9. Luna
9
LUNA
We arrived back at Massimo’s house by ourselves.
The door on my side of the car opened, and I couldn’t help but flinch at the man who stood there, frowning down at me as if I were an insignificant bug he could crush if he wanted to. Was it a requirement for all of Massimo’s men to be intimidating?
“I got it, Mattia,” Massimo called from beside me. The man nodded respectfully before he pulled back from the car. I let out a small sigh of relief, which was cut short when Massimo reached over. I backed away slightly, my eyes moving over to him. He didn’t say anything as he unbuckled my belt. I didn’t know why I was acting like this… like I was half expecting him to pounce on me.
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll show you around and introduce you to the staff. Then I have a meeting to get to.”
I blinked. He was leaving?
I supposed that made sense. I nodded as I climbed out of the car from his side. Then he bent down and held out his hand for me. I looked at it, then at his face, before going back to his hand and taking it, letting him pull me out of the car. I pulled up short when I found two lines of people standing by the front. I guessed there were about two handfuls of people in total.
The introduction was all a blur. I remembered Lettie, one of the maids, only because she was looking at Massimo as if he were the world’s greatest feast, and she barely acknowledged my presence. For some reason, I found myself more annoyed over the way she was looking at Massimo than anything else.
There was also Elena, who was the main cook, and Luigi… I wasn’t sure what he did in this household. Probably ran things, I imagined. At least he acknowledged me with a professional smile. Everyone else… their faces and names all blended into one indistinguishable blob.
Massimo showed me around the huge house. It was far larger than Andre’s home, and I wondered why he needed such a large place when he’d obviously lived here alone… until now. Even so, this house was too big for two people.
Seven bedrooms total, seven and a half baths, one huge office that was obviously the place where Massimo spent most of his time when he was home, a closed kitchen, a sitting room that faced the sun in the afternoon, and so many more spaces I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with.
Massimo looked back at me once we left the dining room.
He cupped my cheek, and I stilled, trying not to react, especially when he swiped his thumb under my eyes.
He frowned, and I wondered if he found me lacking somehow.
“You should take a nap.”
“A nap?” I asked. That was the last thing I expected him to say to me.
He nodded, looking very serious. “A nap. There are bags under your eyes. I know traveling can take a lot out of you.”
“It wasn’t a long trip.”
His frown deepened. “And yet you look tired. Don’t argue with me, Luna.”
I didn’t answer him right away. He had been… kind.
Kinder than I had expected. I didn’t want that kindness to turn into something ugly by being difficult. I nodded.
He seemed satisfied with my reply.
“I have to go. Be a good girl at home.” He bent down and pressed a quick kiss on the corner of my lips before turning and walking out the door, leaving me standing in the middle of a huge house, feeling out of place.
“Bye,” I whispered softly into the air. No one answered, not that I had expected one.
I didn’t take a nap.
I couldn’t seem to quiet my mind enough to get in any shut-eye. Then again, I knew Las Vegas would be different from Chicago, but this was like night and day.
What made Massimo think I could actually nap?
It had been only a few hours since he left. I’d unpacked most of my things, even the boxes that were sent here from Chicago.
I let out a frustrated sigh and got up from the bed, hesitantly moving toward the bedroom door.
Everything was just so quiet. I knew there were people around the property, but they were very good at keeping out of my way. I would have thought I was alone in the house.
I took the stairs to the bottom level, trying to remember where everything was from the brief tour Massimo had given me. But hell, why was this house so big?
I pulled up short when I came into the kitchen to find both Elena and Lettie standing there. They quieted as soon as they saw me, and I got the distinct feeling that they were talking about me, but that couldn’t really be the case. They didn’t even know me.
It must be all the stress leading up to the wedding and the wedding itself.
“Can I help you?” Elena asked, a sour look on her face.
I froze, not knowing how to deal with such hostility from strangers. At least the help from Andre’s house was respectable toward me.
“Can you talk?” Lettie asked. She turned to Elena. “Of course Massimo was roped into marrying a defective mafia princess.”
Defective mafia princess?
“Defective? Do you really think Massimo would be okay with you talking about his wife like this?” a voice rang out from behind me. We all turned toward it. Giulia stood by the threshold, her hands on her hips, and she was glaring at Lettie.
“No, ma’am,” Lettie said quietly, looking down at the counter. “I’m sorry.”
Giulia scoffed. “It’s not me you need to apologize to.”
Lettie looked at me, her face twisting a bit before she put on a neutral expression. “I’m sorry.”
I didn’t say anything to that. I wasn’t going to accept an insincere apology. Anger flashed in the other woman’s eyes, but she didn’t say anything either.
“This house belongs to Luna now that she’s married to my brother. Or do you not know that?” Giulia asked.
“Of course,” Elena said, looking down.
“Then I suggest you show a lot more respect when addressing the new lady of the house.”
“Of course,” Elena repeated. It seemed that was all she was capable of saying in front of Giulia.
I wondered just how much it pained her to say it like that. I couldn’t even get any satisfaction from that, still reeling over all that had happened.
Giulia grabbed my hand. “We’ll be by the pool. Come out with some snacks.”
She pulled me out of there without waiting for a reply. We walked outside to the backyard, and I took in the huge pool. Massimo had only shown me the inside of the house, so this was a surprise.
A nice surprise. I couldn’t even remember the last time I went swimming.
“Are you okay?” Giulia asked, stopping by the rows of lounge chairs.
I took a seat on one and looked out to the pool. “Yes. Thank you for sticking up for me back there.”
Giulia grabbed my hands, and I forced myself to relax. I wasn’t used to other people touching me, and though I didn’t know Giulia very well, she came off as someone comfortable showing affection through touch. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings by pulling away.
She squeezed my hand. “You don’t have to thank me for that. I’m sorry we didn’t get to spend any time together during the wedding. Matteo was tense in Chicago and didn’t want me to stray from his side. You know, he even got us in the same room.”
She made a face.
I smiled a little at that, though there was a part of me that was envious of her. She had brothers who obviously really cared about her and would protect her from all the bad and ugly things in the world.
She looked at me and smiled. “But we can change that. I always wanted a sister.”
“I would like that too,” I replied. I always wanted a sister I could be close to. My mother’s favoritism toward Lina had spoiled her. There was no way for us to ever be as close as sisters could be.
Giulia’s smile widened.
“Do you live nearby?” I asked.
She nodded. “We all do. I’m in the middle between Matteo and Elio’s house, Romeo’s house is off the corner to the left, and yours and Massimo’s house is to the right. I think Massimo might have purchased the entire strip of land surrounding our houses to keep other people from coming in.”
I hadn’t known that. I didn’t realize Massimo’s siblings were so close by.
“I’m sorry to show up unannounced like this. I wasn’t thinking. I’m so used to coming in and out of my brothers’ houses, but of course, this is your house now, too, so tell me if you don’t?—”
“I don’t mind,” I interrupted. And I really didn’t. There was something about Giulia that told me she wouldn’t cross any lines. Plus, I was thankful she was here to help me with the whole Lettie and Elena situation. I had never been a confrontational person. Perhaps that was why Lina always managed to make me feel small with a few sharp words. But I hadn’t realized just how badly I would freeze at the first sign of it, maybe because there hadn’t been many people who had spoken to me like that before.
I shook my head at the thought and looked back to the pool. The water gleamed under the sunlight. “Do you want to go swimming?”
I did have a swimming suit with me.
“Are we allowed?” I asked Giulia.
She shot me a strange look. “This is your house, Luna. You can do whatever you want.”
Perhaps that was the case, but this didn’t feel like my house yet. Giulia stood up.
“Come on. Why don’t you change into your swimsuit, and I’ll do it too. I’ve kept some of my swim clothes here. I hope that’s okay?”
I nodded, but she was already pulling me away. She let me go when we got to one of the guest rooms. “I usually keep my clothes in here,” she said.
I nodded again, and she shot me one last smile before disappearing into the room. I stood there for a beat before forcing myself to go back into… my room.
And judging by the closet, Massimo’s room as well. But that was the one fact I was trying to shove to the far back of my mind.
I quickly pulled on my white swimsuit, a simple two-piece. I looked at myself in the full-length mirror hanging from the wall inside the bathroom. It hadn’t looked or felt revealing when I first bought it. There hadn’t been any time I could have worn this back in Chicago, even if Andre’s home had a pool. I never felt safe enough to swim with Andre nearby, and there wasn’t a chance in hell I would have felt safe with Lina.
I wasn’t the strongest swimmer, and Lina would shove my head underwater, leaving it there rather than help me should something happen.
But now that I was wearing it here in Massimo’s house…
I shook my head. At least my husband wasn’t here.
A stupid point, considering all that we’d done before. I had been trying hard not to think about last night’s memories all day, mostly because I didn’t think I would be able to look into Massimo’s eyes after, but he wasn’t here now and…
The memories flashed in my mind briefly before I forced myself not to think about them and grabbed the towel nearby, wrapping it around me.
Taking a deep breath, I walked out of the room. Giulia was waiting for me by the stairs in a one-piece navy-blue swimsuit that nicely contoured her figure. As I had been every time I looked at her, I was taken aback by how much she looked like Massimo. Her green eyes flashed excitedly when she noticed me and waved me over.
I couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. She was only a year older than me, but there was just something… happy and innocent about her that made me feel safe.
She had a towel slung over one arm, standing tall and proud. She was obviously comfortable in her own skin. I wondered what that would be like.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me back into the backyard.
We ran into Elena on the way, who was carrying a plate of cut-up fruit. Her eyes found me and hardened, and it took everything in me not to squirm under her gaze.
“You know Massimo said you can take charge of staffing in the household. Which gives you the power to hire and fire anyone you wish,” Giulia said, not missing the look.
Elena paled, and it was almost comical how quickly her expression changed from hard to shock, then demure.
She mumbled something, but I wasn’t paying her any attention. It didn’t matter because Giulia was already pulling me out of there, Elena following quietly behind us.
She placed the plate of fruits down on one of the side tables between the two lounge chairs where Giulia and I sat, said a gentle “Enjoy,” and walked away.
I turned to Giulia. “I don’t think Massimo said that.”
Giulia shook her head. “But it’s true. My brother has a lot on his plate. He expects his wife to run the household, which means staffing is your territory.”
I looked away from her and into the pool. I suppose that was true. Mom always took care of the household for Andre, and he rarely ever questioned her when she decided to fire or hire people. I still think I would be uncomfortable taking charge.
I nodded because that looked like what Giulia was expecting.
“I’m going to swim,” I said, unwrapping the towel from my body and resisting the urge to cover myself. It was only Giulia here.
She let out a small, happy sigh and lay back on the lounge chair. “You do that. I’ll join you soon. I just want to get in some sun.”
I stood and walked over to the pool, dipping my toes in the water. It was the perfect temperature—not too hot, not too cold. Perfect.
If I allowed myself to get caught up in the dream of this idyllic life, I’d be lost once the rug gets pulled.
It was better to remind myself that while things were still peaceful, it wouldn’t always be the case. There was no way not to think that Massimo was the biggest, scariest monster than anything or anyone I’d ever encountered. And that included Emilio Lombardi.
I closed my eyes and jumped into the pool.
Water engulfed my body, and I stayed there, swimming around a bit, pretending I wasn’t really in a stranger’s house, who just happened to be my husband.
When my lungs burned, I pushed myself to the surface, taking in a huge gulp of air.
I gasped in surprise when I saw a tall, imposing figure standing there, watching me with an unreadable expression.
How long had he been standing there?
I looked past him to Giulia, who was still in the lounge chair. She was staring at her brother with a shocked expression on her face, and I couldn’t give myself time to think about why that was, considering Massimo had edged closer to the pool and held out his hand for me.
Did he expect to pull me out of the pool like that?
The look on his face told me the answer. And how would I go about resisting him? I swallowed hard and swam over to him. I grabbed hold of his hand, ignoring the shock that seemed to run through me every time we touched as he effortlessly pulled me out of the pool. I stumbled on my feet and crashed right into his chest, getting his obviously expensive, tailored suit wet.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, trying to pull away. He wrapped his arm around me, holding me close to him. He didn’t seem to mind that I was getting him wet. I tilted my head back and took in his face until it got to be too much and directed my gaze down to his tie.
“You’re supposed to be napping,” he said, his voice low and soft.
My heart jumped at his words.
“Sorry,” I said again. I looked up just in time to catch his frown. I quickly looked back at his tie. I shifted on my feet when it didn’t seem like he was planning on letting me go anytime soon. Why was he holding me like this? I was surely getting his clothes wet—even more so than they had been.
“Is everything okay?” Giulia asked. I had forgotten she was there.
“We’re fine,” Massimo said. “Why don’t you bring Luna’s towel over to me?”
If she answered, I didn’t hear. I couldn’t even twist around to see if Giulia heard Massimo and was doing as he asked.
I didn’t have to wait long, though, because a towel suddenly appeared in my line of vision.
Massimo grabbed it out of her hand without saying anything and wrapped it around me.
I held still for him, somehow feeling like a naughty child caught doing something I wasn’t supposed to do. Was going swimming really so bad?
I wasn’t brave enough to ask that, and I wasn’t brave enough to stop Massimo when he reached down and scooped me up in his arms. I gasped and wrapped my arms around his neck as he walked us out of there.
Giulia might have said something to us—or to her brother—but I couldn’t hear anything. Not when all the blood had rushed to my ears, and my heart was beating erratically in my chest. Where was he taking me? And?—
Would it hurt?
The question was almost too much to think about.
“I’m getting your clothes wet,” I murmured. He paused at the base of the stairs, his gaze focused on me. I almost wished I had kept my mouth shut.
“That’s not important,” he said.
What was important then? I wasn’t brave enough to voice the question.
“Is there anything you need, sir?” A soft feminine voice came out from our left. I tensed in Massimo’s arms, something I was sure he didn’t miss.
“No,” Massimo answered tonelessly before he walked away. I looked behind him to Lettie standing right where we left her, a sour look on her face. Seemed she took it personally. I didn’t know why, and I was determined to put her and the head cook out of my mind.
We made it to our room, and Massimo brought me to the connected bathroom, placing me down on the counter before he moved away and turned on the water for the shower. Steam billowed around the small space, and I pulled the towel tighter against my body when he turned around and looked at me.
I resisted the urge to squirm, to give away just how uneasy he made me, especially when he was silent, which I was guessing was his default setting. Massimo didn’t look like he was a very talkative man. No, he was the kind of man who only needed to say something once, and people just listened.
I shivered, and that seemed to bring him out of his reverie. “You’re cold.”
Was I? I felt warm all over the place, and I didn’t know why that was.
“Go shower.”
And with that, he walked out the door, leaving it open a small crack.
I was… surprised.
He was leaving me to shower. I frowned. So he cut my swim short, and now…
He wanted me to just take a shower, and then what?
I didn’t know, but I decided not to push him. I moved off the counter, looking over at the crack through the door. Ridiculous. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen me. Seen all of me. And now, I was feeling too hot.
I quickly removed my bathing suit and put it in the hamper before hopping into the shower. The temperature was nice—not as hot as I thought.
Even still, I didn’t linger. I scrubbed myself, and when I was sure all the suds were washed off, I turned off the water and got out, grabbing a clean, fluffy white towel hanging by the hook. I pressed my face against it.
It smelled like Massimo.
It wasn’t a bad smell. Not at all. And I wondered if there was some twisted part of my mind that was truly attracted to my husband. How… unnerving.
I wrapped the towel around me and walked out of the bathroom, halting to a stop when I found Massimo standing in the middle of the bedroom. His tie, shoes, and jacket were removed, leaving him in nothing but black slacks, black socks, and a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and showing off huge tan forearms that made my mouth go dry from the sight alone.
He shifted, and I quickly looked up at his face. His eyes were making a slow perusal up and down my body. I might as well be naked under his gaze.
I tightened my grip around the towel, and his eyes flared.
“Still shy?” he asked casually.
I didn’t answer at first. I wondered how he thought I would just be comfortable with him after one night.
He didn’t need me to answer. He nodded and turned to the bed. I almost missed it, but my clothes were laid out on the mattress. Comfortable clothes.
“Go change. I don’t want you to catch a cold.”
I shot him an odd look before I could help it. “That’s a myth.”
Perfectly arched eyebrows rose over forest-green eyes. “A myth?”
“That you catch a cold from being cold.” My face flamed hot. I wondered why I was even saying this. It wasn’t as if a man like Massimo would be interested.
But he didn’t look at me like I was weird. His lips twisted in an amused smile. “Is that so?”
I nodded, hoping a hole would form on the floor and just suck me in.
Anything to get out of this conversation. I shifted around him for my clothes. Massimo didn’t move. He stayed where he was and watched me as I quickly gathered the clothes in my arms and headed to the bathroom. I thought I might have heard an amused chuckle coming out of him, but that couldn’t be, right?