TWO
“Boys.” I waved at the four hulking men on our porch and headed inside. I wasn’t interested in whatever late-night bullshit was interrupting my fiancé and me from enjoying our night.
Luca caught my hand inside the doorway and leaned in. “I’ll be right up.”
“Mhm.” I broke free and headed straight to our room. It wasn’t the first time business made its way to our doorstep late at night, and it wouldn’t be the last. The first time we lived together, he kept all parts of his mafia business away from me. It was better that he wasn’t hiding his other life, but I hated seeing Marco’s stupid face when all I wanted to do was ride Luca’s.
Sighing, I stripped, adding my dress to the clothes strewn across the floor from earlier.Let his majesty pick them up once he’s done with his cloak and dagger shit.
As I walked to the shower, my thighs rubbed the evidence from our floor escapades together. A perfectly filthy souvenir that, unfortunately, needed to be rinsed away. With enough pressure to turn my skin a wonderful shade of pink, I let the four showerheads work their magic. The glittering rock on my finger caught my eye, and I stopped washing to just stare at it in amazement. I looked through the foggy glass at the door, and my happiness soured when Luca didn’t come walking in, naked and ready for action.
Lotioning every inch of my body, I tried to chip away at my annoyance, reminding myself I’d signed up for whatever it took to be with Luca.
By the time I was cozy between the sheets, I was less angry and more resigned. The faint murmur of agitated voices made it up to our bedroom from his first-floor office. It was clear Luca wasn’t coming to bed anytime soon. Since Zoe Chronis went missing, there’d been a massive uptick in violence between the families. Or maybe I just never knew any better, and shit had always been that bad.
Probably something to look into.
I laid wide awake, listening for footsteps that never came. Huffing in frustration, I rolled to the side, then rolled to the other side until my face was buried in Luca’s pillow. I breathed in his minty shampoo, like a fucking creep, trying to soothe myself with that tiny piece of him. Disgusted by my pathetic behavior, I screamed, the sound muffled but apparently loud enough for Luca to hear. A stampede of footsteps thundered down the hallway, and the door flew open, slamming against the wall.
“Sasha!”
I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the men I knew were standing at the ready behind Luca to disappear. Of course it didn’t work. I slowly turned my head and gave the group a tentative smile. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”
They lowered their guns, Mickey smiling, while Marco and Luca frowned.
“What’s up?” Luca cocked an eyebrow.
I flopped back on my pillow and stared at the ceiling. “Sorry I scared you. I didn’t expect to have company tonight.” Lifting my hand in the air, I flashed the ring. “Ya know.”
“Congrats, by the way.” I could hear the smirk in Mickey’s voice, but I refused to look at him.
“Thanks.”
“You guys can go back to the office. I’ll be right there.”
I took a deep breath and slowly released it. What a fucking night.
The door clicked shut, and the bed dipped on Luca’s side. “Baby?”
“What?” I kept my eyes firmly on the light fixture overhead.
“Can you look at me?”
I glared at him, and he laughed, scratching his chin. “I’m sorry they popped up.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah. Okay. What the hell am I supposed to say?” We stared at each other. Luca studied me, and I could hear the cogs turning, trying to figure out the right thing to say. Rolling my eyes, I shoved his shoulder. “Get back down there so you can finish whatever it is they need and come to bed.”
“I love you.” He kissed the tip of my nose and rolled away.
Falling asleep without Luca wasn’t easy, but I was getting better at managing it.
* * *
“Oh my god!” Ashley gripped my hand so tightly that my fingers turned purple. Her eyes were wide as she tilted it back and forth, catching the light. She grinned at Adriana, Sarah, and Jazz. “Sasha is officially locked down.”