32. Matteo
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
MATTEO
T he party was in full swing, but my attention was on the foyer entrance that Arianna would walk through at any moment.
“We should liven up this party,” Nikola suggested, taking a sip of his drink. “I can’t handle the oldie music and constant chatter.”
“You mean like you’re doing right now,” Gabriel deadpanned.
“Fuck you, motherfucker,” Nikola said, puffing his chest. “At least I’m not standing there salivating.”
Unlike most of the guests, he’d opted for a black T-shirt and jeans. Suits weren’t his thing, and I was fairly certain that he’d suffocate wearing one.
I smirked. Now there was a thought.
“One of these days, Nikola…” Gabriel’s attention darted to the opposite side of the ballroom as the Kingpins of the Syndicate strolled in with their entourage that consisted of a blended, fucked-up family.
Nikola chuckled. “Yeah, I didn’t think you’d finish that statement.”
But Gabriel was already checked out. There was a woman among the crazy DiLustro crowd who captivated him: Amara Brennan, the daughter of Killian Brennan and Emory DiLustro.
The girl’s gaze traveled around the room, landing on Gabriel at last. My friend inhaled a deep breath while Amara’s eyes narrowed with distaste. She was the only girl on this planet who couldn’t stand the sight of Gabriel Santos. Reasons unknown.
“Buddy, it’s best you let that one go,” Nikola muttered. “Those diabolical twins will never let you near her.”
Gabriel reached for a glass of Aguardiente from the tray that the waiter passed around and muttered, “Too late for that.”
Nikolai shrugged, raised a shot, and downed it. “Sorry, buddy.”
Gabriel downed his drink in one go, too. “I swear, I’m going to murder those fuckers one day. Jet and Elira are the bane of my existence.”
“Those fucking shits,” Nikola supplied, ready for action. “We’d have to drug them, of course. I don’t want the entire DiLustro and Brennan clan on me.”
“Don’t forget the Volkov clan,” I reminded him. “And Cortes.”
“That family,” Nikola grumbled. “It’s fucking complicated.”
“Tell me about it.” Gabriel reached for a shot glass. “You have eyes on your back, front, sides—and then something fucking hits you from the air.”
“That’s oddly specific,” I pointed out.
Gabriel flicked a glance our way. “True fucking story.”
It was safe to say we’d reached the point in our friendship where there was zero judgement, but I was so fucking happy that I didn’t have Gabriel’s problems. Nico Morrelli had agreed to my arrangement, and soon, the world would know.
“For fuck’s sake,” Nikola muttered, his eyes exploding with rage that rippled from him and toward… Ahhhh. There she was. Skye Leone. Dressed in a long blue dress, she strutted like a queen, ignoring Nikola. But then she turned around, scratched her nose with a middle finger, and flashed Nikola an arctic smile that would make the Queen of Narnia proud.
Nikola’s posture stiffened and he tried to ignore the mane of dark hair and blue eyes, his fingers twitching by his side.
It was almost funny because Dante Leone, who followed right behind his precious daughter while glaring at Nikola, didn’t make my buddy flinch at all. Only the girl who peered at him through her thick dark lashes could push my friend to disastrous decisions and nefarious ends.
But soon my friends and their love struggles were completely forgotten as the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
I slowly turned around, sweeping my gaze across the room for the woman I’d been waiting for my entire life.
I sucked in a breath as my eyes widened at the sight of her. Bellissima. A fucking vision, she was. Like a goddess made just for me.
My friends forgotten, I made my way to her through the crowded room, every so often stopped by guests, but my gaze remained firmly on the woman I couldn’t wait to touch again. Her curls cascaded down her back, brushing against her creamy skin. Our gazes met, and despite the fact that she’d showered and changed, she still looked freshly fucked.
Her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes were shining. And if you looked closely, there was a faint mark around her neck in the shape of my palm.
I knew it was wrong, but I wanted everyone to notice it and be suspicious of it. Was I going a bit overboard? Possibly.
As I continued to plow my way to her, Arianna began to wind through the sea of people on her way to me.
My cock hardened, fighting the urge to pound my chest.
Meeting her in the middle of the ballroom, we came chest to chest, a flush from her cheeks spilling down her neck and her chest.
“You look… Sei stupenda .” Stunning.
“Thank you.” She smoothed a hand down her dress, the slight tremor in it not escaping me. “It’s not too much?”
Her blue eyes met mine, the magnetic pull in them impossible to resist.
“Never.”
Hannah appeared next to me, two shots in her hands, and handed one to her sister.
“Where were you hiding that dress, sis?”
Arianna blushed, accepting the shot, although she didn’t drink it.
“She probably knew you’d steal it,” Gianna reasoned, appearing with her own drink in hand. “Nice party, Matteo. Too bad it’s all mafiosos and I can’t move a finger without risking becoming someone’s bride.” She took a sip and tilted her head. “Or Dad killing some poor fellow.”
Arianna shifted on her feet uncomfortably while Hannah threw her head back and laughed a bit too loud, her eyes locked on me. “What’s a life without a little risk. Right, Matt?”
“We don’t need bloodshed today,” I warned her, grinding my molars to maintain my control.
“You’re right.” She shot me a pointed look, blushing. I narrowed my eyes on her, believing my ears were deceiving me. There was no way I heard that right. Hannah always argued before admitting to being wrong. “Of course, no wrong moves today.”
What-the-fuck-ever. I’d take it.
“You look nice,” I stated, directing the compliment at Gianna and Hannah.
“Swoon.” Hannah fawned herself with a silly grin plastered on her face. What the fuck was wrong with her? Maybe she’d had too much to drink.
“Thank you,” Gianna answered, then wrapped her arm around her sister’s slim shoulders and pecked her on the cheek. “It’s all thanks to Arianna. She’s a lifesaver.”
“Lifesaver,” Hannah agreed, shooting a provocative look in my direction. Fucking creepy. Ari raised her shot glass, but before she could drink it, Hannah took it, drinking it in one go.
Yes, definitely drunk. Her behavior suddenly made complete sense.
Before I could suggest she switch to water, her parents stepped beside Arianna and Gianna.
“You are all having too much fun here,” Morrelli said, a wicked gleam in his eyes as he took both his daughters’ hands. “You girls won’t be giving me a heart attack today, I hope.”
“Of course not,” Arianna offered. “We love you too much for that, Dad.”
“What she said,” Hannah supplied, smiling affectionately at her father.
“Not today, Daddy,” Gianna teased, fluttering her eyelashes innocently. The gesture reminded me of Francesca. “Tomorrow, on the other hand… no promises.”
Their mother chuckled softly. “My children seem to have a knack for trouble. I’m pretty sure your brothers are getting into it as we speak.”
“ Boom ,” Hannah said, smiling with a boasting expression. “Those two are like a horror movie that never ends, wreaking terror on earth.”
“Hannah!” Gianna chastised. “They are not that bad.”
“Better them than you, Gia,” Hannah remarked with a murderous expression.
“Is there something I should know?” their father asked point-blank, which earned him a wide grin from Gianna.
“Of course not, Daddy.”
Fucking busted. Everyone knew that whenever these girls used Daddy, they were up to something. I glanced around for the familiar red curls, and after not seeing them anywhere, I turned my attention to the youngest Morrelli sibling.
“Speaking of trouble, where is my sister?” I asked her curiously. The two usually teamed up during these kinds of events.
She waved her hand noncommittally. “With your mom.”
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, and just as I opened my mouth to ask the follow-up question, my parents joined in.
“Ah, this is where the party’s hopping, huh?” Pa drawled, shaking his old friend’s hand. “What did we miss?”
“Daddy, please don’t use slang. It just doesn’t sound right.” Francesca approached from behind me, grinning like a fool. It didn’t escape me she called our pa “daddy” too, which definitely meant she was doing something she wasn’t supposed to.
“Where have you been, sweetie?” Mom asked in a soft voice. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Gianna and Francesca are like slippery fish,” Mrs. Morrelli said.
“Why? What happened?” My own mom inched closer to her, her soft features creasing with curiosity. “Tell me what you know, because my daughter has been avoiding me all day.”
Gianna’s eyes darted to me, smiling guiltily while I glared at her.
“Excuse me,” Gianna muttered, sharing a glance with my sister. “I have places to be.”
“Umm, I have to go too,” Francesca claimed. “Got people to see.”
Those little shits.
“But you just got here,” Mom protested.
But neither were listening as they bolted away without so much as a backward glance. I had no doubt that she and Francesca were up to something, and I made a mental note to find out what.
Hannah soon followed, and our parents got wrapped into a discussion, leaving Arianna and me alone again.
“I thought they’d never leave,” I murmured, fighting the urge to kiss her. Soon , I reminded myself. Instead, I extended my hand. “Dance with me?”
She glanced around us before sliding her hand into mine and I tugged her onto the dance floor, where a number of people were already dancing. Just as we started swaying, one song ended and a new one started.
The soft melody drifted through the air, its jazzy tones setting a romantic tone to the evening.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Hannah standing with her uncle Kyran and Francesca and Gianna cornering poor Gabriel, but none of it mattered to me with my woman in my arms.
Pulling her flush against my chest, I put my hands on the small of her back as we moved as one. I spun her around, only for her to return into my arms. Her soft body molded to mine, and I imagined how her nipples must have hardened beneath the fabric. I wanted so badly to trail the flush from her neck down her chest with my mouth and taste her skin.
“Matteo,” she panted, her eyes shimmering like blue diamonds.
“ Sei mia, ” I murmured, our lips inches apart. “ Promettimi .” You’re mine. Promise me.
This hunger for her was an insatiable beast.
She opened her mouth, but before a word was uttered, the music stopped. Everyone ceased dancing, and I glanced at Arianna, wanting to tell her what was about to happen.
“I’m so happy to have everyone present here today.” My father’s booming voice traveled through the room and terrace and I held Arianna’s hand as we turned to face him. “It’s a special day for many reasons, but one stands out. Please welcome me in congratulating Hannah and Matteo’s nuptials and impending merge of the Vitale and Morrelli families.”
I opened my mouth, then shut it.
Wait. What?
The words— Hannah and Matteo —finally sunk in.
“Matteo?” Arianna stood stiffly next to me, alarm in her tone sending an alert through me while I gripped her hand in mine, unwilling to let go.
Her eyes shuttered and she yanked it away, taking a step back. I couldn’t blame her, but fuck, it hurt.
Physically unable to see her expression and at risk of losing my shit, I charged through the crowd and toward my father.
What the fuck just happened?