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.