6. Massimo
6
MASSIMO
I took in my bride from where she sat next to me.
She barely touched her food.
And that fake smile she wore throughout the night was wearing thin.
No matter how convincing she might be at putting on a public face, she couldn’t hide the truth from me. I was an observant man. And Luna wasn’t as slick as she thought she was.
I looked around the room, taking in the men.
I wouldn’t let myself relax until we returned home to Las Vegas. We might not be warring with the Lombardi clan, but I didn’t trust any of these fuckers. My brothers felt the same way. Even Matteo hadn’t tried to charm his way into some miserable mob wife’s pants. And Romeo had been tasked with guarding our sister.
If anyone was truly innocent in this life, it was Giulia… and my wife.
I looked back at Luna.
Even when she tried to put on a brave face, a tough face, there was something truly delicate in her that brought out all of my protective instincts. And that was the last fucking thing I needed. I already had Giulia as my weakness. Along with my brothers, even if they were able to protect themselves better than most men. I didn’t need to feel anything for a wife I didn’t ask for.
She pushed the plate of salmon away, indicating that she was done. She barely took three bites.
“Not hungry?” I asked.
She startled at my voice and turned to me with wide gray eyes, blinking once before looking back down at her plate. I hadn’t asked such a complicated question, but you would think I had just asked her to solve the Riemann hypothesis.
“Um…” She swallowed, and I watched as her throat bobbed up and down. “Not really.”
I pushed the water toward her. “You should drink some.”
Instead of grabbing it, she opted for the red wine glass and drank half of it before placing it back down at the table, wincing a little when it slammed a little louder, a little harder than she expected.
“I hope you’re not trying to get drunk on me,” I muttered.
She blushed red, something even her makeup couldn’t hide.
My wife blushed easily.
I usually didn’t go for women who blushed that easily, who were so fucking delicate I was afraid I might break them if I pushed too hard. But then, of course, most of the women I’d been with were whores working for one of our clubs.
Luna would be different, and, not for the first time, I wasn’t fucking sure what to do with her.
I tensed when I realized Enzo and Marco were coming toward us. There wasn’t anything good that could come from the fuckers’ approach.
Enzo shot me a look I didn’t fucking trust before saying, “Congratulations on your marriage, Massimo. I must say, your wife is even more exquisite than Andre made her out to be.”
Beside me, Luna tensed but didn’t say anything.
Marco gave a sleazy smile as his eyes blatantly moved up and down Luna’s body. I had killed men for less slight, and this motherfucker thought I would let him get away with the disrespect?
My fists clenched by my sides.
“What do you want, Uncle?”
Enzo laughed, and I tightened my grip on the steak knife, imagining running it through the fucker’s neck.
“Just want to ask my niece-in-law for a dance.”
If possible, Luna seemed to have gotten even more tense. There wasn’t a way to refuse the fucker, and he knew it.
I looked at Luna.
She smiled, even if there was nothing genuine about it, before standing up and taking the fucker’s hand.
I resisted the urge to cut it off for even daring to touch her and stayed where I was, watching them move to the dance floor.
I waited until they weren’t within hearing distance before turning my gaze toward my cousin. I moved quickly, grabbing the fucker’s wrist and squeezing hard enough that he fell to his knees beside me.
“Fuck, Massimo. What the fuck are you doing?” Thankfully, the loud music drowned out his pained whine.
I leaned toward him, stopping when our noses were mere inches from each other.
Keeping my tone calm, I said, “You ever disrespect me again, and I’ll make sure you’ll have no use of that worm you call a dick. Don’t ever look at my wife. Capito ?”
He nodded frantically. “I g-got you, Massimo. I would never look at Luna.”
I squeezed a little harder at the sound of Luna’s name coming from the fucker’s lips, getting some satisfaction when his face turned an ugly red.
Letting go, I stood, ignoring Marco’s pathetic cries, and approached Giulia.
“Let’s dance,” I said. Giulia watched me, taking in the tense expression on my face, then to the dance floor where Enzo was holding Luna close to him—closer than what was appropriate before nodding and standing up.
“Come out with us,” I said to my brothers. “Her dance with that fucker will be her last dance with anyone who isn’t us.”
My brothers quickly stood and went to secure dates for the dance while I led Giulia out to the dance floor, moving in close to where Enzo and Luna were. Enzo was saying something to Luna, while Luna looked on, not saying anything, a mask on her face. Even then, I could clearly see she was uncomfortable.
Giulia and I danced close by, and I kept my eyes on the fucker and my wife. One wrong move, and I would fucking cut off his hand, family or not.
I would do what I had wanted to do initially and turn this wedding into a bloodbath.
“Are you happy, Massimo?” Giulia asked me, drawing my attention away from Luna briefly.
I looked down at my baby sister. She was only one year older than Luna at twenty-four, but I didn’t think there would ever be a time when I didn’t see the little girl in pigtails following me and my brothers around. The one who cried for us, not our parents, when she had a nightmare.
That image flashed in my mind as I thought about her question.
“I’m fine.”
She shot me a look. “I didn’t ask if you’re fine. I asked if you’re happy with this marriage.”
“Luna will make a good wife.”
Giulia nodded. “Yes. She’s sweet. Really shy though, or maybe reserved.” Her face hardened. “Nothing like that sister of hers.”
So I wasn’t the only one who noticed the stark contrast between the sisters.
Giulia smiled at me. “I like her. And I want you to be happy.”
I leaned down and pressed a kiss on her forehead. “This is nothing you need to worry about. Understand?”
She rolled her eyes. “Just because I’m the youngest doesn’t mean I can’t worry about my brothers.”
I smiled a little at the fire in her voice. I hoped to God she would always have that fire inside her and that this life would not extinguish it.
My eyes moved back to Luna. And perhaps, to help Luna rebuild her fire because it was there. Years spent with her family hadn’t doused it completely.
The song was nearly ending, and Elio cut in, leaving a sour-faced date in the middle of the dance floor.
He said something to Enzo before pulling Luna out of the fucker’s arms, not waiting for him to answer. I felt something lifted off my chest once she was finally away from the fucker. I knew my brother would keep her safe.
My brothers took turns dancing with Luna, and by the time Matteo had her in his arms, she was able to relax a little. She even smiled at him—not one of her fake smiles, but a genuine one that made my chest hurt.
Fuck me. What would I need to do to get her to smile like that at me?
When we finally made it back to the table, my brothers had done their job well and instilled fear in any fucker who might want to dance with Luna or Giulia.
I pulled Luna’s chair closer to me, about to tell her to eat some more, when a small commotion started at the far end of the room that soon caught on with the rest of the crowd, much like a forest fire.
“Bed her, bed her, bed her!”
The chants were easy to make out.
Matteo and Romeo joined in on the fun while Elio cracked a smile.
Luna tensed when she realized what everyone was shouting. She looked at me and quickly looked away when she found my eyes already on her.
Marco led the charge, coming up to us and putting on such a good facade I almost believed the fucker wasn’t angry over our “little” altercation.
But I could see the fucker scheming, thinking of ways to kill me.
I almost wished he was stupid enough to try.
I stood up and blocked Luna from his view. Him even looking at her for a second was a fucking second too long. I didn’t want the slimy little fucker anywhere near her.
And if I didn’t want the crowd to get too rowdy, I would need to take Luna away from there.
I was fucking done with this party anyway.
I stood up and held out my hand to Luna. She looked at it like it was a poisonous snake about to bite her before she realized we were in public. She put on that fake smile of hers that I fucking hated and placed her hand in mine. I pulled her up and held her close, looking over at Elio, who got what I wanted and stood up, too, along with Romeo.
Matteo stayed behind with Giulia while my two brothers helped keep the crowd away from Luna and me. Didn’t mean some fucker wasn’t able to get through. We walked through the crowd as men shouted lewd things that only made Luna tense further in my arms while men patted my back as if I was doing something so fucking noble as bedding my wife.
Lina went near Luna and whispered something in her ear, causing Luna to pale while Lina looked on with a satisfied smirk. I looked at the girl, and I knew she could see the hardness in my eyes as she blanched and quickly moved into her mom’s protective arms. As if that would really protect her if I decided to go after her.
More and more of the Lombardi’s family dynamic was being chipped away for me to clearly see how they fucking function, and what I saw, I didn’t like.
I wrapped my arm around Luna’s shoulder and pulled her in close, not that she seemed to notice. She was too lost in her own head, letting her sister’s words affect her.
And I didn’t need to know what was exchanged between them to know it probably had something to do with me.
We finally made it to our hotel room. Romeo and Elio stood by the front, blocking everyone out. How they fucking beat us here when we took the elevator, I didn’t know. But I was this close to drawing out my gun. Nothing disperses crowds more efficiently than the booming sound of a bullet being fired. Only the thought of dealing with the headache from the hotel’s staff after that stalled me.
I quickly closed the door behind us, Luna moving further into the room while I stayed by the door, listening to all the crude things those men said.
The Lombardi Famiglia was fucking disorganized. My men would have never been so out of control.
Finally, the sound died down as the men walked away when they realized I wasn’t going to put on a fucking show.
Fuckers.
I slowly turned and took in my wife.
She was by the window, looking out at the city. The reflection in the glass showed that lost expression on her face, and I didn’t need to be closer to see she was tense.
I fucking got it.
If I thought our side was filled with traditionalist men, it was nothing compared to the Lombardi’s side. Since I took reign, the old way had slowly been stripped away as the newer generation joined me, even if we still have some men from my father’s time.
Emilio Lombardi was known for his tight grip on traditions.
Traditions that expected the daughters to be kept in cages and be as pristine as possible until marriage.
And I didn’t fucking know what to do with a virgin.
Fuck me, but what the hell was I supposed to do with her?