Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
Sofia
“ W hat are we going to do?” I ask, wringing my hands.
Panic has replaced all the pleasure and contentment from earlier, and I can feel sweat beading on my forehead. My husband may be cold and unfeeling toward me, but I know he won’t stand for me cheating on him. If there’s one thing men in this world won’t tolerate, it’s being made a fool of.
If Sebastian finds me in here, I’m dead. We both are.
Something rebellious inside me is telling me that he has no right to be mad about me cheating. After all, not even two hours ago, he had Vittoria writhing against him.
“You are going to get into the closet and stay quiet,” Nero’s voice cuts into my reckless thoughts. “I, on the other hand, will go see what he wants and get rid of him as fast as I can. Okay?”
“I’ll be free if he finds us together,” I blurt out.
He reels back, shock written all over his face. “What?”
“Think about it,” I whisper. “He won’t want me anymore, and he’ll get rid of?—”
“For the love of God, don’t finish that sentence,” he says slowly. “You have no idea what him getting rid of you entails.”
“Hey,” my husband’s voice floats in from the hallway. “Do you have some chick in there or what?”
Nero points at the closet. “Now, Princess.”
Shooting him a look of frustration, I march to the sizeable walk-in closet and lean into one corner, heart in my throat. A minute later, I hear the closet door creak open, and I glance up, startled, only to see Nero with the cat in his arms, approaching me.
“What are?—”
“I was thinking you’d need some company.” He thrust the wiggling animal into my arms and before I can even get a proper hold of it, he grabs me by the jaw and slams his mouth over mine in a hard, hungry kiss that barely lasts a minute but still makes my head spin.
I’m still reeling with desire when I hear the closet door slide shut. My knees feel like jelly, and I end up sliding to the ground with the cat still in my arms.
I swipe my tongue over my lip, chasing the taste of him. I finally blink myself back into reality when I hear Sebastian’s voice.
“What were you doing?” he asks, voice full of suspicion.
My hands immediately turn clammy with sweat, and I let the cat go so I won’t drop him or something. Nero may pretend like the animal means nothing to him, but I can see through him.
“Thinking whether to open the door or not,” I hear Nero reply much to my shock. I crawl to the closet door and climb to my knees, fixing my eye on the keyhole for some visual of what is happening out there. Sebastian is standing just in front of the open door, hands in the pocket of his slacks, while the other man is leaning against the wall, thick arms crossed over his chest.
It’s the first time I’ve ever truly noticed the difference between the two. While my husband is suave and clean cut in every way, Nero looks like untamable chaos. Everything from his unruly dark hair to the pitch black, bottomless orbs screams danger, not the kind that can be found at the end of a gun.
My mind flashes to when he reduced my assailant to a bloody mess.
The two men are good looking, sexy as hell and dangerous. But only one looks like he will make you beg for death. Only one of them makes my pussy pulse.
Sebastian chuckles. “I forgot how much of an asshole you are.”
Nero only smiles. “Forgive me, Sebastian, but I’m not really in the mood for late night guests.”
“You know,” my husband begins, “I wouldn’t mind if you brought women over. My men said you haven’t, and I just want you to know that my house is your house.”
“Hmm,” Nero lets out a non-committal hum, nodding. “I appreciate that.”
Through the keyhole, I glare at the two men; my husband for giving the idea and Nero for not turning it down immediately. I imagine another woman with her dirty hands on him, and my stomach sours. My reaction is enough proof to me that I’m in over my head.
Having an affair is bad enough, but am I seriously getting possessive over a man that’s not my husband? I’ve completely lost my mind.
“Have you seen Sofia?”
Nero blinks lazily, then his mouth curls up in one corner. “Have I seen your wife?”
“Stupid question, right?” He drags a hand through his hair, mussing it up. “She’s not in her—I mean, our room, and neither is she in the library. I just wanted to know if she’s come around here or something.”
“Why would she?” I watch Nero dig out a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his pants and then he makes a face and tosses it over his shoulder.
“Finally quit?”
“Maybe.”
Sebastian leans forward, and from the keyhole, I can see the curiosity on his face. “Let me guess, a woman is involved.”
I go perfectly still when the Nero’s eyes flick to the closet door and then he shrugs. “Maybe.”
My husband whistles. “I never thought I’d see the day, Castello. I want to meet the woman who finally made you quit smoking.”
I press my hand to my throat, feeling how uneven my breaths are coming out. He means me . I don’t know how I know it for a fact, and maybe it’s arrogant of me to think that I’m capable of affecting any change in a man like Nero Castello, but I just know deep in my heart that he’s talking about me.
“I bet she would be unforgettable,” Sebastian continues. “The complete opposite of my wife.”
I jolt and press closer to the door.
“I don’t know what I was thinking when I agreed to marry her,” he sighs. “She’s the most unremarkable woman in the world. She’s beautiful alright, I’ll give her that, but Christ man, she’s just so drab.”
“ Drab ?”
“She’s two-dimensional,” he chuckles. “You’ve seen her, Castello, you must have noticed this. Don’t tell me you don’t see how boring she is. This is why the men always say a Mafia daughter is only pretty from a distance. She’s the biggest mistake of my life, and do you know what I wish? And trust me, I never thought I’d think this, but I wish she’d just get pregnant already.”
I see Nero’s shoulders bunch with tension. “Eager to have kids, Sebastian? I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” My husband pinches the bridge of his nose. “I won’t have to bother with her anymore once I get her pregnant.”
I grit my teeth together and my hand instinctively slides to my stomach. I try to count the days since my last period, but my head has been in too much of a mess to get the days right. I make a mental note to take a pregnancy test as soon as I can.
The million-dollar question now, though, is: do I want the test to be positive or negative? Positive means I’ll get a break from my parents and Sebastian’s family. I’ll finally have done my duty. But it will also mean that I’ll be irrevocably tied to him. Not that I’m not already, but it will become so real and definite with a baby involved.
And Nero will never touch me again if he finds out I’m pregnant.
The thought lodges in my throat like a boulder and makes it difficult to swallow.
“You’re so lucky you don’t have to be involved in all of this marriage business, securing an heir and all of that. You are just free to ride around in that death trap and smoke your days away,” Sebastian laughs.
I wince at the way Nero’s eyes narrow at him.
“Unfortunately, I’m not free to smoke my days away anymore,” he drawls.
My husband giggles. “Who would have thought I’d ever see the day a woman tamed you? Speaking of taming, though, Vittoria is still mad about the fire at the villa.”
“Hmm.” His thumb begins to slide over his mouth, my eyes tracking the side-to-side movement with enrapture. “Any progress finding the people who set the fire?”
“None,” Sebastian sighs. “But I’m beginning to think it’s an inside job. That place was guarded better than maximum-security prisons. Nobody could have gotten in and out without being caught.”
“Who would want to hurt you?”
“That’s what I can’t figure out,” he bites out and begins to pace, hands parked on his waist. “I’m beginning to think the target was Vittoria and not me.”
“That’s crazy. You’re not delusional enough to think you don’t have enemies,” Nero points out. “Your position is coveted, so are your businesses. There must be hundreds of people trying to get you out of the way.”
My husband chuckles. “Yeah, there are. But none of them could actually be bold enough to make such a move. They can hate me in the privacy of their bedrooms, but it could never survive outside those four walls.”
“I don’t remember Cosa Nostra men being so spineless.”
A smirk curves Sebastian’s mouth. “They don’t have a choice. I have them by the balls.”
“How so?”
He waves a dismissive hand in the air. “Forget it. What matters is that I’m going to catch the scum who did this and he’s going to wish he had stayed in his bed that night.”
Nero nods. “Nobody will expect anything less. You should be seen as someone who never lets anyone get away with coming after you. That’s the only way to garner respect in our world.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes,” he pushes away from the wall he’s leaning on. “You should face them head on. I bet whoever was behind this will be too much of a coward to strike again.”
My husband sighs. “I just wanted a break. Away from all of this, one perfect weekend with Vittoria, and it was all ruined.”
Nero’s jaw clenches. “I trust that you will get it all handled.”
“Of course,” he says. “I better get back to searching for my errant wife.”
Just as he turns to leave, the cat decides that’s the best time to make a sound. The meowing tears through the room and I freeze, stumbling back from the door in horror.
I try to grab the cat, but he makes a hissing sound and jumps to the closet door, scratching on it.
“You stupid cat,” I growl.
I watch, horrified, as the knob of the closet door begins to turn. Any moment now, the door is going to open and I’ll come face-to-face with my husband, and I’ll only have myself for whatever consequences I’ll face for my infidelity.
Holding my breath, I brace myself for his shock and fury, but as the door slides open, I meet dark eyes.
The cat makes another disgruntled meowing sound and runs out of the closet, disappearing into the room.
“Where is he?” I ask slowly, my gaze searching around the room for Sebastian.
“He’s gone. He’s not a fan of cats. Never has been.”
“I’ve got to go,” I blurt out, and yet I don’t make a move to get up.
“I know.”
“He’s searching for me.”
Nero leans against the door jamb. “I know.”
My gaze trails from his bare feet up to his muscular thighs, to the hand he has clutching the top of the door frame, biceps bulging. Heat pools down to my center and I clear my throat.
“I should wait till the hallways are clear.” My voice comes out breathless to my embarrassment, and I still haven’t taken my eyes off the arm above his head.
I climb to my feet and step closer to Nero. “I should?—”
His mouth covers mine and I sigh. I really should find a way to get rid of my addiction to Nero.