Her smile grows. “That he is.”
“What the fuck?”
Our attention travels to outside the foyer at the sound of Benny’s voice.
A voice fired with anger.
Gigi grabs my hand, and we scramble out of the foyer toward the commotion flowing out of the billiards room.
“Holy shit,” I gasp, clasping my hand over my mouth, praying I don’t puke when I see the dead body on the floor.
A man is bleeding out, and no one is attempting to help him.
Gretchen is in the corner crying.
Benny is holding his gun and seething as he stares at Neomi—whose white dress is now splattered with blood.
Neomi is glaring right back at him.
Cristian steps into the room, his eyes leveled as hard on Benny as Neomi’s are. When I try to scramble forward to make sure my husband isn’t the next man to shoot someone dead, Gigi stops me. She glances at me, shaking her head, and then pays her attention back to the scene in front of us.
“What the fuck happened?” Cristian roars, clenching his fists, his face red.
Severino Cavallaro, Neomi’s father, steps to Cristian’s side and flexes his fingers.
“Want to know what happened?” Benny begins pacing in front of the dead body.
A dead body no one seems to worry about.
The man could still be alive, fighting for his life, but he’s being paid no mind. Obviously, he did something wrong if Benny killed him.
But who did the guy come with?
He has to have family here who won’t be happy this man attended an engagement party and died.
Benny swings his arm toward Neomi. “I was getting my dick sucked, and she—”
I snort. Gigi gags. Gasps surround me. Cristian curses.
Neomi steps in front of Benny in her spiky black heels. “He was getting his dick sucked by someone who wasn’t me—his fiancée—I’d like to add.”
Neomi’s father withdraws a gun from his blazer.
Cristian steps in front of him, blocking Benny from harm, and turns to shake his head at Severino in warning.
“I didn’t think it was a problem,” Benny yells.
I snort again. Gigi gags again. More gasps.
“Why the hell wouldn’t you think it was a problem?” Neomi asks, flipping her straight, dark hair over her shoulder.
“You walked into the room and walked out, so I thought everything was fine,” Benny replies, his dark eyes tight.
This time, it’s Neomi who snorts.
“But then,” Benny continues, changing his tone as if he were a game show host, and he pins a death glare toward Neomi, “she comes in with this dead motherfucker here.” He kicks the guy’s dead body. “Drops to her knees and unbuckles his pants to suck his—”
“Don’t you dare fucking say it,” Severino screams at Benny.
“An eye for an eye, Benny boy,” Neomi argues. “You don’t want to be faithful in this marriage, then I don’t have to be either.”
“That’s bullshit,” Benny hisses.
“What’s bullshit is, you think it’s okay for me to walk in and see this woman sucking you off.” Neomi does a sweeping gesture toward Gretchen. “You’re lucky I didn’t kill her.” Her eyes hit Gretchen’s. “Sorry, not sorry.”
Gretchen cries harder, and her lower lip trembles.
My stomach twists.
I understand Neomi’s anger. Hell, I’d have the same reaction, but considering Gigi said Neomi stabbed a man in a club, we should get Gretchen out of here unless we want her to be the next victim at this engagement party.
I scan the crowd and see Luca watching the show, shaking his head but smirking.
“Luca,” I whisper, waving my hand toward him to come.
He pushes himself off the wall. “What?”
I tip my head toward the corner of the room. “Get Gretchen out of here.”
“And miss Benny possibly getting killed?” He frowns. “I vote you save that girl.”
“I vote you do it unless you want me to tell Cristian that his pregnant wife asked you for a favor and you declined.” I shove his shoulder. “Go be a knight in shining armor.”
“Yeah, that’s never happening.” He scrubs a hand through his hair. “The things you always make me do.”
I grin. “You’re the best.”
Luca walks against the wall to get to Gretchen. At first, when Luca speaks to her, she shakes her head, her face red in fear. But then, eventually, she nods and takes his hand, and he leads her out of the room while Neomi, Benny, and Severino are arguing.
“Oh, I can’t wait for this marriage.” Gigi rubs her hands together. “This might be more entertaining than my dad and you.”
“Let the wedding bells ring,” I mutter. “And let’s pray no one else dies or gets stabbed.”
“Are you sure it’s a good idea for Benny and Neomi to marry?” I ask Cristian, spreading my moisturizer onto my face while looking into the bathroom vanity mirror.
Cristian dries his hair with a towel. “Why wouldn’t it be a good idea?”
My eyes nearly bulge as I stare at him through the mirror. “Um, did you forget that a man died, Benny and Neomi almost killed each other, and Gretchen could’ve been murdered too?”
“Benny needs to grow up.” Cristian shrugs. “Getting married will be good for him.”
“Neomi won’t allow him to cheat.”
He pulls up his boxer briefs and follows me into the bedroom. “Then, his dumbass had better be faithful.”
“Remember when you said you wouldn’t be faithful to me?”
I hmph when he grabs my wrist and pulls me to him. My back lands against his chest.
“Remember when you said you weren’t going to fuck me?” He rests his chin against my shoulder and whispers the words into my ear, causing my skin to prickle. “How long did that last, my sweet wife?”
I swallow. “A super-duper long time.”
He chuckles and rubs his nose along my neck. “We both know I was done for as soon as I touched you that first time. Hell, I think I was done for when you fought me in the SUV at L’ultima Cena. You’ll never have to worry about that with me.”
I lean my head back to look at him. “My monster does have a heart.”
He whips me around to face him and runs the tip of his finger against my lips. “Nah, he doesn’t. I’ll always be a monster, sweet Natalia.”
“My monster, though.” I circle my arms around his neck and press my lips to his. “My gorgeous monster.”
“Who’s all yours.” He drops his hand and massages my belly. “This monster is yours forever.”