Moving along for her to take a seat beside me, I watched as the skirt of her ridiculous dress pulled taut, exposing more of her thighs.
"Jen, your guest sent a note. He isn’t coming."
Aidan’s words had irritation, followed by fear, flashing over her features. I could deal with the former, just not the latter. Why was she scared?
She didn’t reply, but her hand snapped out and she grabbed the whiskey that Aidan had poured into the spare glass earlier, downing it in under five seconds.
When she started choking, I hid a laugh. "Do you need some water?"
She coughed, and her cheeks began to burn. "I’m fine, thanks," she told me even though she clearly wasn’t fine.
Who was this guest who had her alternating between scared and annoyed and who drove her to drink?
Aidan had dropped the note on the table. I scanned its location and determined to pick it up when no one was looking.
"I think you just lost your bet, Jen," Savannah jibed, which made Jennifer cough again. The look that flashed between them was a combination of annoyed and amused, but it told me they knew each other well enough to tease.
"Bet?" I crooned.
"Jen keyed her ex’s Ferrari," Aidan replied.
She spluttered, "He was cheating on me! What was I supposed to do?"
Some fool had cheated on her? What on earth was wrong with the men of New York?
"He cheated on you?" I repeated, stunned by the notion.
Savannah, ignoring my comment, joked, "Dump his lying ass?"
"Well, I did that afterward. Keying his car was more satisfying," she grouched, raising her hand to her nose, the move a means of shielding a rude hand gesture she shot at Savannah as she did so.
"A woman with a taste for vengeance, interesting." That stirred my blood like nothing else could.
"If the prick isn’t going to show up, our reason for being here is obsolete."
Aidan’s declaration had a visible effect on Jennifer. Her shoulders slouched and an air of defeat tainted the air around her.
I didn’t like that look on her. She wasn’t born for defeat. She was made to conquer.
Aidan told me, "I’ll speak with my father. You have my word."
That was the first time I looked at him after Jennifer’s arrival because his statement came as a surprise. Before the women had returned, I’d thought he was going to send me away, but instead, he was interested in brokering peace.
Relief had me replying, "I appreciate it. Men of their word are hard to find."
"I don’t disagree. But I make no promises. You know of our reputation, so you know as well as I do that my father dances to his own beat."
My lips quirked up. "I can handle rejection. I just would like an opportunity to present myself to him. Court him, as it were."
"If you’re honest with your family’s intentions," Aidan declared, "then I don’t see why he’ll disapprove of the move. I’ll be seeing him for the holidays. I’ll speak with him then."
"I appreciate you marring Natali with business."
"It’s in all our interests." Aidan’s tone was cold, but it warmed up as he turned to Jennifer and said, "I’m taking Savannah home, Jen. I’ll pick up your tab if you want to eat—"
My hand covered her forearm, then I trailed my finger up and along it, making goosebumps pop into being. She gasped, and it morphed, twisting into a soft moan that shot straight to my dick.
"There’s no need for that. The tab is on me," I rumbled.
Aidan reached down, grabbed the bottle of whiskey, and surprised me by grinning. "An Irishman never hits up the chance for a freebie."
"And a Sicilian doesn’t mind investing in his future allies," I inserted.
Savannah shot Jennifer a stern look. "Hon, do you want to stay or come up with us?"
Jennifer blinked, a little dazedly, at Savannah. Even though I appreciated that Savannah was concerned for her friend, I squeezed Jennifer’s wrist gently, with just enough pressure that she knew I wanted her to say no.
Satisfaction surged inside me as she replied breathily, "I’ll text you later."
It was not a good sign that I was happier about her agreement than Aidan O’Donnelly’s.
"You’d better," she intoned darkly, a warning clear in her voice.
"Valentini," Aidan muttered a farewell.
"O’Donnelly."
"A pleasure to meet you, Luciu," Savannah remarked.
"The pleasure was all mine, Savannah."
As they drifted away, I snatched the note Aidan had discarded, my focus returning to Jennifer after I scanned the name on the small piece of paper.
I won’t be able to make it.
See you in court.
Damian Headley.
The ex. It had to be.
A ridiculous wave of jealousy unfurled inside me. One that was unnecessary, but one I couldn’t help.
I leaned into her, close enough that I could smell her heady perfume, so that it was pretty much all I breathed in, and asked her, "Do you like dancing?"
"You can’t dance here."
My lips curved at her breathy retort. "I know. It’s staid. The Irish never could throw a party."
"I’m Irish." Her eyes gleamed with amusement.
"I have time to show you that Sicilians throw better celebrations. Without whiskey lubricating everything."
Her laughter made my heart pound as she told me, "It’s a good thing you waited for them to leave before you started throwing shade at the Irish. I’m not as hardcore as Aidan Jr."
"How do you know him?"
"We’re the godparents for the son of our mutual friends. Now, of course, he’s dating Savannah."
"You’re close?"
“To Savannah? Very. To Aidan, less so.”
I trailed my finger higher along her forearm, and her gaze moved with the digit as it traced up and along to the internal center of her elbow. She watched its journey whereas I watched her. I noted when she swallowed thickly, stroking the thin, almost ethereal blue veins there, and a soft mewl escaped her when I slipped it higher up her arm, along the curve of her shoulder and back down again.
"You were disappointed your guest didn’t arrive?" I inserted now her attention was split.
Her eyes darted to mine, and deep within them, I saw a peculiar panic combine with the lust I’d stirred in her. "It was my ex. He’s taking me to court for keying his car. I was hoping Aidan would scare him into dropping the suit. It’s a lot of money and," she sighed, "I just don’t have it."
Silently, I made a promise to her—I would have this Headley drop the lawsuit. I’d even get an apology for his infidelity. She didn’t have to know I’d draw blood to achieve both.
Well aware that the lighter touch would have her shivering, I hovered my fingers over the back of her hand as I traced a circle there. Goosebumps appeared, followed by the tiniest of shivers.
"Would you like to go dancing with me?" I asked her, watching her blink a few times as she drifted onto the new subject.
"Ever heard of stranger danger?" she whispered.
"You do not know who I am, do you?"