“Sheena, you’re one of the smartest people I know. It’s why we’re friends.”
She offered her hand to shake though she’d transformed herself into a beautiful bride that would make any man proud. His lips tingled, reminding him he’d kissed her once and he’d do it again. “Right. Friends. Let’s get into the party.”
Tonight, after the paperwork, they’d discuss securing an heir and how pleasurable that process might be. He walked with her toward the door. “My lawyers will draw up the papers to make this all legal fast.”
She nodded, picked up the bouquet she’d married him with and said, “I’m ready to sign whenever they come.”
“We’ll talk about that, after the party.” He covertly eyed his new bride’s small frame.
How had he missed that Sheena had a figure until now? And now that he’d noticed, he wanted to see every inch of her.
They joined the others having cocktails and Chelsea stormed toward them first--she hugged Sheena as she asked, “Matteo, Sheena, is everything okay?”
Matteo nodded. Chelsea was Sheena’s friend. The two of them had been tight in school and they’d worked together for this month to plan his wedding. He stayed beside his wife and said, “Sheena just agreed to save me.”
The two women exchanged looks and Sheena then turned toward him and said, “I need to go talk to Chelsea. I’ll be right back, Matteo.”
She hadn’t given him a choice. He nodded as the ladies, head to head, rushed off.
His two best friends, Stefano Durnovo, the Marchese of Normanni, and Astorre Manfredi, Duc of Modena, walked over and patted him on the back. Astorre asked, “Sheena?”
Across the decorative hall, Stephano’s new bride, the American Rossie something, and her best friend, Clara, stood. Astorre and Clara had been tight, so all three might save their estates, money and title with fast marriages. He nodded and said, “She’s a good choice.”
Stefano pointed toward Sheena, huddled with Cassidy and Chelsea. “Did Chelsea’s sister give you her name?”
Cassidy, Chelsea’s sister, was notorious as a computer expert/matchmaker. But not for Matteo. “No. I never asked who the computer would pick for me. I had already settled to marry Patrice.”
Stefano shrugged. “She’s talking to Cassidy and Chelsea now so I wondered.”
“That doesn’t matter now,” Astorre said. “Besides, she’s… she’s notbadlooking. She’s grown quite beautiful actually, but I didn’t know she was on the agenda.”
His stomach knotted. His friends shouldn’t notice how beautiful his new bride was until she was actually his. Matteo’s heart steadied as he stared at Sheena. Blonde, blue-eyed, petite, yet with curves. She was his now and he’d show her his every attention, soon. Matteo’s face was hot as he said, “She’s… she should have been. We were all foolish.”
Astorre broke from their group as he stepped away. “I’m not marrying anyone. The fortune can rot.”
Within weeks his friend would lose everything. He’d be more upset than he realized if he lost his title, money and estate. None of them had ever lived poor and Matteo never intended to find out what that was like. “Astorre, you’re being foolish. Marry and marry fast.”
Stefano bowed like he intended to end the conversation and return to his wife. “There are no more girls like Sheena in our lives, though I do have to say she’s better than Patrice for you.”
Every muscle in his body tightened. Stefano was always about titles and rank, which Patrice had and Sheena didn’t. “How?”
Stefano said, “Sheena never struck me as a fortune hunter. She was on my possible last-straw list before I met Rossie. As for Patrice… let’s just say you’re lucky to escape that noose.”
She’d been on his list? Stefano always had a plan, and a backup plan, and a backup of the backup, but how had he missed Sheena being on his list?
Luckily Stefano had married the American.
Before Matteo could part his lips to ask, Astorre murmured, “Chelsea is coming over with the bride.”
Stefano bowed in greeting. “Sheena, Chelsea.”
Chelsea ignored him and Astorre, and speared Matteo with her direct gaze. Without blinking she said, “Look, Matteo. No more wild parties. Respect my friend. She’s not your servant but your wife.”
Sheena’s face turned bright red.
He reached for Sheena’s hand, kissed it, and as she walked beside him he told Chelsea, “Sheena is now the Countess of Golchin, or will be once we get her back to Avce. She will always be treated as a lady.”
Chelsea lifted her chin and said, “Without her husband throwing any more wild parties.”