My shoulders slump.
The problem is, I’m scared to lose my friend.
I’d find it weird if it were the other way around.
Sure, she was okay with us marrying to save my life.
But now that all that’s over, will she be?
“Gigi will never hate you,” Cristian says, as if reading my mind. “You were there for her during rough times as much as she’s been there for you.”
He wiggles his finger in a come here motion, and I stumble toward him.
“Everything will be fine. I promise.” He wraps his arms around my waist as I stare up at him.
I playfully stab at his chest. “Says the guy who will have no repercussions if she’s not okay with it.”
“Gigi will want to kill me before you.” He squeezes my hips. “Now, stop thinking about that.”
“You calling me into your office doesn’t help matters,” I grumble.
“I don’t see why it’s a problem.” His voice thickens. “We will not be hiding this from my daughter. If you think you can’t handle that, then I understand. But if you want to do this—really do this—Natalia, we need to do it together. I will not put my wife in the shadows.”
“I know.” I sigh. “But she’s under the impression that all of this is fake, and we’re not spending time together like this. She’s even said it’d be weird if we acted like a married couple for real. So … I’m just worried.”
“You stabbed a Lombardi in the chest. You are fearless.”
“That was different.”
“No, that was badass and hot as fuck.”
A blush creeps up my cheeks, and I can’t stop a smile from stretching across my face.
“We got this, sweetheart.” He swipes his hand over my cheek—his touch like my personal relaxant. “Get ready to tell Gigi you’re her stepmom.”
I smack his stomach. “That’s it. I’m calling off the wedding.”
He throws his head back and laughs before kissing me. “Mmm … someone has been drinking.” He pulls away and licks his lips.
I love this side of Cristian.
The more time we spend together, the more I understand Cristian. He’s opening up and sharing his world and childhood with me. Helena said she’s never seen him like this in her life.
Cristian is misunderstood by so many. His father taught—no, beat and bullied—his son until he formed a thick barrier around his heart so it’d be unusable. If he were alive today, I’d send him the ultimate glare whenever I saw him.
“Just a little bit,” I tease. “Now, I gotta go. Gigi demanded I return with more snacks, so I need to raid the pantry.”
“I’m sure you’ll find plenty of Oreos.”
“No, I think you ate most of them, actually.”
I smack a quick peck on his cheek.
He stops me when I attempt to pull away from him. “One sec, sweetheart.”
“Yeah?”
“A kiss before you leave.” Those lips I love to kiss, to feel on me, form a mischievous smile.
“All right.” I wiggle my body sarcastically. “I’ll take one for the road.”
He shifts me back a few steps before dropping to his knees.
What the?
I push at his shoulder as he peers up at me. “Uh, what are you doing?”
“Kissing you,” he answers so casually that you’d think this was normal.
I make a circling motion in front of my lips. “My mouth is up here.”
“Sweetheart, I never specified what lips I’m kissing.” He pushes my dress up to my waist and shoves it into the back of my panties so that I’m on full display for him.
My core right in front of his face.
A tremor runs through my body.
This is such a bad idea.
But as Cristian eases his fingers along the seam of my panties, my knees weaken.
Gigi upstairs or not, I can never say no to his mouth between my legs.
“But to clarify,” he says, sliding my panties to the side, “the ones between your legs.”
I dig my fingers into his hair, pulling at the strands, and use the other to cover my mouth as Cristian drives two fingers inside me.
“Just a quick kiss.” He raises my leg, draping it over his shoulder, and flicks his tongue over my clit, setting my nerves on fire.
My breathing is labored as I lower my hand from the desk and clutch the back of his head, holding him in place so he can’t move. Cristian pleasures me with his fingers, tongue, and lips until I’m falling apart above him.
“Oh my God,” I gasp, tightening my hand over my mouth.
He levels me as my knees buckle. “All right. You can go hang out with my daughter now.”
I smack his shoulder as he releases my dress from my panties and smooths it out for me. “You are depraved, you know that?”
“Sweetheart, don’t act like you don’t enjoy when I corrupt you.”
CHAPTER 38
CRISTIAN
Benny, Gigi, and Natalia are already seated at the table when I enter the dining room.
I couldn’t give two fucks about dinner. My appetite was satisfied in my office with Natalia earlier. I could live off her pussy and be perfectly sated. Normally, we don’t have regular dinners like this, but it’s Gigi’s first night home.
“Daddy,” Gigi says, perking up in her chair when she sees me.
I kiss the top of her head as I pass her and then brush a hand over Natalia’s bare shoulder before taking my seat. My lips arch when I notice the goose bumps forming on her soft skin. I love how much my touch affects her.
Since Gigi isn’t flipping the fuck out, my guess is she’s not aware of my and Natalia’s change in our relationship.
“How was your trip?” I ask as I spread a napkin over my lap.
“Good.” She grins and flips her hair over her shoulder. “Busy. Lots of shopping.”
My regards to the man she marries because my daughter loves to shop. I’ve never limited her spending, so she had better marry a man in the same position.
I’ll never claim to be father of the year, but people know not to fuck with my children. I’ve allowed them their freedom before marriage—a rarity for most in this lifestyle. And unlike my father, I won’t marry my daughter off to a man I don’t trust. Let a motherfucker hurt my daughter, and I’ll blow his brains out. After torturing him, of course.
That’s why I allow and encourage Gigi to take as many trips to Italy as possible. She stays with my aunt and uncle, who never moved to the States, and is safer there.
Gigi holds up her glass of wine and clears her throat. “First things first. Cheers to Dad for murdering Vinny.”
Natalia chokes on her water.
“You did a great service to the city,” my daughter adds. “No one is sad to see him go.”
Thanks to Helena in her life, Gigi is a bit softer than Benny and myself. But Marchetti blood still runs deep in her veins. She grew up in this world, witnessed the dark side of it, and doesn’t flinch at the mention of murder. Cross her, and she becomes ruthless.
“Are the Lombardis still after you?” Gigi asks Natalia. “Is that why you two are still marrying?”