Chapter 34
ROSALIE
Each day Max was gone, he left me with one of his hooligans to deal with. This arrangement was becoming all too familiar, and each of these men seemed more unpleasant than the last.
Today, I was with Enzo, who had a sour face that made Max look cheerful by comparison. I tried to make small talk with him, hoping to learn more about Max’s side of the family. Enzo was reluctant to say anything at first, but I managed to get some bits and pieces out of him.
He worked for Giovanni, the boss of the Cosa Nostra. Enzo was one of his most trusted men. He’d stood by Giovanni’s side ever since they were younger, when they’d grown up in the same neighborhood in Italy.
Enzo had no family of his own. He’d never married and never fathered any children. He seemed to be a lonely man, but I think he wanted it that way. He was the kind of man who found satisfaction in devoting his life to his work.
He kept a close watch but didn’t bother me. He stayed within earshot, just in case anything happened, but he also kept his distance, avoiding eye contact and conversation.
I sometimes forgot he was even there.
Enzo and Dimitri were here often, since Max was usually off doing God knows what.
Max had told me he had important meetings to attend and numerous people to deal with, but a small voice inside me couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to his absence.
His words about our marriage being merely a political agreement lingered in my mind.
The thought made me feel something I didn’t have the energy to understand.
I didn’t mind that Max was gone. It gave me time to adjust; to settle into what my life had become.
I spent most of that time on the phone to Daisy, trying to come up with wedding plans within a reasonable timeframe for Max. She couldn’t believe the position I was in. In fact, I think she found it funny. Leave it to Daisy to find something enlightening about my personal hell.
Perhaps it wasn’t that bad. The house was starting to grow on me after all.
Duke loved it, that was for sure. I’d spent most of my day out in the yard with him. He was so happy to finally be off the leash. He ran around, and he ran fast, chasing after a few birds. The squirrels were his next target. I hoped they could run faster than him, but I doubted it.
He was finally able to stretch his legs and burn off his energy without me having to drag him around the crowded streets of the city. Nothing was stopping him.
I checked my phone for the time and saw it was only four in the afternoon. There were still a few hours of daylight left and a few more hours until Max came home. I was exhausted and sweaty from running around with Duke and figured jumping in the pool wasn’t a bad idea.
Would that be breaking Max’s rule—the one about revealing clothing?
He wasn’t here to enforce it, so I figured it was fine.
Quickly, I changed into a black bikini, grabbed a towel and a bottle of sunscreen, and headed back down to the patio. I set my things down and took my hair out of its braid.
The blue water rippled, catching the afternoon sun’s reflection. I could see through to the bottom, where colorful tiles formed a mosaic.
The sun started to heat my back as I walked up to the edge of the pool. I slipped my shoes off and dove in headfirst, with a splash. The water shocked my body, but it was the refreshing kind of shock I was looking for. I let the coolness wash over me, soothing my burned skin and aching muscles.
I pushed myself up from the bottom of the pool and floated there for a while before lifting myself over the edge. I squeezed the water out of my hair, feeling the droplets run down my back.
I sat down on the pool chair, reaching for the sunblock and applying it generously over my arms and my legs. Then I reached for my sunglasses to put them on too. I leaned back and closed my eyes, adjusting the cushion under my head.
My eyelids began to feel heavy while I lay there for a while. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so relaxed; so utterly . . . at peace.
It was crazy considering the madness that was my life lately.
Max, the very man who’d once seemed to be a constant source of problems, the harbinger of chaos, was somehow the reason for my happiness. It seemed impossible, like a cruel joke the universe had decided to play on me.
A knot of frustration tightened in my gut, twisting and coiling until it felt like it might strangle me from the inside out. I hated this. Hated that I was actually enjoying a feeling that stemmed from something Max had given to me.
It made me feel . . . guilty. I wanted to despise him. Every fiber of my being screamed to hold onto the anger. But the fury that had fueled me for so long was starting to fade.
Suddenly, a shadow flashed across my eyelids, the warm sun leaving my skin. A frown creased my forehead—a small wrinkle of confusion.
Had a huge cloud drifted by?
I didn’t bother opening my eyes, figuring it would pass soon, but the coolness lingered. With a growing sense of irritation—and quite frankly, a chill—I finally cracked open my eyes. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, but the gloom still hovered above me.
Uh-oh.
Max stood beside the chair, his expression a mix of emotions I couldn’t quite decipher.
“Hi, honey,” I chirped, plastering a bright smile onto my face. My voice sounded too cheerful, almost fake, even to my own ears.
Max didn’t respond. He just stood there staring at me with that inscrutable look on his face, making the silence between us stretch on painfully.
Then, finally, he spoke, and when he did, his voice was weak.
“You’re in a bikini.”
“Yes. Thank you for the astute observation, Captain Obvious,” I said sarcastically.
He remained rooted to the spot, arms crossed over his broad chest, effectively blocking out the sun that had been warming my skin.
“I have men who come through the house, Rosalie,” he complained, clenching his jaw tight.
I raised an eyebrow, peering up at him over the rim of my sunglasses.
What was his point? Did he think some random goon was going to risk their life to mess with the fiancée of Max Romano?
Doubtful. Being his fiancée came with its perks, safety being the major one.
I wouldn’t admit that out loud, of course.
“Rosalie,” he warned.
“Hmm?” I replied innocently. Feigning ignorance was usually my best defense, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t work this time. He wasn’t going to let me off the hook.
“You’re breaking my rule.”
His dark eyes narrowed, boring into mine with a strong glare that made me want to squirm.
“In my defense, you’re never home this early. Why have a pool if you’re not going to use it?”
“You know what this means, don’t you?” he asked.
I raised an eyebrow, curious as to where he was taking this. Max wasn’t the kind of man who’d actually make me suffer any consequences. He treated me fairly, with respect, but he also liked to play games with me. He knew exactly how to push my buttons.
“What does it mean?” I asked.
“It means I get to break one of yours.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. The idea was almost comical given how meticulous and controlled he usually was. I tilted my head, peering up at him through the tinted lenses, trying to gauge his intentions.
“And what rule of mine do you plan on breaking?” I asked, genuinely curious now.
He paused for a moment as if considering his response carefully. “I think I’ll decide that later.”
“Oh, so you’re playing it by ear, huh?” I raised an eyebrow. “That sounds like it’ll work out entirely in your favor.”
“Precisely,” he admitted. “I need all the help I can get when it comes to dealing with you. Your unpredictable nature keeps me on my toes.”
His gaze grazed my body. I looked down, realizing how skimpy the bikini really was.
Poor guy.
“Nice try, but you’re not breaking any rules,” I said, giving him a playful wink.
“Fair is fair,” he murmured, his voice low. “You get to play by your own rules—so should I.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of consequences?” I asked.
He took a deliberate step closer. “I’m well-acquainted with consequences, Rosalie. Are you?”
My lips twitched. “Move, would you? You’re blocking my sun.”
He didn’t move immediately, instead bending down so his face was level with mine. “If I were any other man in the Outfit, I would’ve had my way with you by now.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Consider it a warning,” he said softly. “I’m still a man—a man who has done nothing but show you patience. Continue to test me like this,” he said, his jaw clenching with resolve as he ran a finger underneath the thin string keeping my bikini top around my neck, “and see how far you get.”