I took another long gulp of my drink, only to find it empty. Within a second, Max plucked the empty glass from my fingers,set it on the tray of a passing waiter, and pushed another into my grip.
After Leona and I had eaten, she had pulled Chiara to the dance floor, and Max had mysteriously reappeared beside me with his business concluded. The asshole haddefinitelybeen avoiding us. It pissed me off to know he’d run off on her birthday, especially after giving her that gift.
“Thanks,” I mumbled. He nodded, sipping on his glass. From what I could tell, he hadn’t even finished his first yet, and once again, he was demonstrating how he was the smarter of the two of us.
She didn’t wear that dress for me. She wore it for him.
I wanted to tear it off her and run my teeth down the skin of her thighs. I wanted her writhing beneath me, panting and breathless, whisperingmyname in pleasure.
I thought I had gotten used to her infatuation with him, but something about tonight had me on edge. Something didn’t feel right.
Was it the amount of people in the house?327 invited guests.Was it the number of concealed weapons I could count from here?52. Or was it how I felt shifty eyes at the edge of my peripherals and uneasiness in the pit of my stomach?
It was something.
It had nothing to do with her practically begging Don Luciano for permission to marry Max. Nope. Not one bit.
“You doing okay?” Max asked quietly, eyes scanning the room for any threats, the same as I was. He was the only other person in this room whom I trusted to keep Leona safe besides myself. Together, we were unstoppable. We had gone through enforcer training together, endured countless hours of torture, and learned how to take lives side by side. We had completed dozens of missions, always having one another’s backs. I mighthave started in this Family because of Leona, but Max had become my best friend over the years.
As much as I was frustrated that Leona would never feel for me what I felt for her, I couldn’t hold it against her. Or Max. It was only natural that she’d fall for him. She’d had a crush on him since hormones became a thing. I knew it. I’d seen it. And she was entirely right. He was everything I’d want in the Family’s leader. Cunning. Intelligent. Ruthless. Loyal. He would be a great Don when he eventually took over for Luciano. Once he was Don, I would become his sworn brother—like Max’s father had been to the Don. That was the life I’d chosen.
It still didn’t hurt any less, nor did it stop my daydreams of pressing her against a wall and kissing her so hard she thought only of me.
So, just like I had done every other day for the last fifteen years, I swallowed my feelings and ignored how they puddled in my stomach like lead.
“I’m fine,” I finally responded, moving to take another drink but pausing before lowering the glass. I might want to drown in my sorrows, but I still had a job. And that job was currently drawing as much attention to herself as possible.
Max ran his thumb over the edge of his glass, a pensive look on his face.
“Areyoualright?” I asked. Something was off with him, too. He was hesitant. More controlled than usual. Was he noticing the samesomethingI was feeling? If it was the both of us, then something was definitely wrong.
“Of course,” he replied simply as he pulled out his phone and glanced at the notifications that lit up the screen. Business never waits.
“Something on your mind?” I looked around the room, my eyes catching on all the security for each member of the other Families. There were way too many people here for me to feeleven remotely relaxed. “Are you noticing anything weird about tonight?”
He glanced at me, then slipped the phone back into his breast pocket and took a drink. “No.”
“Great.” Well, that’s a relief. It must be me and my idiotic head.
He said nothing in response, watching our security team prowl through the room, looking for threats. One of them caught his eye, and he nodded at the man—David.
There was plenty of security here. There was no reason for me to be on edge. If Max thought everything was fine, then so would I.
“When are you going to propose?” I blurted after another few moments. Maybe if he’d just make a move, my stupid heart could begin to move on. But the longer he waited, the more it stubbornly held onto hope that she could be mine one day. If I could prove I was worthy of her.
He barked out a short laugh. “What? Are you serious?”
“Yes.” I frowned, bristling a little at his tone. Was he making fun of her?
Max sighed. “I’m not going to propose, Cas.”
“Why not?” I asked, voice turning sour.
I caught the bright flame of her red hair moving on the dance floor, and my heart almost stopped. She was so carefree, so lighthearted. I had to stop myself from smiling with her as she laughed at something her girlfriend said while trying to inconspicuously throw glances our way. A perfect princess just waiting for her prince.
“I have other plans,” the prince responded, his voice taking on an uncharacteristic dangerous edge. Between the three of us, Max was always the one who controlled his temper and remained calm despite any emergency. The epitome of quietstrength masked by a friendly face, he wielded the power he held at his fingertips with confidence.
What the hell other plans could he possibly have? There were no other plans. Leona waseverything.
