party, I asked Saoirse to meet me outside our building, where I was waiting by the car. She appeared a minute later, pausing to have a chat with our doorman on her way out, giving me the opportunity to take in what exactly she’d scrounged up to wear.
Her dress fit as if it had been sculpted to the shape of her body. Black, with long sleeves, it hit her midthigh. Modest on some women. On Saoirse, miles of legs were on display, her spiked heels only making them longer.
All that made my throat go dry, but when she turned to finally face me, tossing her blonde waves over her shoulder, smiling like seeing me was the high point of her day, my heart rate became erratic.
Straightening, I reached out my hand. She slipped her palm against mine and tipped her face to the side, offering me her cheek. Cupping her nape, I brought her the rest of the way in and touched my lips to her jaw, then the corner of her mouth. I would have tasted her lips, but they were painted cherry red. Off-limits to me for now.
“Gorgeous.”
Her smile widened. “I wanted to look good on your arm.” She slid her fingers along my lapel. “No one wears all black the way you do.”
Pleasure shot through me. I’d taken the time to change my shirt, ridding myself of the starched white button-down in favor of black on black. I’d done it knowing Saoirse would appreciate it, remembering the way she had the night we met.
“I wanted to look like I deserved you on my arm.”
Her lashes fluttered. “Smooth, Luca. No wonder you had to marry me. Women must have dropped like flies around you when you turned on that kind of charm.”
All that pleasure plummeted like lead. I jerked my chin. “Get in the car, Saoirse.”
She slid in the back of the limo, and I climbed in beside her, placing the small bag I’d brought with me on her lap.
“I wasn’t sure what you were wearing tonight, so I brought choices. You can decide which goes best.”
She peered in the bag. “What did you do?” Reaching in, she plucked up the two black velvet boxes and carefully opened each one. Inside the first was a necklace with multicolored gems. The second held platinum and ruby chandelier earrings.
“The earrings, I think.”
She turned to me with wide eyes. “Luca…you’ve already bought me so much jewelry.”
“And yet, you’re not wearing it.” Scooting closer to her, I traced a finger over the necklace. “What do you think? Earrings or necklace?”
She rubbed her lips together, a small puff of air releasing. “They’re really beautiful. I don’t know what to say. No one’s ever—Luca, this is…”
Taking her chin between my fingers, I raked my gaze over her. She’d taken her time getting ready for me. Her hair had been straight this morning, but now it was in soft, perfect waves. Her makeup was flawless. Thick lashes, highlighted cheeks, smoky eyes, those cherry lips. It pleased me to no end that she’d put in this much effort for me. Giving her jewelry was the least I could do. A drop in the bucket compared to the sudden urge I had to give her everything.
“It’s not too much, and I’m really fucking glad no one has ever,” I told her. “Choose which you’d like to wear tonight. You’ll keep them both and wear the other piece another night.”
Her exhale grazed my hand. “I think…you’re right. The earrings will look best with my dress.” She slipped them in her ears and pushed her hair away from her face. “What do you think?”
“Perfect.” Unable to resist putting my mouth on her, I dipped my head to the crook of her neck and trailed my lips up the graceful column of her neck. The earrings were extravagant. On another woman, they might have been too much. But with Saoirse’s height and timeless beauty, they were made for her.
She sighed as I sucked the hollow beneath her jaw. “If you give me a hickey, I’m not going in there.”
Darting my tongue out, I gave her smooth skin a lick, and fuck if she didn’t taste sweet. I hadn’t been able to find time for a repeat of our lunchtime hotel meeting this week, and it had been too long. I was craving her. “It’s a husband’s right to suck his wife’s neck.”
Laughing, she shoved me away, and I went because she was right. A hickey wasn’t the right accessory for tonight.
“You can suck my neck later,” she promised. “Time to act respectable. I think we’re here.”
Frank was one of the few board members I actually liked. Part businessman, part biker, he had more of a live-and-let-live attitude than the rest of the board. He was keen to see what I could do with Rossi rather than pushing me to follow in my father’s exact footsteps.
He welcomed Saoirse and me into his townhome with genuine warmth. His wife Shira, who was probably thirty years younger than him, stood stiffly at his side. How he had ended up with an ice queen, I couldn’t say, but the two of them couldn’t have been more opposite.
Frank took Saoirse from me, giving her a bear hug. “I’ve heard all about you, Saoirse Rossi.” He held her by the shoulders at arm’s length, giving her a grin. “I can see why Luca fell so fast and locked you down.”
She didn’t miss a beat. “It was entirely mutual. Have you seen my husband?”
Frank burst out laughing. “Can’t say Luca’s my type, but I get the appeal. Women are into that whole suave, Italian thing. Lucky for me, my Shira liked my personality enough to marry me. Let me introduce you.” Frank waved me off. “Go, mingle. Saoirse, Shira, and I are going to have a chat.”
Just like that, Frank stole my wife.
Maybe I didn’t like this motherfucker.
If he hadn’t been pushing sixty, we would have had a problem. Then again, Saoirse seemed happy to go off with them. This was exactly why I’d married her. She was doing her job, and from the emerging smile on Shira’s face, doing it well.
A while later, Clara and Miller arrived, and my sister found me at the bar.
Clara raised a brow. “Did you come alone? Saoirse said she’d be here with you.”
“Saoirse said?” I muttered. “When did you speak to my wife?”
She flicked her fingers. “She mentioned it when the three of us went shopping during lunch on Wednesday.”
“Three of you?”
Her eyes rolled like I was stupid. “Yes. Your wife, our mother, and me. That makes three.”
“Ah.” I tugged on my collar. “Right. I wasn’t counting you.”
She gave my shoulder a slug, and I was relieved I’d played it off. Wednesday, I’d had a working lunch with the auditing company going over some of our accounts. Saoirse had never mentioned what she’d been doing. Of course, I’d never asked.
What kind of husband was I, fake or not, when I put no effort into this marriage? My wife was mingling, getting to know my family, dressing up for me, and all I could do was change my shirt in the back of the limo? If we shared a bed, I wouldn’t have been surprised to be kicked out of it.
Clara took a sip of her sparkling water and sighed. Something in the sound put me on alert.
“Are you feeling okay?”
Nodding, she smoothed her hand over her stomach. “Tired. Miller and I are somewhat at odds, so—”
Taking her by the shoulder, I drew her away from the few people nearby so we could have privacy. “Why are you at odds?”
She sucked in a deep breath, her gaze traveling across the room where Miller was speaking to Frank and a few other men.
“He’s so distracted lately. I’ve been trying to get his opinion on things for the baby. Cribs, nursery decor, that sort of thing. Bigger things too, like childcare and his paternity leave, but he’s been blanking on me. I’m at my wits’ end, and he won’t give me any feedback. At this point, I’ll be making every decision on my own.”
I frowned. Miller was a dipshit, but as far as I’d known, he’d always been decent to Clara. “Would you like me to speak to him? If he’s too busy to concentrate on his family, we need to reprioritize his responsibilities at work.”
“Oh god, no.” She grabbed my arm. “Please, please don’t say anything. If he thought I came to you as his boss and not my brother, he would be humiliated.”
“Well, I’m both. I can’t really unravel the two roles.”
“Just be my brother tonight, Luca. Give me a pat on the head and remind me I still have months to prepare.” As my hand traveled toward her head, she swatted it away. “I meant metaphorically. Do not actually pat me on the head.”
Chuckling, I squeezed her shoulder. “All right. Then I’ll remind you you’re the most competent human being I know. You could have a baby in a cave and pull it off without missing a beat.”
“And I’m dewy and glowing, right?”
“Yes, Clara. You’re very dewy and extremely glowing.”
She rolled her eyes. “Good talk, Luca. Crisis averted.” Exhaling, she steeled her spine. “All right. I’m going to do my duty and mingle.”
“Damn. We can’t stay back here and make fun of people like we used to at Mom and Dad’s parties?”
That made her laugh, giving me a small dose of relief. If Clara could laugh at my stupid jokes, it couldn’t be all that bad. Still, I’d be keeping an eye on Miller. If he didn’t step up, we would be having that chat.
Saoirse found me while I was in a group of Frank’s friends who were CEOs and business owners. They were discussing the volatility of a New York bank when she slipped her arm around mine and leaned into my side.
I turned to her, pleased for the hundredth time to have this woman on the same level as me. Her face and eyes were breathtaking to look at, and drinking her in straight on was a heady, addictive experience.
“Did you find a drink?” I murmured in her ear.
“I did.” She gave my arm a shake. “Are you having a good time?”
“Mmhmm. You?”
“Great.”
Attention fell on Saoirse as conversation died off, and I introduced her around. Her easy, affable confidence made me proud to call her mine. Her goal was to make me look good, and the truth was, she elevated me. I looked better with her beside me.
She chatted away with the other men, telling them about her family’s ranch, which kept them following her every word. I was enchanted and already knew everything she was saying from firsthand experience.
Clara and Miller joined us after a while, and Saoirse and my sister fell into another conversation. Someone who’d worked at Rossi years ago was waving to me from the other side of the room. Saoirse told me to go, and Clara promised to guard her with her life. Miller just stood there like a useless bookend. But that was Miller. No surprise.
Saoirse, Clara, and Shira were having a grand time, so I ventured to the bar after my former coworker was pulled away. While I waited for my drink, someone snuck up behind me and laid a hand on my shoulder. Seconds before she spoke, I breathed in a whiff of jasmine, and my stomach clenched with dread.
“Luca, funny seeing you here.”
I turned, putting on a polite smile for Frank’s daughter. “Francesca. I thought you were living in Paris.”
That was the only reason I’d felt comfortable bringing Saoirse tonight. I’d made the mistake of taking Francesca to bed a few years ago. Now, every time our paths crossed, her attempts to lure me in for a repeat were unsubtle and off-putting. There was no way I would willingly expose Saoirse to it.
Francesca hadn’t dropped her hand, merely sliding it down my arm. “Keeping up with me, are you?” A practiced, throaty giggle fell then disappeared like it had never been there. “Yes, I’m still living in Paris, but Dad asked me to be here for my step-monster’s big three-oh. How could I refuse?”
“Probably best if he doesn’t hear you call her that.”
“Oh, please. He married a woman three years older than me who barely speaks. What did he expect?” She gave my arm a squeeze. “It’s been too long since we’ve run into each other. Tell me what you’ve been up to, handsome.”
I took her hand in mine and lowered it to her side. “I’m married.”
She burst out laughing, this one real and boisterous. I cringed at the heads no doubt turning our way and took a subtle step away from her. The last thing I needed was for anyone to get the idea I was flirting with Francesca.
Especially Saoirse, who I’d lost sight of.
When I didn’t join Francesca’s laughter, it slowly waned. “Oh my god. You’re not serious, are you?”
I nodded once, folding my arms over my chest so my ring was visible. She homed in on it, her eyes flaring.
“I’m very serious. My wife is here somewhere. Actually, I should be looking for her.”
Francesca patted her rosy cheek, and her mouth pulled tight. “You’ll have to introduce us. I would love to see the woman who tamed you.”
My nostrils flared, and another hit of heavy jasmine assaulted me. “We’ll see. Have a good evening.”
With that, I brushed by her and went in search of my wife.
