he would propose, and she took him dumping her badly. She called him every day for a month, begging him to come back."
"She even bought a wedding dress, and booked the Holy Mary Cathedral, and the Waldorf," Letty said as she looked back at me. "What are you going to do? You've got a funny look."
"Stake my claim or start a war, I'll decide on my way over." Handing my glass to Trixie, I moved stealthily across the room. My heels clicked on the marble floor, each step deliberate and measured.
The woman moved closer to Nico, her breasts pressed up against his arm now, and I was laser-focused. His smirk never left his face, and his eyes never left mine. I watched Caterina realize his attention wasn't on her but on something else. She looked over, and her sweet demeanor changed to that of a ruthless woman ready to fight for what she wanted.
He moved his arm, and I walked into it as he wrapped his hand around my waist. Before I gave it a second thought, I looked at his perfect, pouty lips and pressed mine to them. The grip he had on me tightened, and my heart fluttered, my hands shook, and something stirred, leaving a heat between my legs. The world fell away, the room, the people, everything but the sensation of his mouth on mine.
My head spun as I moved my hand to his chest. His heart raced beneath my palm, matching mine. Gently, he pressed his tongue against my lips, and I opened my mouth to let him in. Slowly, he ran his tongue against mine, and I was sure my heart was going to stop. The taste of him, whiskey and mint, the heatof his mouth, and the way his hand tightened on my waist like he never wanted to let go. Pulling away, I looked at him and saw something that scared me and made me ache for something I hadn't ever wanted.
Him.
The crowd cheered, and I turned to the woman. "Hi, I'm Emilia, Nico's fiancée, and you are?" I held my hand out, and every eye was on us.
"Caterina Russo." She mumbled as she shook my hand.
"I wish I could say it was a pleasure, but we'd both know I was lying." Taking a step closer to her, I gripped her hand more tightly. "If you don't want a scene here, I suggest you fake an illness and leave. And if I ever see you within fifty feet of my soon-to-be husband, I'll find a construction site to dump you in. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes." She whispered.
"You might as well burn that wedding dress and remove the open-ended bookings from the cathedral and the Waldorf. You aren't going to be needing them." I watched her chin quiver, and she left the room, practically running.
"Remind me never to make you mad," Nico whispered in my ear before spinning me to look at him. "Or were you jealous?" He asked, his eyes gazing down at my lips.
"Restless,” I sighed. “It's been too long since I threatened to murder someone," I whispered in his ear, while I fiddled with a button on his shirt.
“Yeah, an entire four days," he said, arching his brow, and I froze. He'd been there, he'd seen me, and that's why I was in this situation. The warehouse, the blood, Diego Esposito's shocked face. I needed to make sure this man's charms didn't make me forget that I hated him.
The evening wore on, and I found myself sitting at a table with my sisters, mother, and the women from Nico's family.The air was thick with perfume and wine, the sound of laughter and clinking glasses filling the space. "This has been a beautiful evening." My mother crooned. "Tomorrow, better go off without a hitch, and then we can hang the sheet and be done with this pesky wedding." I choked on my wine and looked at my mother. Cecilia gently pressed her hand to mine, and I turned to look at her. She was poised and elegant, while I was ready to fly into hysterics.
"Hanging of the sheet?" She asked, her voice carefully neutral.
"Oh yes." She clasped her hands together at her chest and sighed. "It's a Carminatti tradition to hang the bed sheet from the wedding night for all to see." She was proud of this. My mother was smiling like she'd won the lottery, and it was because of humiliation at my expense.
"Francesca, while that might be a trashy Carminatti tradition, it will not happen at a Venosa wedding. What happens in a newly married couple's boudoir is between them. The fact that you're so willing to humiliate your daughter for an outdated, disgusting tradition makes me question what kind of mother you are." She arched her brow, sweet smile still on her face, and waited for my mother to fire back.
My mother's face turned red, her neck blotching with color, and her eyes flit from Cecilia to me, down to my hand, which my soon-to-be mother-in-law still covered. "You spit on our traditions?" She squawked, covering her chest.
"Yes, I do, and I will thank you to watch your tone with me. This is my son's home, and I don't think he'd appreciate how you're speaking to me, or what you're planning to do to his wife." She sat a little straighter. "I think the evening has worn out, Emilia, and she needs to rest before tomorrow." Finally, Cecilia tore her eyes from my mother and looked at me.
She squeezed my hand slightly. "Oh, yes, um, I think we should call it a night." My mother stood so fast her chair shot across the floor, making all eyes turn to her. The sound echoed in the suddenly quiet room.
"Alessia, Gianna, we're leaving, since your sister's tired." My mother glared at me and left the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my father rush after her, and I slumped in my chair, letting out a long breath. A few of Nico's close family were left, but with a snap of Cecilia's fingers, they also left the room.
Women in this life might not wield weapons and carry out hits, but some had the power to do more damage with a snap alone. If I had to hang up my doña ways, I would become like Cecilia.
The doors were pulled shut, and Nico walked over and took a seat beside me. "What's going on?" His suit jacket was quickly discarded, and he pulled at his tie until it was draped around his neck. He popped open the top two buttons of his shirt, which gave me a glimpse of more ink. Dark lines and script disappearing beneath the fabric. This man was sex on a stick, and he knew it.
"That woman is a disgusting human being. I'm sorry, dear, but I just can't believe anyone could be that ridiculous." She patted my leg, and I had to smile.
"You sound like you're telling me something I don't know. Thank you for standing up for me, even if I'd have said no, she would have done it anyway."
"Would one of you please tell me what I'm missing?" Nico leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table.
"Emi's mom wanted to hang your bed sheet up the morning after your wedding, so everyone could see how pure her daughter was. God, if that happens to me, I'd have to get blood from someone." Trixie said, looking at her fingernails.
