The sound of heels clicking drew me out of my thoughts, and I focused my attention on the stairs. Ivy walked down them in the green cocktail dress. It hung every single one of her curves, and I felt my mouth drop open slightly at the sight of her.
“Sorry,” she muttered, as she came to stand in the living room. She ran a hand over her curls, which were down for the first time. I noticed that when she was at the club, she straightened her hair, but at home, it was always in a bun or a braid. “I was trying to tame my hair.”
Sasha rushed forward once more, and we all watched Ivy tense. I smirked as I watched Sasha’s face fall. I shouldn’t enjoy her discomfort so much, but it was nice to know that my future wife wasn’t as touchy feely as my sister-in-law.
Too bad she’s not willing to touch or feel what I’d like her to,I thought.
“It’s fine,” Sasha said. “I’m sorry that we rushed you. I thought it would be nice to have a fancy dinner to celebrate your engagement.”
Ivy bit her bottom lip, and I tried not to groan at the unknowingly erotic gesture. “That was nice of you.” Her voice was soft as she spoke, and her eyes darted around like she was a little mouse looking for a place to hide. It was clear that she was uncomfortable.
Alex walked forwards. “It’s nice to see you again.” I raised a brow at his tone. It was much too familial considering they had met just once. A smile broke out on Ivy’s face. It was clear that she had friendly feelings towards him, probably because he had played the role of white knight.
I rolled my eyes and stepped between them, cutting off their eye contact. “Let’s go.”
Sasha was to my left, and she moved closer, butting in slightly between the two of us. “Stop being so brash,” she scolded. “I’m Sasha Blanchi. I’m not actually sure if I introduced myself before.
Ivy laughed slightly and shook her head goodnaturedly. “Sister?” she asked, raising a brow to me.
I snorted. “God no,” I said. “Sister-in-law.”
Sasha pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. “Don’t let Marco fool you. He would have loved to have a sister.”
“I really wouldn’t have.”
Ivy laughed once more. The more that we all talked the more Ivy’s discomfort melted away. I might not be happy that the two of us were going to be married, but I wasn’t interested in being married to a little meek mouse.
“Dom,” Sasha gestured to my brother who was still sitting on the couch. His brow was furrowed as he looked at his phone. Whatever he was reading had caused his already tense shoulders to grow tighter.
“What?” I immediately walked towards him ready to do whatever was needed.
Dom’s dark eyes, so much like my father’s that it sometimes freaked me out, met mine. He shook his head slightly before he placed a fake smile on his face and walked towards his wife. I wondered if Ivy or Sasha had picked up his oddities. From the way Sasha was smiling at him, I could tell she hadn’t, but Ivy’s eyes narrowed slightly, and I knew that she realized something was off.
“You must be the brother,” she said, reaching out her hand, not missing a beat. I was impressed, though I knew I shouldn’t be. I didn’t know much about Ivy, but I did know she was a woman who thought on her feet.
Dom reached out and shook her hand. “I am.”
Ivy shifted slightly as the handshake ended, and the easy rapport that she had with Sasha was not transferred to my brother. “You look a little young to be a mob boss.”
I groaned. Sasha gasped. And Alex looked like he was ready to fall over in shock. I hadn’t thought much about the first meeting between my brother and Ivy. Dom was much better at faking the part of a gentleman than I was, and Ivy, while unpredictable, wasn’t stupid.
“It’s don, actually,” Dom replied, his voice cool.
Ivy’s brow furrowed. “What?”
“I’m not a mob boss. My title is don.”
I waited for Ivy to say something smart. I could tell by the flash of her green eyes that she didn’t appreciate Dom correcting her. She might be playing nicely, but she was pissed.
“We should eat!” Sasha blurted out. Her hands immediately went to her stomach. “The baby is hungry.”
“Really?” I raised a brow at her.
“Really.” She reached out and took Dom’s arm. “Besides, the food is going to be cold again if we wait too much longer.” None of us could argue with that.
As we walked into the dining room, I noticed Ivy looking around. She was assessing my home, and I wondered how she was finding it. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten in here in my life,” I told her as we trailed slightly behind the group.
“No?” she asked.