Page 28 of Nico (Belles & Mobsters 2)

The seconds ticked, and my heart squeezed with terror. He wouldn’t just shoot the waiter. Would he?

Damn it, I needed to do a detailed search of ‘shit mobsters do.’ Or just on this man because Nico was crazy for sure.

“My apologies,” the waiter quickly uttered, backing away from the table like we were both rabid dogs.

“No,” I stopped his apologizing. “You have nothing to apologize for. We are sorry.”

I glared at the man sitting across from me, but he didn’t bat an eye.Have I lost my mind?Yes, probably. I went to open my mouth, but he held out a hand, silencing me and setting a match to my anger. Who in the hell did he think he was?

Well, duh. A fucking mobster.

“What kind of salad?” The waiter’s question interrupted our glaring contest.

“Any salad,” I replied, clearing my throat, working hard to simmer my rage. “Just no bacon in it.”

It wasn’t as if I had much of an appetite at this point. The waiter nodded and turned his attention to Nico. It didn’t take a genius to guess this guy would rather be anywhere but serving us right now.

“And you, Sir?”

Thankfully, Nico knew exactly what he wanted and recited his order of risotto and Bistecca alla Fiorentina with precision and speed. It seemed the world bowed to Nico Morrelli. He was so different from anyone I had ever been around.

Yes, he was a jerk, but you had to admire that determination edged on the features of his face.

Did I know what I wanted? When I had to decide on my degree, I struggled. I had no passion for anything. So I settled for a general studies degree, until I finally made up my mind. Reluctantly. I didn’t have a favorite food; I didn’t have a favorite color.

I had my favorite people though. Grandma and my dad, Mom, my girls, William, his parents, and John. Those were my top favorite people in the whole wide world. Yes, Grandma, Dad, and William were gone. It physically hurt how much I missed them, but I was still lucky to have had them.

I raised my eyes and met Nico’s gaze, noting that the waiter was gone. He probably couldn’t wait to clear out of here. I certainly couldn’t blame him. I wanted to clear out of here too, except I had a feeling this man would give chase. Scratch that. Hewouldgive chase. After all, didn’t he tell me he liked the chase.

“That wasn’t necessary,” I finally muttered. For some reason, I felt it important to stand up for myself; otherwise, this man would eat me alive. “Being so rude to the waiter. Or me.”

He raised his eyebrow, studying me. I wondered what he saw on my face. Could he see I was all false bravado?

“Not that you give a shit,” I mumbled under my breath, more to myself than him. I guess the product of being alone so much lately; I tend to talk to myself a lot.

“I don’t like to share.” Nico’s voice dropped low. “I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”

I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or scared at his apology. Should I tell him I didn’t like to share either? That might dissuade him from this marriage nonsense. I swallowed uncomfortably, while my pulse thundered in my ears.What have I gotten myself into?

“He wasn’t asking you to share anything.” I shook my head in disbelief, but kept my voice soft. This man must have a reason for acting like that. “He was just being friendly.”

“Too friendly,” Nico grunted.

I blinked, confused with this mobster and all the weird signals he was sending my way.

“Ever cheated on your husband?” His question caught me off guard.

“No, of course not,” I replied, offended that he would even ask that. If he noticed it, he ignored my indignation.

“Did he cheat on you?” The question sent a slash of pain through my heart, and for a second, it felt like it bled all over again. That specific period was a hard time in both William’s and my life. It was around the time I lost my father. I struggled with the revelations and consequences that came from that. More often than not, I spent my nights stressed out, baking and crashing on the couch rather than going to the bed I shared with William. The twins went through a stage where nights were hard too, and somehow William and I grew apart.

“Ah, so he did,” Nico concluded perceptively. Damn him!

My brain shouted to be careful around him, before he became my demise. I didn’t need any more heartaches or stress. I just had to survive this intact.

“My marriage is my business,” I snapped back in annoyance and anger. It was my only defense, and I blamed Nico for opening the wound that had healed. I didn’t want to remember it.

“Ah, Cara Mia,” he purred, but I sensed darkness around him rising. I gritted my teeth at his endearment. He ignored my request not to call me that. Even his eyes darkened, with dangers lurking in their depths. “You are my business. Everything about you ismybusiness.”

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