Page 42 of Nico (Belles & Mobsters 2)

“Jenna, meet my fiancé,” Nico answered. “Bianca.”

Jenna’s eyes widened, glancing between the two of us in confusion. She probably wondered what Nico Morrelli saw in someone like me.

A criminal, I thought wryly. I could only imagine the reactions if they knew how this came about.

“How long have you two known each other?” Jenna asked, her cold, blue eyes glancing at Nico’s hand on my waist then back to him. She was practically swooning over him. I didn’t have to look at Nico to know he noticed it. That man noticed everything.

I felt his arm tighten around me, pulling me closer and for some stupid reason, it warmed my chest. Yes, so dumb.

“For a while,” Nico answered her.

Jenna playfully touched his bicep, and I knew it was just so she could put her hands on him. It made me want to smack her hand and hissMine. Envy and hate flashed in her eyes. Jealousy wasn’t a good look on her, but it wasn’t on me either.

“You devil. I thought just three months ago, you were involved with that model. What was her name?”

Nico didn’t bother answering, so she continued in a sweet tone, watching me with poison in her eyes. “He kept you a secret,” she drawled with a fake smile on her face. “I wonder why?”

“Maybe because I kept him a secret too,” I retorted dryly, annoyed that she was trying to make me jealous and even more that it was working. “We like keeping our relationship exciting like that,” I added sweetly.

Venom spit from her eyes, and I had to bite inside of my cheek not to grin.

Nico leaned over, his hot breath in my ear. “Is my woman jealous?”

Shivers ran down my spine, having him so close to me. I threw him a sideways glance, then rolled my eyes at him. My woman! The man was absolutely barbaric. Yet my insides melted at the claim and mentally I facepalmed myself.

Returning my attention to the weird couple, I noted Jenna watching my left hand with the engagement ring, envy clear on her face. If she only knew this all was a fake arrangement.

“Wow, that ring is beautiful,” she complimented. “Nico always knew how to make a woman feel special.”

“Hmmm.” I couldn’t comment on that since I barely knew the man. But thinking of him with another woman didn’t sit well with me.

It’s only because he is a skillful kisser, I kept telling myself.

This whole situation was a bit fucked up. Jenna flirted with Nico and tried desperately to make me jealous. On the same token, her husband was seeing Angie. Maybe those two needed a major marriage do-over. I didn’t believe in cheating. I knew firsthand how damaging it could be to a family.

William’s infidelity left invisible scars that were still part of me. We made a conscious decision to work on our relationship and stay together. Yes, I loved him, but once the trust was broken, it was like putting pieces of shattered glass back together. It never fit quite the same.

The memory caused me to stiffen in Nico’s arms. It was something I avoided thinking about. Some ghosts were better left undisturbed. His indiscretion happened in the early days of his diagnosis. He blamed it on the shock and realization he would die. At least that was what he told me.

“I love that we’ll see you around more, Bianca,” Gabito announced, a genuine smile on his face. I, on the other hand, hoped I wouldn’t see him, nor his wife that gawked at Nico. “The wedding will be the event of the year. Have you set the date yet?”

My heart skipped a beat at the thought of the wedding. I tried not to think about it since it caused my anxiety to increase each time it crossed my mind.

“Yes, next week.” Nico answered curtly, then promptly switched the subject to a work topic.

Gabito and his wife lingered, talking about a project that made no sense to me so I stopped paying attention. My thoughts traveled to that night when William came back home with lipstick on his collar.

* * *

“William, are you drunk?”The way he stumbled I was sure he had been drinking.

He grinned that boyish smile, which usually got him a free pass. “Just a tiny bit.”

“Tiny bit?” I retorted, annoyed. The twins had been sick, mixed with worry about my husband and lack of sleep made me exceedingly cranky. “You smell like a damn bar.”

He stumbled towards me, his step unsteady. “Don’t get all prissy on me.”

My eyebrows shot up. What. The. Fuck?

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