Shaking my head at her, I pocketed my phone. Crossing to the fridge, I extracted a bottle of water and was about to take a drink when the door swung open. Dressed in a suit, long coat, and scarf, with his hair slicked back from his face, Garret looked like he was going out for his own New Year’s Eve celebration.
“Holy shit,” Nova exclaimed as she walked out behind her brother. “When did you learn to dress like a GQ model?”
The older Hannigan sibling straightened the collar of his coat, pulling it up to protect his neck before tying his scarf. Ignoring her question, he quickly took in her own outfit. The long-sleeved black dress had a shimmer to it from the diamonds threaded into it, making her look like a glittering star in the middle of the darkest night. She’d curled her hair and pulled the long tresses over one shoulder. Her makeup was a little more than I was used to seeing on her, but she looked gorgeous. The heels she was wearing to complete the look gave her six inches of added height, but her brother and I both still towered over her.
“You look beautiful,” he said as he took his gloves from the coat pocket and started pulling them on. “Ryan, man, you’re going to have your hands full trying to keep all those bastards off my sister tonight. Call me if you need help.”
“Where are you going?” she asked when he turned for the door. “Do you have a hot date or something?”
“Or something,” he said, his lips tilting up in a ghost of a smile. “It was good to see you, Nova. I figure we won’t see each other again before you head home, so give Mom a kiss for me.” He paused beside her then tapped her gently on the nose. “I’m sorry I’ve been a dick, sis. By now, you probably know I was just blowing smoke with what I said on your birthday. I have no excuse other than I was being an asshole, and I hope you can forgive me.”
Nova blinked up at him before touching her palm to his forehead. “Are you sick?” She gasped and dropped her voice dramatically. “Are you dying, Garret?”
Instead of laughing as I was sure she was going for, he grimaced and shook his head. “I guess I understand why you would think it would take something life-changing like a death sentence to make me be nice to you.” He gave her a tight hug. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
She stood there with her mouth still gaping open for a long moment after he left. “Did that just happen?” she finally asked me. “I mean, I didn’t dream that, did I? You saw it too, right?”
I shrugged. “He’s been different lately. After we got back from your birthday party, Pop and Zio had a conversation with him. I don’t know what they talked about or what went down, but he’s been acting more…” I hesitated, trying to find the right word to describe the change in my future brother-in-law. “…human ever since.”
“Huh, I thought it was a girl, but I guess Zio scaring the dickheadedness out of him makes sense too.” She crossed the few feet that separated us and took my bottle of water from my hand. Tipping it to her lips, she took a small sip before giving it back and then doing a slow full turn. “Well? What do you think?”
I had to peel my tongue off the roof of my mouth. “You are, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman who has ever walked this earth, my heart.”
Her eyes filled with pleasure while her cheeks pinkened as she skimmed her gaze over me from head to toe, taking in my black tux. “You look pretty good yourself.”
“If we want to make it on time, we should leave now,” I told her, tearing my gaze away before I picked her up and carried her back to bed. “You don’t want to disappoint your boss.”
Nova’s tongue peeked out, slowly licking over her lush bottom lip. “I want a kiss at midnight.”
“You can have a kiss anytime you want one,” I growled, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her into me. Pressing my forehead against hers, I inhaled deeply. “Except for right now. If I kiss you right this second, you will definitely be late.”
Her soft giggle touched that spot deep inside my chest that only she could ever brush against. “Fine,” she complained mockingly. “I’ll wait until midnight, then.”
I touched my lips to her forehead. “I vow to make the wait worthwhile, my heart.”
“I’m holding you to that, Mr. Vitucci,” she murmured, looking up at me through her thick lashes.
Times Square was blocked off, but several separate stages were set up inside it. All three of the rockers Nova had been translating for were performing, and each one of them was at a different stage throughout the night. The crowd was so thick, it took forever to walk from one stage to another for her to translate for the host who interviewed each rocker before they performed their most recent single.
Pietro and Nardo stood with me as we watched over her all night, but I was so utterly transfixed by her that I was little help at being vigilant in protecting her. Nothing short of a bomb going off could have pulled my gaze from her—and even then, it was questionable. Her confidence and the sheer kindness of her huge heart only added to her physical beauty, and everyone who set eyes on her couldn’t tear their gazes from her.
A mixture of jealousy and pride warred within me. I wanted to show the world the woman who owned my heart, but at the same time, I wanted every part of her for my eyes only. Every smile, every bat of those long lashes, every sway of her hips and flick of her fingers. They were all mine, along with those precious giggles that eased the darkness that tried to tear my soul apart every moment she wasn’t near.
As Rossi’s performance started and Nova stepped off the stage with my hand at the small of her back, I felt more than heard her heave a heavy sigh. “That was fun, but not something I want to do regularly,” she confessed as we started for Broadway.
“Good,” I said as Nardo cleared a path for us, while Pietro stayed at our side. “I wouldn’t have stood in your way if you’d decided to make a career out of this, but I will admit I am relieved that you don’t want to make this a full-time thing. I dislike sharing your attention.”
She laughed as she glanced up at me. “Really? I didn’t notice. It must have been someone else doing all that growling each time Garik winked at me.”
“I did not growl when he winked,” I muttered. “Because I didn’t see him wink at you. The growls were when he tried to touch you. They were a reminder of the warning I gave him earlier today about keeping his hands to himself.”
“You warned him not to touch me?” she asked with an amused twist of her lips. “Did this warning include the promise of broken bones?”
“I believe the promise was a slow and painful death,” I answered honestly.
“Ah, of course.” She nodded gravely. “And what would the punishment have been for catching him winking?”
“The removal of his cock from his balls.”
Her giggle caused several people nearby to stop and look straight at us. Shooting them a cold glower, I tucked her closer and increased our pace. Once we reached the Renaissance Hotel, we went straight up to the R Lounge on the rooftop where we could watch the ball drop. I had to pull some strings, but I was able to get the place to ourselves with just a few handshakes and the right amount of cash.
While Nardo stood guard, Pietro ensured the space was secure before the two of them stepped back into the shadows. Still there, ever-vigilant and protecting us, but giving us the illusion that we had complete privacy.