Chapter 34
Daniella
“Is it too … white?”
I glance in the mirror at Peyton and Bri, and they both burst out laughing.
“I’m pretty sure a wedding dress is supposed to be white,” Bri says.
“Mine was,” Peyton adds.
I’m standing in the dressing room at a local bridal boutique, trying on wedding dresses. This is my fourth one, but so far, none of them have called to me.
It’s just the three of us because my friends from Coral Bay couldn’t make it on short notice.
As much as I love them, I think it’s safe to say, that part of my life is over.
They’re working full-time. Two of them have met guys they’re head over heels in love with, and one of them has moved in with her boyfriend.
As much as I would love to keep in touch with them, I’d rather focus on what I have right here—my brother, Matteo, his family, and my soon-to-be sisters-in-law.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” I grumble. “Every dress I try on just doesn’t feel right.”
“And we’ll keep going until you find the one that does,” Brielle tells me. “This is only the first shop we’ve looked in. We have weeks to find the perfect dress.”
I step off the platform and back into the fitting room so I can change out of this one and try on another.
It’s been a week since we started planning the wedding, and I don’t know what I would do without Bri’s help.
I’ve been so busy at work, learning the ropes and getting to know my brother.
I don’t know how I would’ve found the time to do it all myself.
But thankfully, I don’t have to because Bri is on it.
She already found the perfect wedding venue, and we have it booked.
It helps that they own the hotel the venue is attached to, so it will make it easy to get everything done.
It overlooks the water and has the most breathtaking sidewalk and bridge that connects the hotel to the beach, where we’re going to say our vows.
Afterward, we’ll head over to the pavilion for the reception.
As I’m unzipping the dress, Melissa, the boutique owner, tells me that she found a dress I should try on.
“It just came in,” she says, excitement in her tone. “But it has buttons. Can I come in to help you?”
“Of course.” I hand her assistant the dress I just tried on, and Melissa helps me put on the new dress.
I’m too close to the mirror to see what it looks like, and when I try to step back, Melissa chides, “No, not like that. Wait.”
Once she’s done, she opens the door and guides me into the main area, turning me around so I can see the dress in the full-length three-way mirror.
The moment my eyes hit my reflection, I gasp because it’s perfect.
It’s sleeveless with an A-line princess cut.
The bust and off-the-shoulder sleeves are beautiful with lace flowers expanding across my breasts, sleeves, and waistline, trickling down until they meet the elegant tulle.
Thanks to the built-in bra and cinched waistline, everything feels like it’s in place and not hanging out everywhere.
The dress flows to the floor and has a small train.
“Oh my God,” Peyton breathes. “It’s … you’re beautiful.”
“It’s perfect,” Bri adds.
I stare at myself, imagining walking down the aisle toward Matteo, and grin because it is perfect and I do look beautiful in it. Thanks to the tulle, it’s not too white, since it’s using my skin color as a backdrop to create a light shade of pink throughout, making the lace flowers pop.
“This is it,” I tell them. “This is the dress.”
The girls whoop, and Melissa grins.
Her assistant brings out a tray of champagne for us. “Congratulations,” she says, handing us each a flute with bubbly liquid. “You have found your dress.”
Once we’ve all toasted and had a sip of our champagne, we take a few cute pictures with a sign that says I said yes to the dress, and then Melissa goes through and makes notes for alterations.
Since the picture doesn’t show the dress, I send it to Matteo, who tells me he can’t wait to peel it off me on our wedding night. My fiancé is such a horndog, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love it. I’ve never felt so wanted and desired than I do when I’m with Matteo.
“I’ll see you back here a few days before the wedding to make any changes,” Melissa says once she’s done pinning the areas that need altering.
“Are you sure?” I ask, stepping down so I can change back into my clothes. “It’s only a few weeks away. My body has been the same size for years.”
She laughs. “You’d be surprised what the stress of wedding planning does to a woman. Hopefully, no major changes will need to be made, but just in case, we make an appointment.”
“Thank you,” I tell her, then glance at Bri and Peyton, “all of you. I couldn’t have found my perfect dress without you.”
“That’s what we’re here for,” Peyton says, standing and hugging me. “Now, let’s go get something to eat. I’m starved.”
After paying for the dress and making an appointment for a final fitting right before the wedding, we head outside.
The guards are standing by the door, waiting for us, and Daniil—Brielle’s guard—opens the door for us.
We slide in, and after deciding to go to Oasis—a cute bistro on the water—we take off.
As we walk into the bistro, I’m looking at the picture I took of my wedding dress, obsessed with how perfect it is, when someone grabs me from behind. I scream, my phone nearly falling from my hands, and my instincts kick in, thanks to Matteo training me all the time.
I kick whoever it is between the legs and then run, but before I can get away, a strong arm slides around my waist, holding me close to a chest.
Matteo
A Few Minutes Ago
“We appreciate your patience,” Dominick says to Ilan as we step out of the precinct and into the balmy South Florida heat. “We don’t know who’s responsible, but we won’t stop investigating until we find out.”
Ilan shakes Dominick’s hand and then mine. “Please see to it that you do. I still have an entire shipment of product missing.”
After the video footage was brought to light, the district attorney had no choice but to drop the charges until more sufficient evidence was found since it had been proven that someone switched out the cargo and there was no motive for Ilan to do so.
Ilan walks away, and I check my phone, finding a text from Daniella. It’s a picture of her smiling wide while holding a sign that reads I said yes to the dress.
The visual of her, dressed in a sexy white dress, walking down the aisle toward me, has my heart clenching and my cock swelling.
“What are you smiling at?” Dominick says before I can respond.
“Dani found her wedding dress.”
I voice-text my response.
Me: I can’t wait to peel it off you at the end of the night.
Then, I put my phone away.
Dominick chuckles. “Still can’t believe after all that shit you gave me, you’re getting—” His phone goes off with a text, and he grins. “Let’s go.”
I don’t know where the hell we’re going, but I follow him anyway. Three blocks down, we stop at the corner, and Dominick nods toward the women getting out of the SUV.
“They stopped here for lunch,” he says. “Let’s go surprise them.”
Since I won’t ever say no to seeing my woman, I cross the street with Dominick and head toward the ladies. They’re standing outside at the hostess station, but Dani isn’t paying attention, instead looking down at her phone.
I come up behind her, sliding my hand around her waist, but before I can get a word in, she kicks me in the balls and runs.
I groan in pain but get it together enough to grab her from the waist again and haul her back into me. “Sweetness,” I rumble, “it’s me.”
She whips around, and her eyes go wide. “Matteo Antonov, don’t you ever do that again!” she shrieks, poking me with her pink-painted nail. “You scared the shit out of me.”
I raise my hands in a placating gesture. “I’m sorry, baby. I wasn’t expecting that, but, damn, I’m proud of you. You might’ve done some permanent damage.”
I place my hand over my dick, and she glances down, her eyes turning sympathetic.
“I’m so sorry,” she coos, stepping toward me. “I thought I was being attacked.”
“I know. That’s my bad.” I grip the curves of her hips and pull her toward me for a quick kiss. “But you did good.”
She beams with pride.
“Now that Matteo’s almost been taken down by his fiancée, let’s have lunch,” Dominick says with a shit-eating grin.
“Actually,” Bri says, glancing at her phone, “you guys have a tux fitting to get to. Lorenzo is meeting you there in thirty minutes.”
“Shit,” I grumble. “I forgot about that.”
As much as I can’t wait to marry Dani, suits and tuxes are the banes of my existence.
“And then, afterward, you’re meeting Dani at the bakery to pick out the cake,” Bri adds.
Fuck, I forgot about that too.
“You owe me for this,” I say to Dani playfully, grabbing her chin and pressing a quick peck to her lips. “Tuxes … cake tasting … I wouldn’t do this shit for anyone but you.”
“I’ll repay you tonight,” she murmurs, then leans in so no one else can hear. “With my mouth around your cock.”
Best fiancée ever.
“We have vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, almond …” The baker continues to point to each cake sample and reads the label while I wonder why any of this is necessary.
Who fucking cares what the flavor of the cake is? Pick one, and let’s keep it moving. Hell, if you can’t decide, make it like a birthday cake—chocolate and vanilla—and call it a day.
But I keep those thoughts to myself because Dani’s staring at each cake sample like her entire future depends on it.
The baker finally finishes reading off the samples—I swear to you, there’s thirty here—and smiles. “I’ll let you taste, and if you have any questions, let me know.”
She walks away, and Dani sighs. “How are we supposed to taste all of these? There are so many.”
“We can bring them home,” I say, lifting the chocolate cake to Dani’s lips.
She takes a bite, and several crumbs fall.
“I could sample each one on a different body part.”
She swallows her bite, and there’s a little bit left in the corner of her mouth, so I lean in and lick it off.
Her body shifts, and I don’t have to look to know her legs are clenching, and if I were to stick my hand in her pants, she’d be wet.
“Matteo,” she breathes. “We have to pick out a cake today.”
“Excuse me,” I say to the baker, who’s lingering in the back. “I’ll give you ten thousand dollars if you leave and come back in an hour.”
Her eyes go wide. “Um …”
“Twenty thousand.”
“You got it,” she says. “I’ll lock up behind me.”
Once she’s gone, Dani looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, but I ignore the look, walking over to the windows and lowering the shades.
“What are you doing?” she says as I lift her out of her seat and lay her across the counter.
I grab the samples and set them next to her. “Picking out a wedding cake.”