Chapter 22 – Nico
Something changed.
I crossed my arms and leaned back against the spliced, marble pillar decorating the wall.
When Rae ignored me the first time, it was because she didn’t want to draw attention to herself after our initial meeting at the pub.
Tonight, and the last few days, she’d avoided me for another reason. One that made my imagination run wild.
The jazz music simmered through the room, a slow pulse under the chatter of expensive laughter and polite conversation.
The don sat in his armchair, talking easily to his court of jesters.
He’d been up and walking, even did pushups when someone called him out on his hospital stay.
My grandmother grinned through the ordeal, clutching her cocktail glass with white, boney fingers.
The bastard didn’t see what he was doing to her. His determination to prove that everything was status quo was going to physically hurt the woman he professed to love.
And she was too chicken to call him out on it.
I cut a look at the door where Rae entered, balancing a silver tray. The uniform should have made her invisible, just another servant blending into the marble and crystal of the evening. Yet to me, every light in the room seemed to find her.
She looked…defeated.
I fucking hated it.
Those hazel eyes fixed on the rims of the champagne flutes that threatened to wobble off. A brash, shallow laugh made her jerk slightly. I clenched my jaw, promising death to the person who made her uncomfortable.
Rae moved around the far side of the room.
The whole evening she’d been careful. Eyes down and shoulders straight.
Pretending not to notice me. But right as she held the tray to a thirsty group of glittering ladies, I caught the flicker.
A split second. Her gaze caught mine, sending a rush of feeling straight to my gut before she looked away.
Porca miseria, I had it bad for this woman.
And because of the mess of people, I couldn’t go to her. Couldn’t openly take her in my arms and pull her away from the stench of expensive perfume and meaningless smiles.
Conscious of the crowd, I kept myself from staring directly at her. But I tracked Rae’s every step as she moved around a group of men talking too loudly. One of them threw his hands in the air, animatedly telling a story. Rae flinched. She managed to move her tray just in time to prevent disaster.
I took a step in their direction.
“Dominico, carino, you remember my friend Veronica,” Nonna said, stepping into my path.
“Ciao,” Veronica greeted me. “How is your dear mama? I haven’t seen Donatella in ages.”
I bristled. “My mother is well, thank you.”
“I miss her! Tell her to visit more,” the old bat crooned.
That wasn’t fucking happening.
“She used to love a party,” Veronica simpered. “And I must say, this is quite the party. But…who is that man in the phantom of the opera mask?”
I flicked a glance at the Irish boss. Liam McDonagh and his wife were at the bar. He looked good. Fit and healthy. It was nice of him to be here, and if I was a good host, I would go say hello. But I had other things to do.
Like stare at Rae as she set out with a fresh tray of wobbly flutes.
“He’s a friend.”
Nonna pursed her lips at my tone. “I don’t recall his name.”
I gave her a pointed look, and she took the hint.
“It’s a blessing to open our home to so many people. Why! Just last month, Arabella and I hosted the Princess of Spain.”
I tuned my grandmother out. Because at that moment, I caught the sound of laughter.
It shouldn’t have been noticeable with the volume of mammalian noises, but it was.
Clear. Warm. Sweet. I glared at the men taking flutes of champagne.
There were enough of them that they took every glass from her tray.
One even bumped his elbow against her at some inside joke.
My sweet southern bloom smiled at him before returning to collect more glasses.
Enough of this.
I abruptly left my grandmother and stalked straight to the mahogany bar, where Theo was mixing drinks. I wove through conversations I didn’t hear. The sound of Rae’s breath—rapid, shallow—somehow carried across the noise. She didn’t know I could read it. She didn’t know I’d already memorized it.
It was a part of her, so why wouldn’t I?
The worst part was the brilliant, beautiful smile on her face was gone. She’d given it away to those men, and now the inner turmoil was etched into the details of her face.
As our paths crossed, I reached out. Not enough to startle her. I brushed my finger against the sleeve of her uniform. The muscles were taught and strained beneath. I swore I could feel the heat of her skin under the material.
Rae didn’t stop. She picked up a fresh tray, but the glasses trembled. The telltale reaction was a small confession.
“I see you, cherry-bomb,” I murmured as I passed. “You can’t hide from me.”
Rae sucked in a sharp breath.
I let her walk away. Turning to shake hands with some fucker in a suit, I cast a glance in her direction to see if she looked back.
She did. Once. Quick as lightning.
Her gaze struck me square in the chest.
Roped into a conversation about the stock market, I wasn’t able to catch what Rae said to her uncle at the other end of the bar. The butler pursed his lips and gave a slight jerk of his chin. Rae set her tray on the bar, rubbed her arms, and took off toward the hall.
I didn’t even acknowledge the businessman who was speaking at me. I cut through the crowd with a vicious intention. Stepping into the hall, I caught a whisp of black and white as Rae ducked around a corner.
I went after her.
Those long legs scrambled up the stairs. Cutting the corner, she dashed down the hall.
I chased. A wicked thrill shot through me.
What I wouldn’t give to have the house to ourselves. The idea of truly hunting her down, running through the halls, tackling her naked! There were plenty of surfaces to fuck her on. We would christen every room. Twice. And I would let her think she could outrun me.
If it meant I could keep catching her.
Rae stopped at the door of the don’s office. It was cracked, and she was about to shut it, but I stopped her by putting a hand in the opening. She bumped me with her body, trying to push me back out.
Well, that wasn’t happening.
I tugged her inside.
“Rae, talk to me,” I breathed.
She shot a look to the ancient furniture on the other side of the room. Was she nervous?
No….
It was like she was trying to bite back a smile.
“We have to go back downstairs,” she whispered.
“Not until you talk.”
Soft gusts of air whispered across the room. I didn’t pay much attention to the ancient furniture. This old house was always making weird noises. I swore it was haunted. Hell, tonight it sounded like the ghosts were having sex.
Good for them.
That should be us.
“Not in here,” she hissed.
“So you’ll talk to every other man at the party, but not to me?” I regretted the words instantly.
Rae’s face turned bitter. She was going to run.
I screwed up.
With a groan of frustration, I tugged her fully into the room and tried to shut the door behind us. She stopped me. And because I didn’t want to crush her beautiful little foot, I let her.
“Nico, let me go!” Rae insisted, louder this time.
I lifted my hands “Fine.”
“Thank you.” She took a hard breath. “Why did you bring me up here?”
I brought her up here? Chased her, sure, but if I’d brought her up, I would have tossed her over my shoulder and marched to the guest room that Nonna said was mine.
“I just—I just needed you to myself for a minute.” In a whisper, I added, “While we’re on the subject, don’t flirt with any more of those bastards. Not if you don’t want to clean up blood.”
Rae sucked in a sharp breath. “I was only talking! To your guests, might I add.”
Red clouded my vision. I needed an outlet. Right fucking now! I rammed a fist in the wall. Pain split across my knuckles. “I don’t like the way he was looking at you, Magnolia.”
There wasn’t any one guy in particular. There were too many. And she’d smiled, brushing away the storm clouds for the briefest of moments, and those fucks had reaped the benefits.
Her voice was cold. So low, I almost didn’t hear it. “I wasn’t flirting.”
“Che cazzo fai! Magnolia, see reason!” I insisted.
The huffing of the ghosts made me flick a glance at the old furniture. I could have sworn there were a couple of shadows over there. But I didn’t see any spectral shapes because Rae’s response snared my focus.
Rae laughed. “What are you going to do? Kill every man who looks my way?”
That wasn’t a bad idea. “If I have to.”
This time, her responding laugh had a sad note to it. “Your grandfather will just love that.”
“Magnolia, please—”
“No, Nico. We come from two different worlds. You don’t get to put a claim on me in secret.”
Ripping open the door, Rae marched out. I groaned. Cazzo. She was pissed.
I was to blame. Jealousy got the better of me, and instead of being the shelter she needed from the storm, I raged.
I can do better.
Following her, I jogged to catch her elbow.
Her wild gaze darted around the hall. “We shouldn’t be up here!”
I pulled her into the first available door. “Then quit running away.”
“Nico.” My name dragged out in a moan.
I caged her against the wall and leaned with an arm over her head. “I’m sorry. I know you were doing your job. You’re really good at it.”
Rae shook her head. Hard. Fast. If her hair was free, it would have tumbled and whipped around her shoulders. I reached for the knot at the back of her head.
“Nico! What the fuck are you doing?” she hissed, jerking away.
Such a dirty mouth. So pretty and full. It would look amazing sucking on my dick. But I pushed that thought away as I kicked the door shut, plunging us into silence.
Rae was breathing rapidly.
Here, in privacy, I could stare at her openly. I searched her face, looking for the answer that wasn’t written there.