Chapter 16
____________________
ENZO
“Jas is wild. I mean I’m experienced but holy fuck, she knows what she’s doing.” My lips muse into a smile as I straighten my tie.
The moment I saw Jas again I knew that she would pique Dom’s attention — not that it takes much. Apparently, they were all over each other after the meeting.
I suppose Anastasia and I were too, yet the difference between us is that they’re still fucking.
There was nothing after we signed the contract, even after I sent her our engagement ring. And yet this morning I received a text informing me to be available tomorrow night for a family dinner.
I feel a strange sense of anxiety at the thought of meeting her parents. The infamous Aaron and Kiara Romano are known for their cutthroat business personas, yet it’s their reputations in the underworld that intrigues me. From what my Ma has told me, Kiara is surprisingly the deadliest of the two.
“Maybe you’ve finally met your match,” I counter and he snorts at the idea of commitment.
Ironic since I’m trying everything to tie my woman to me. My dick throbs at the thought of seeing that blood ruby on her finger.
“We’re just having fun. Not that I can say the same for you.”
“I’m getting married. Surely there’s nothing better than that.”
“Please, she’ll rinse you dry. Jas has already told me her ideas for the bachelorette party — the strippers alone will cost over five grand.” I don’t let my irritation show at the thought of naked sweaty men grinding up against my fiancée in the throes of some seedy club.
Fiancée. We jumped about fifty milestones and yet I have her right where I want her.
Well, not completely .
The deal isn’t sealed until she walks down the aisle.
“Make sure to water my plants asshole.” I grab the key to my Audi and shove them into my suit pocket. Maybe I’m a tad overdressed in a three piece suit but it’s become a second skin to me. I spend most nights passed out in my office, only to wake up and carry on working. “Also look for an apartment. I’ll have a wife soon and I doubt she’ll appreciate you crashing on the couch.”
“Maybe Jas will let me stay over, or better yet move in.” I highly doubt it. Jas treats Dom how he treats every other woman he’s ever fucked – ignoring his calls all day, only to text whenever she’s horny. And like a dog, he jumps at any chance to see her, desperate for the limited affection.
Then again, she agreed to go clubbing with him so maybe he’s breaking down her walls too. I just hope this night helps me do the same with my fiancée.
***
I drum my fingers against my glass, trying to ignore the multiple pairs of eyes lasered in on me. Confidence has never been my issue, but I realized on the drive over here that I care.
I fucking care .
I want her parents to like me. I want her siblings to accept me. I need their approval because if I remember anything from our previous time together, it’s that family is everything to her.
Glancing to my left, I study my fiancée who continues to ignore me. The smooth downslope of her nose is turned away from me and her full lips press down as she raises her wine to her mouth.
I have to remember to tread carefully, coax her open and not scare her away. Though even if I did, there’s nowhere in this world she could run to where I wouldn’t find her.
In the distance, I can hear a low growling that carries beneath the floorboard. No-one else looks fazed but it certainly piques my interest. “What was that?
“Zeus — one of our tigers.” The glowering boy across from me spits out. His inky hair, almost bluish in the light, falls over his brows as he leans forward. A disconcerting smirk spreads across his lips. “Would you like me to show you? They get particularly hungry around now.”
“Nero!” Anastasia chides, drawing my attention back to her. My eyes naturally fall to her full breasts peeking out from the low cut in her jumpsuit. I close my eyes for a second, remembering the way they bounced as I squeezed them in the limo and the soft moans that would escape her lips …
A hand clasps my shoulder, startling me back to the present. Mr Romano or Aaron, as his wife insisted I call him, comes into view. He tightens his grip on my shoulder, as though he can read my mind.
He can’t.
Yet as I think about how I fucked his daughter like the slut she loves to be, I swear that his eyes blaze with that same fire I love to stoke inside hers.
“Why are you even here, Nero?” Isla spits — the youngest Romano who I certainly mistook as a shy kid. “It’s supposed to be family only.” Nero shifts his glower away onto her instead.
Compared to him she looks like a mouse, small and petite in frame, and yet there’s a bite to her voice that gives her an edge.
“I’m hurt, little monster.” He trails his finger down his cheek, feigning tears. “And here I thought that we were on our way to becoming best friends.”
She bats his hand away as he attempts to pinch her cheek. “I’m not so little anymore, asshole. The punch I gave you yesterday fucking proved it.”
I hear the rest of the siblings sigh, watching as Nero leans in, almost brushing his nose against hers. Anger circles his irises. “The only reason you managed to touch me was because I was distracted by Hannah Martin’s ass. ”
A growl slips from her lips and I watch in amusement as she bawls up her fist — the two of them mirroring each other like bulls ready to take charge.
Kiara walks in with a tray full of canapes. Her face morphs from the calm woman who greeted me at the door into a mother ready to discipline. “Isla, calm down and Nero, go back to your own house. I’m sure your mom is looking for you.” She shoots her husband a scathing look, not unlike the ones Anastasia gives me. He just shrugs and she shakes her head, fighting a smile. It’s weirdly warming to witness.
“See you Demetri,” The two boys lock into some sort of handshake— the only form of humanity I’ve seen in Anastasia’s little brother. Demetri quickly goes back playing with his pocket knife, still refusing to spare me a glance.
He’s going to be hard to win over.
Nero reaches across the couch, messing up Isla’s hair. She grabs the tv remote and launches it at his head as he sprints out of the room, his laughter echoing behind him.
“God this is a shit show.” Anastasia mumbles, burrowing her face into her hands.
My hand strokes her back and I hide my smile as she relaxes into my touch. “You have a big family, a loud one. Be grateful for that mi amore.”
“You really don’t want to run? ”
I arch my brow, surprised she’s not already tearing my head off in-front of her family. “I thought you wanted me to run.”
Her head whips towards me and that anger is suddenly back. “We made a commitment and I intend to honor it. There’s no way my parents will let us get married unless they see us as an actual functioning couple.” I almost scoff.
As if that would stop me from dragging her down the aisle — it would be a mild annoyance at most, but I would find a way.
“Then you might want to stop looking at me as though you’re plotting ways to murder me.” A tiny huff escapes her lips but her gaze softens as we turn back to face her family.
Each of the Romano’s have their own distinct traits — copycats of each other in various ways, yet no-one mirrors one another the same as Aaron and Anastasia. Now I’m sandwiched between the two whilst the rest of the family stares at me as though I’ve just wandered in from the street.
At least Calista seems pleasant. Her warm smile is enough to believe she’s halfway there to accepting me already
“You’re very attractive.” Isla bluntly states. Her father growls at me like I’ve just made a pass at his sixteen-year-old daughter. “What? It’s a fact, dad. He’s hot and rich so he can’t just be marrying Anastasia for her money. ”
“I’m not.” I feel the need to clarify. “I happen to like your sister — a lot.” Not a lie exactly.
“But not love? I thought people who get engaged this quickly are either stupid or in love…or I guess both. So which one are you?”
The entire family fall silent and watch, as if waiting for me to declare my open and honest love for Anastasia. Truth is I did love her once, but she’s not that girl anymore and I’m not Leone. My attraction towards her is wild beyond anything I’ve ever experienced before, crafting itself into a wild desperate need to claim as her mine.
But love…
Anastasia plants her hand firmly on my thigh, squeezing in what appears as tender affection, but I have to hide a grunt as her nails break skin. “We’re private people, Isles and love doesn’t have to be a factor in marriage. We like each other and that’s enough for now.”
“But Stasia—”
“Enough Isla.” Her mother injects which I think we’re both thankful for. “They're both adults and they’ve made their decision.” Though her words are kind, her tone says something entirely different.
I need to win her over .
Gripping Anastasia’s hand, I draw her attention to me. “I care very much about Anastasia. More than she’ll ever know. This might but a quick engagement but trust me, our marriage will last a lifetime and more. And I can’t wait for it.” I see the confusion in her eyes but ignore it, raising our interlocked hands towards my lips.
I don’t break our gaze as I kiss her warm palm, almost smiling at the audible gasp in the background at the shock of electricity that bounces between us.
We’re close — closer than we’ve been all night and as my knee brushes against hers and I pull her hand away. Clearing her throat, she blinks fast and breaks our gaze.
I look at her mother instead, noting the soft smile on her lips as though she’s never seen her daughter display such affection before. “Well, who’s ready to eat?”