Hell, I wasn’t sure I understood it.
“Alright, I’ll see what I can do, but no more talk about my mess of a life. Tell me what’s new with you. Have you set a date for the wedding yet?”
A beaming smile lit her face. “Not exactly. We’re thinking September to give plenty of time to plan, but we haven’t nailed down a specific date.”
“You going to strongarm Aunt Lottie into letting you be involved in the planning?” Alessia’s mom lived for planning events.
Fuck, even she has a passion.
I was going to have to work on that.
“I’m absolutely going to help her plan. No more pushover Alessia. I get one shot at a wedding, and I want to make sure it’s exactly the way Luca and I want.”
“Good for you! My sweet little cousin has grown so much in the past year.”
Al smiled mischievously. “Guess who’s turn it is now?”
I shook my head. “We’ll see. That doesn’t mean I’m giving up on fun, so I’ll still be me. And on that note, I think we should go out this weekend for a drink.”
“It’s supposed to snow tomorrow,” she balked.
“Okay, then we go out Saturday.” I smiled, unfazed. “We can ask the other girls and see if anyone wants to join.”
“Fine, but only if the roads aren’t bad. I’m not busting my ass for a girls’ night.”
“Please, it’s only November. How bad could it be?”
***
Eighteen inches of snow fell in the city that Friday night. All of Manhattan shut down, but street crews had the roads cleared by the next morning, and the rising temperatures had worked magic on the icy sidewalks. By Saturday evening, New York City was back in full swing.
We recruited Sofia and Camilla to round out our trip to the Lotus Club, the hottest new bar overlooking the river. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones who needed a night out. After the winter storm had everyone stuck at home the night before, club goers were out in droves.
Aside from a packed nightclub, the weather had also affected our wardrobe—no slinky dresses or strappy heels. Instead, I was rocking skinny jeans, leather booties, and a sweater draped off one shoulder. I felt hella cute and ready to get my dance on.
“Let’s get a drink first, then hit the dance floor,” I called to the girls over the blaring music.
They all nodded, and we squeezed through the crowd to the bar where two overworked bartenders raced to keep up with the demand. Ten minutes later, we toasted to a night with the girls, and I reveled in the feel of the cool vodka martini warming my stomach.
“You guys have to save me if some guy tries to dance with me,” Alessia ordered. “I know it’s not technically cheating, but it feels wrong.”
“I totally understand,” said Sofia. “Hopefully, if we all dance together, we’ll be left alone.”
I scoffed. “Speak for yourselves! I’d like nothing more than for some hottie to join us on the dance floor. Now drink up and let’s get out there.”
Al shook her head but downed the rest of her drink. We danced with one another, gyrating with the pulsing beat of the music and laughing hysterically when one of us tried a silly dance move. Soon, we attracted the attention of several men, one who was bold enough to insert himself into our small circle.
He wasn’t bad-looking and was a decent dancer, so I moved forward and draped my arms over his shoulders. His warm hands clasped around my waist, and he pulled me close, wearing a devilish smile on his lips. I relaxed in his grip, allowing him to lead our movements.
When the song transitioned to a slower beat, he leaned in close to my ear to tell me his name, but his words never registered. I was too distracted by what I saw over his shoulder across the room.
A man stood perfectly still on a small set of stairs, looming above the crowd. He wore a dark suit without a tie, and his hungry gaze bore down on me, a hunter locked on his prey. The strobing laser lights and distance between us made it hard to see, but my gut flipped and twisted with instant recognition.
The man from the casino. It was him. Or at least, I thought it was.
Before I could be certain, my dance partner pulled back and blocked my view. I lifted onto my tiptoes and strained to see around him, but the other man was gone without a trace.
“You okay?” my dance partner asked with confusion etched in his features.
“I’m fine,” I replied distractedly. “Just thought I saw someone I know.” I scanned the room, trying to figure out if I’d actually seen the man or if I’d just imagined it. Could it have been him? What were the chances?
Did you think I wouldn’t find you? The cryptic words from my text days before flashed in my mind.
Holy shit.
It couldn’t be. I was imagining things after getting that text—letting my imagination run wild. No man would track down a woman across the country just because she’d stolen a simple cigarette lighter.
There wasn’t even an engraving on it!
No. It was impossible. My mind was playing tricks on me, and that was the only plausible explanation.
Chapter 4
Primo
I wasn’t sure what I had expected when I followed Giada into the club. A confrontation involving tears and a hurried apology? Perhaps smug satisfaction to see an otherwise confident woman tremble with the realization that her actions had consequences. What I did not anticipate was the white-hot anger that engulfed me at seeing her dancing with another man.
She was a petty thief. It shouldn’t have bothered me if she was renting herself out by the hour, let alone dancing fully clothed in public. When she walked into the club, I’d known she’d likely dance, although I’d assumed she’d stick with the girls in her group. I sat back arrogantly in the shadows, watching her and relishing her ignorance—a cat toying with his mouse before going in for the kill—until she led her small group onto the dance floor.
Every muscle in my body tensed, rigid and coiled for action. The song blasting over the speakers didn’t even finish before a man weaseled his way beside her. That was hard enough to take, but when she reached for his shoulders and allowed him to press their bodies together, fiery rage had me on my feet.
The only thing that kept me from storming across the room and slamming my fist into the man’s face was Giada’s unguarded reaction when she saw me. She was shocked, as if the world around her ceased to exist the moment our eyes met.
More than that.
She looked as though she were adrift in the ocean, and I was her one chance of survival. Not just longing. Desperation.
Her unexpected response instantly soothed the fires that had my blood boiling. Needing a minute to regroup, I slipped away, staying just out of her sight. She searched the crowded room for me in vain, unable to locate me, but I never took my eyes off her.
She was fucking gorgeous, lips slightly parted and hair tousled. She may not have been wearing a revealing dress, but she was every bit as tempting as she’d been in the casino. I had told myself I wouldn’t find her so attractive after knowing she’d stolen from me, even deluded myself into believing she hadn’t actually been as beautiful as I’d thought, but it was all lies. She was just as striking as I had remembered and observing her daily life after I tracked her down only added to her intrigue. Rarely did any woman capture my interest.