It feels good to watch my cousin have to chase someone. To see people have fun because our lives have so much tragedy in them.

“I should get Sammie to bed.”

Ilaria is standing up but I grab her arm, tugging her gently and am surprised when she falls on my lap, a short giggle of surprise erupting from between her lips as she looks at me with hooded eyes.

She’s trashed.

“I think we should be getting you to bed, principessa.”

The way her nose scrunches up like I just told her something awful makes me yearn for twenty years from now when I can trace the laugh lines around her eyes with the tip of my finger. This feeling of how she is going to somehow be even more beautiful in the future than she is in this moment hits me so hard that I forget to breathe and Ilaria, ever dutiful, rescues me with her lips on mine breathing me back to life.

“Wife.”

It comes out as a growl as she slides onto my lap, her eyes half closed as she looks at me with a sleepy smirk.

“Call me that again.”

“Wife.”

Ilaria hums in a soft pleasure, her eyes close for a second like she’s soaking in the new title that she is getting.

One week from today.

My wife.

“You’re right. We should go to bed but I can’t leave my friends.” Ilaria buries her hand in my hair, her cheek pressing against mine as she holds me close to her, this frozen moment like she wants to say something but she’s not sure what words to say.

I love you.

That’s the three words I would like to say.

But I show her my love.

Shifting her so my arm is around her as she lays against me.

I start texting Enzo, who was flirting shamelessly with Tessa at the bar. They had a drinking contest at the bar which, I’m sure she will make him pay for. My eyes watch as he looks at the phone, meeting my gaze and nodding his head.

Operation cleanup is starting.

He’s leaning in as Tessa nods, this laugh coming from her as he wraps his arm around her and reaching for Madeline who was beside them and starting to bring them up to the suite the girls are all sharing together.

Ilaria is supposed to be in that suite but there is not a chance in hell I’ll let her out of my sight.

Francesco is currently holding Becca by her arm, dragging her out of the club without seeming to care about the fact she is making a scene. He had also got the text and probably had wanted to lock her up since before dinner.

That just left Sammie.

“Ilaria.”  The way she looked at me made me dizzy with need and I knew I couldn’t drag her in front of Alejandro. I had to protect her, “I’m going to have Francesco bring you up to the room and get Sammie.”

I’m texting my cousin who seems furious to be pulled away from making off with Becca but since he is a huge pain he’s smiling as he helps Ilaria stand up, tugging her so she’s close to him and throwing his arm around her shoulders.

Funny how his arm is wrapped around Becca’s waist in a more intimate hold and I plan on calling him out on his shit.

“Your favorite Luchese is here to save you, my queen.” Becca digs her heel right into Francesco’s foot, breaking from his gasp and looping arms with Ilaria as my cousin glares at the blonde who has managed to break all his cool.

Good for her.

“If I’m not upstairs in five minutes, come back down.” I warn and my cousin is nodding off all business as I move to the dance floor to get Ilaria’s friend away from someone who I’m supposed to be doing business with.

What I want to be doing is smearing Ilaria’s red lipstick with the head of my cock, dragging precum over her lips and slipping between her champagne bubbling lips.

But that needs to wait until all her friends are tucked into bed so I can tuck my cock between her lips.

Not the best time to get a hard on.

Sammie looks at me as I get closer and groans like she knows I’m here to ruin her fun stepping away from Alejandro who looks anything but pleased that I’m cockblocking him for the night.

But I can’t let my fiancées demonic friend ride the dick of the man who wants to kill the five of them.

“Are they already upstairs?” I nod once as she sighs, going to step away from the Cartel boss who I’m sure she doesn’t realize is one of the deadliest men in the world but he grabs her wrist.

I’m stepping forward, hand going to my holster as I wonder how hard it will be to cover a shootout in a club but Sammie is faster than I am and is stepping forward, bringing her elbow up to crack in his mouth.

Fantastic.

She’s dead.

Hope Ilaria wasn’t too attached.

But as Alejandro’s lip bleeds Sammie cocks her head spinning back to him and presses her lips against his, smearing her lipstick so that it’s a mix of blood and glamor. Pulling away after a second and looking at the Cartel boss who has been stunned into silence for her.

“Hmm, you taste like trouble and I have enough of that. C’mon Dante, Ilaria said there would be gin cocktails before bed.”

Sammie is walking off as I look at Alejandro shrugging my shoulders before following behind her, thankful we got out of there without killing anymore.

“You’re really going to marry Ilaria?”

Her voice is solid as the elevator climbs up. Her eyes closed as she hums to herself, still beside me like she doesn’t care if I answer her question or not.

“I guess it’s fitting, the mafia Prince getting the mafia princess.” Her eyes open as she takes in my second of shock, watching with a smirk when she sees the moment.

Ilaria had told me that her friends didn’t know about the lifestyle but it seems that isn’t the case.

“We all know. Have known since freshman year. Her mother told us and asked us to keep the secret so Ilaria got to have as normal a life as possible.”

She shrugs her shoulders and I know I’ll eventually tell Ilaria they know. After the wedding when life settles down. I won’t give her another reason to be stressed out.

Plus if Sammie is saying they know about the family it means she’s aware of the Cartel. Maybe not so much about who she just kissed but I have a feeling she’s aware that they got into danger along the way.