Chapter 14 Mauro
Chapter fourteen
Mauro
“You look like you need a drink, big guy.” Vin flags down a server, and a moment later, a glass of amber liquid lands in front of me.
I curl my fingers around the crystal and knock it back in one hard swallow, hoping the burn will be enough to wash away the illicit images of Alina floating around my head, but it does little to make it stop.
It’s been weeks since we said our vows, and all that time, she’s yet to come anywhere near crossing the damn line between us. The one I wish I could destroy, especially at night when she’s sleeping soundly beside me, appearing unaffected by our proximity as I suffer in silence.
But tonight…
Tonight she had been playing with fire upstairs.
A fire that I would have willingly let burn me if it meant a chance at having her in a way I’ve only ever imagined.
She is temptation on a silver platter.
Soft. Curvy. Sexy.
And I would have given anything for a taste of something so perfect.
But I kept my distance. Not just because I wasn’t worthy of her, but because I could see the truth beneath her invitation. She was offering more than she was ready to give, and taking it would have been the real sin. Proven when she withdrew from me like a warning bell was chiming in her ear.
Did it hurt, watching her pull away so easily?
I rub at my sternum, where an ache remains deep in my chest. Then I set my glass down a little harder than necessary.
“Looks like you pulled it off.” Leo slides onto the seat beside me.
His gaze drifts to the dance floor, where Alina, Scarlett, and Madeleine move to the music.
Everyone around them seems to know better than to invade their space.
I tug at my collar as I note the amount of people swarming the area.
I really hate crowds. But for Alina… “Alina looks happy.”
My eyes find Alina. It’s impossible to miss the way her face lights up as she sways to the music.
Does she have an ounce of rhythm?
Absolutely not.
But something about the sight of her tugs at me anyway. The corners of my mouth lift before I can stop them, warmth threading through my veins.
“Never thought I’d see the day where Mr. Grumpy was in love,” Vin says, stretching an arm across the back of the booth. I’m ready to flip him off when he tells me, “It suits you.”
Alex slides in next to Vin, and Eli takes the open seat beside Leo, filling in the space at our table.
I cross my arms over my chest and glare at Vin.
“What?” he asks with confusion in his voice. “I just gave you a compliment.”
True. He did. But I’m still annoyed about earlier.
Alex glances up from his phone. “I’m guessing he wants to know why you decided to call Gregory without running it by him first.”
Vin shrugs. “What’s wrong with inviting him to the party?”
I lift a brow.
“Fine.” He leans forward. “Don’t you find it odd that your wife hasn’t informed her father that she’s married?”
I won’t pretend the thought hasn’t crossed my mind. But I’m assuming it’s because this is all only temporary, something Vin and the rest of them don’t know, and she probably doesn’t think there’s a need for her father to know…right?
Vin’s phone vibrates, and he looks down at the screen, his features quickly morphing to serious.
“Marco just sent confirmation that the distillery has been destroyed.” His dark eyes glance up, looking between us.
“We’ll leave for the island tomorrow.” His gaze darts to Alex.
“And you’ll take Mom and Clara to France. ”
The four of us nod.
Even though the estate has become one of the most secure places in the country, things will be tense for the next few days, and it’s best to keep the women away during that time without them knowing why.
My sight shifts to the dance floor, expecting to see the women enjoying themselves as they did just a moment ago.
Only this time, they aren’t alone.
Two men I don’t recognize have joined them, leaning in close, saying something that makes Alina laugh.
Most likely asking her to dance.
My jaw tightens.
It will be a cold day in hell before another man lays a hand on my wife.
I’m on my feet before I consciously decide to move, shoving back my seat, which crashes to the floor. Leo and Eli look over, finally realizing what’s going on, but they’re too slow.
I bypass them, storming the dance floor as I shove people aside until I make it behind the one man standing too goddamn close to Alina.
I tap him on the shoulder, and the second he looks my way, I spin him around and grab him by the collar, dragging him away.
Vin stands by the exit with a shit-eating grin on his face. “Taking out the garbage?”
I grunt as I make my way outside and deposit the man to the ground, watching as he scrambles to his feet.
He raises his hands in defense. “Sorry, man. We’re old friends. I didn’t know she was married!”
“Mauro!” Alina steps outside, panting. Her hands rest on her hips as she glances toward the man scurrying down the sidewalk. “He’s an old friend from school,” she says quickly. “He was only asking if I wanted to dance.”
I shake my head, stepping closer. I lift my hand, tipping her chin until her eyes meet mine. “Only. Me.” The words scrape their way out, tight and rough, sending a sharp ache down my throat, but I don’t care. Not when she needs to understand what I’m saying beneath them.
She studies me for a beat, then crosses her arms over her chest. “So…” Her mouth curves, cautious but amused. “Does that mean you’re asking me to dance?”
Well fuck. I don’t dance. Never have and never planned on it.
But for her?
For her, I would do anything.
I exhale and take her hand. She laces her fingers through mine like it’s the most natural thing in the world, and I escort her inside. I’m slightly relieved to find the upbeat music has switched over to something soft and slower. Something more my tempo.
Not that I really know what my tempo would be.
Just as I’m about to lead her toward the group of people where she was dancing earlier, she pulls on my hand. I look over my shoulder at her.
“Let’s dance here,” she says, eyes sweeping the open space around us.
It’s darker. Quieter.
Away from the crowd that produces unease in my veins.
Just us.
I turn, keeping her hand in mine, guiding it to my chest. My other arm slides around her waist, drawing her closer. She settles easily against me, her free hand resting on my bicep, fingers curling lightly into the fabric of my sleeve.
I take a steadying breath and begin to move with the music, slow and deliberate, hoping I’m not making a complete fool of myself.
She looks up at me and grins. “You can relax,” she says softly. “You’re doing fine.” Her hand glides up my arm, warm and reassuring. “You feel tense.”
I loosen my shoulders, releasing some of the tightness.
“Much better,” she tells me, fighting back a smile. “I’m surprised you agreed to this. I didn’t think you’d want to dance.”
I quickly sign, I don’t.
Her brows knit together. “Then why are we—”
I want to dance with you.
She tucks her bottom lip between her teeth, glancing away before looking back at me. “Well… thank you. I appreciate it. I appreciate all of this. This is the best birthday I’ve ever had.” She rests her cheek against my chest. “One I’ll always remember.”
I lean down and press a kiss to her temple, my lips lingering briefly in her hair.
Alina in my arms feels…right. As if the outside world no longer exists, and it’s only her and me.
Suddenly, a spotlight snaps on, pinning us in place as the band shifts seamlessly into “Happy Birthday,” which prompts all the guests to start singing and gather around us, watching the seven-tiered cake roll our way.
Alina straightens, her hand still locked with mine as she takes it all in.
Her eyes widen, wonder overtaking her expression.
Silver and gold leaf gleam along the tiers with sparklers crackling at the edges. It’s extravagant. Custom-made. Impossibly indulgent. Crowned with the world’s most expensive strawberries and vanilla, too much by any reasonable standard.
And yet, somehow, it still doesn’t feel like enough.
As the song winds down, a server appears with a small step stool. Alina grips my hand tighter as she steps up, each movement careful, her lips hovering inches from the single candle at the top.
Madeleine and Scarlett appear by her other side.
“What are you going to wish for?” Madeleine asks.
Scarlett elbows her. “She can’t tell you, or it won’t come true.”
Alina laughs, then looks at me. Her gaze softens, something warm and unspoken passing between us. I lift her hand and brush my lips over her knuckles, feeling the faint shiver that runs through her. She faces the candle, closes her eyes, and blows it out in one steady breath.
As if it’s the most natural thing in the world, my dominant hand finds the center of my chest, the tip of my middle finger tapping twice. And as I watch her, surrounded by noise and celebration, I can’t help but wonder if one day she’ll tell me what she wished for or if I already know.
“You’re twenty-one. You’re not a kid anymore, Mauro. It’s time to start acting like a man. Not a child.”
I press down on the accelerator, my fingers tightening around the steering wheel as my father’s words elicit fury within me. “I don’t think that going to a club with some friends to let off steam makes me any less of a man.”
He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“No, but having your picture on the front page of every tabloid this morning looking like you just went on a two-week bender is. Did you even know those girls hanging all over you? You’re to set an example for your younger brother.
He looks up to you.” My father swivels in his seat to peek around the headrest. “Don’t you, Leo? ”
“Huh?” Leo scratches his head, appearing lost in thought.
Dolion elbows him in the arm.
“Oh, umm, right. Yes. Definitely.”
I roll my eyes. Leo’s so in love, he wouldn’t notice if the world was ending around him.