by Sarah Curtis
"I know the feeling. He refuses to call me Livvy."
"Well don't you worry. I'll call you Livvy, and we can start calling Nico..." she leaned around Olivia to sneer at her brother, "Nicoló," she said, emphasizing each syllable.
Olivia was laughing, not paying attention to her surroundings until she heard a, "What the fuck?" from Nico. She looked up to discover her worst nightmare. A room full of who she presumed were Nico's family as they all shared a resemblance.
"Language, Nico," a petite dark-haired woman said, making her way to them.
He leaned in, kissing her cheek. "Mamma." Then said in a quiet but deadly voice, "What are all these people doing here?"
"Come now, you know how the family is. Once news got out that you'd gotten married, well, obviously, everyone wanted to meet her."
"And what? Did you accidentally spread the word I was bringing Olivia here for dinner tonight?"
Olivia felt herself melt against Nico, glad he hadn't set her up for an ambush. He gave her shoulder another squeeze that she hoped was sign language for, don't worry, baby, we're getting the hell out of here.
Her fantasy was shattered when Nico's mom tutted—yes, tutted—at her son then turned to her and said, "You must be Olivia. I'm Nico's mother, Dona. Come let me introduce you to everyone."
She was never going to remember everyone's name. And after the fifth or sixth introduction, even the faces started blending together. Thankfully, Nico stayed by her side, and she even had Gabby at her back for moral support. And by the time she reached Nico's dad, boy did she need it.
Intimidating was not a strong enough word to express Olivia's first encounter with Vincenzo Conti. An older version of Nico, it was not hard to tell they were father and son from both looks and mannerisms.
"So this is the newest member of the family. Come and let me get a look at you."
"Dad," Nico said in a warning tone.
Trying to defuse the situation, Olivia stepped up, hand extended. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Conti."
Vincenzo took her hand and brought it to his lips for a light kiss against her knuckles. "You did good, Nico. She's quite lovely." And then to Olivia, he said, "I can see why you caught my son's eye, just not sure why he needed to put a ring on your finger to keep it."
"Dad, that's enough. I won't have you disrespecting my wife." Nico's tone was low and held more than a hint of anger. So much for trying to defuse the situation. Olivia internally cringed, hating to be the cause for the two butting heads.
"Don't forget who you're talking to, son." Vincenzo's voice held the same hint of danger. Totally, like father, like son.
"Oh, I haven't forgotten, sir."
They had a thirty-second stare-off, which gained attention from the people nearby. Olivia wasn't sure who the victor would be until she saw a flash of something in Vincenzo's eyes. Pride, maybe? He turned back to Olivia and reclaimed her hand. "My apologies. Please forgive my rude behavior."
Olivia had a feeling something more meaningful had transpired between the two men than she had comprehended. "Of course."
Nico's dad bowed over her hand, raising it once more to his lips.
Dona chose that moment to interrupt. "Come now. Let's all go in and eat before it gets cold."
Nico draped an arm around Olivia's shoulders. "We best do as she says. We all know who the real boss is."
Olivia saw Nico's dad smile for the first time, and some of the tension eased from the room. "Truer words have never been spoken."
With so many people in attendance, Olivia wasn't expecting a sit-down meal. She sat, midway down the table, Nico on her left and his aunt, Teresa—the same Teresa she'd met at the dress shop—on her right. Across from them were Carlo and Claudia, Teresa's children and Nico's cousins. Gabby sat at Nico's left and kept leaning around him to talk to her, which made Nico scowl and Olivia laugh each time she did it.
"You know, if you traded seats with Livvy I wouldn't need to lean around you," Gabby said, taking a sip of her wine.
"And have you monopolize even more of her time? I don't think so."
"So how did you two meet?" Claudia asked from across the table.
Olivia paused with a forkful of pasta halfway to her mouth. She turned wide eyes to Nico then quickly continued with her bite, making it clear she wouldn't be answering the question.
Without missing a beat, Nico set his fork down, looked across the table at Claudia, and said, "We met at one of my clubs." He turned to look at Olivia, giving her a wink. "It was love at first sight."
Olivia swallowed her bite of spaghetti funny and started coughing. She reached for her napkin to cover her mouth while Nico patted her back, handing her a glass of water. She took a long drink before mumbling, "Thank you."
"That's so romantic." Claudia had a dreamy look on her face.
"I think it's rather plebeian." That came from the woman sitting next to Claudia.
Olivia racked her brain, trying to remember her name. She did remember she was the daughter of Vincenzo's best friend, so a longtime friend of the family. Olivia had also noticed her eyes on Nico for most of the evening.
Claudia frowned, turning to the woman beside her. "Why do you say that, Elena?"
Ah, Elena. That was her name. Olivia took another sip of her water before setting the glass down.
Nico leaned into her. "Better?"
She gave him a smile, but Elena drew her attention again when she spoke. "It just seems such an uncultured and vulgar place to meet someone."
Nico turned steely eyes across the table. "It's a club that I own. Are you saying I'm uncouth?"
Elena tried to backtrack. "No, not at all. I was just implying only a certain type of woman would frequent a club like that."
"And, again, I'll remind you, I own the club you keep insulting."
Elena winced when she realized she stuck her foot in her mouth again. Trying to recover she stressed, "I'm insulting the women who frequent those places, not the club itself."
Nico glared across the table then said in a deadly voice that left even Olivia squirming. "You do realize, in your ridiculous rambling, you've just insulted my wife."
Gabby mumbled, "Oh, shit."
Elena opened and closed her mouth a few times. "I... I..."
Nico didn't wait for her stuttering response. "Apologize immediately."
Olivia jumped in her seat. She'd never heard Nico raise his voice so loudly before. He was always so calm and cool, even when his eyes heated with anger.
Swallowing hard and not daring to break eye contact with Nico, Elena sputtered, "I... I apologize. I didn't mean to insult your wife."
"Not to me." He leaned farther across the table, his voice going low. "To Olivia."
Olivia had never been more uncomfortable in her life. Reaching out, she placed a hand on his forearm, whispering, "Please, let it go."
Cold eyes turned her direction, and she shivered suddenly knowing how Elena had felt under such a penetrating gaze. Instantly his look softened, his hand reached out to caress her cheek. "No, tesoro. I can't allow anyone to insult you and get away with it."
"It's okay, Nico. I honestly don't care." That wasn't entirely true, it did sting a little. Though she'd known going in what Nico's family would think of her—heck, even Nico's father had alluded to it—and undoubtedly think that he'd settled, but the deed had been done and there was nothing she could do to change her past.
"But I do." His head turned, locking eyes with Elena. "Don't make me wait much longer." The silence around the table was complete. Not even the clang of a fork broke the quiet. Nico's threat was implied, and Olivia
hated to think what his "or else" would consist of.
Elena finally looked her direction. Olivia had heard the phrase "if looks could kill" but had never understood the true meaning until meeting Elena's eyes at that moment.
Elena tipped her head, insincerity coating her words. "Please accept my apologies. I didn't mean to offend."
Nico leaned back, draping a protective arm around the back of Olivia's chair. As petty as it was, she really wanted to tell Elena where she could shove her "fake apology" but graciously inclined her head instead, feeling pride for being the bigger person.
Show over, eating resumed soon followed by a table full of chatter.
After dinner, the ladies sat on one side of the room drinking coffee, while the men stood around on the other, liquor in hand. If everyone were dressed differently, it could be a scene out of a historical romance novel, Olivia thought, inwardly grinning.
Dona made a good effort, trying to include her in the women's conversation, but as they all had history and she didn't, she mostly kept quiet, listening to the many stories and gossip they shared.
Setting her coffee cup down, she excused herself, asking Dona to direct her to the restroom. Fortunately, there was one close, because in a house so large, one could easily get lost.
She finished quickly and was just leaving the bathroom when she ran into Elena, who was waiting for her in the hall. Dark hair, dark eyes, smoothly flawless tanned skin, she was certainly beautiful until she opened her mouth. Then she was very ugly, indeed.
"As much as you think you have your claws in Nico, your marriage won't last. He belongs to me, always has. Since the day I was born, our families planned for us to marry." Elena leaned in closer, her sinister whisper floating across the distance. "I'm Italian. He took my virginity. You do the math. I was willing to wait for Nico to come to his senses, sow his oats as they say, but now with you in the picture, don't think I won't shout loud and proud to our families. They will annul your marriage so fast, your head will spin. Don't get too comfy as Mrs. Conti."
She was gone in a blink, leaving a stunned Olivia alone in the hall.
Chapter Twenty-One
Nico nodded, only half paying attention to what his uncle, Roberto, was saying. He found his eyes repeatedly drawn to the women on the other side of the room—specifically Olivia. Every time he'd glanced over, she seemed in conversation with either his mom or aunt. He'd caught her smiling a few times, laughing once, and it pleased him she appeared to be getting along with his family. That was important. Family was everything, and the Family always came first. Nico knew that, even if lately he'd silently questioned his duty, wanting to put Olivia first.
He glanced over again, his eyes quickly scanning the area when he saw Olivia's seat empty. Halting Roberto mid-sentence, he excused himself, stopping by his mother before progressing to the bathroom where she'd said Olivia had gone.
Elena passed him before he reached the hall, but he paid her no attention until he got a look at Olivia's face and wondered what she'd been up to. "What's wrong?" he asked, stepping in close and taking her arm to pull her closer.
She refused to look at him. "I'm suddenly not feeling well. Do you think we can go home."
He knew she lied. She was a terrible liar, but he also knew whatever was wrong, they wouldn't be hashing it out in the hall of his parents' house. "Of course, tesoro." He steered her to the front door. "Wait here. I'll go make our excuses then we can leave."
Head still down, she nodded, and he couldn't wait to get her alone to find out what the fuck had happened.
He said goodbye to the family, paying extra attention to Elena when he noticed the smug smile on her face. He kissed his mother on the cheek promising to see her soon then ushered Olivia out of the house and into the car.
She was silent the whole drive home, and Nico didn't push, not wanting to divide his attention between Olivia and the road. But as soon as he got her to the bedroom, he sat her at the edge of the bed, kneeling at her feet so if she did her "looking down" shit, he'd still be able to see her face.
"Now tell me what's wrong." He had his arms wrapped around her hips with his hands gripping the top of her ass.
"Did you sleep with her?"
For once, he was happy she wasn't looking at him. He was sure he had a "deer in the headlights" expression on his face. She had to know he wasn't a virgin when they'd met and that he'd had quite a few hers in his past. Not that he was going to share any of that with Olivia. She was his one and only now, and that was all that mattered.
He squeezed her hips. "Who?"
She lifted her head and, swear to Christ, he'd never seen such a look of anger on her face before. "E-le-na," she said, grinding out the syllables.
"What in the hell would make you think I've slept with Elena?"
"The fact that she told me you did. She also informed me the two of you have been promised to each other since birth, and that not only did the two of you have sex, but you took her virginity. A fact she's going to make known to both your families so she can get our marriage annulled."
Nico blinked, then blinked again, trying to process the big pile of bullshit he'd just listened to.
"Say something," Olivia said through gritted teeth and fuck him if his cock didn't jump. Damn, she was sexy as fuck when angry.
He stood from his crouch and pushed at her shoulders until she lay with her back against the bed. He moved on top of her, his knees on either side of her hips, arms straight to the bed hovering over her.
"Nico!" She pushed at his chest, but he was immovable.
He grinned.
"What's so funny?"
He shook his head. "Not funny, cute. You're adorable when you're angry."
Her eyes narrowed. "You're not helping to calm my anger."
He dropped to his elbows, taking her face in his hands. "Not trying to."
She pushed at his chest, again with the same unyielding results. "Start talking, Nico."
Sensing she was at her limit, he said, "To answer your original question, no, I've never fucked Elena." She opened her mouth to say something, but he stalled her, placing his thumbs over her lips. "To clarify, I've never made love to her, slept with her, or even kissed her other than an occasional brotherly kiss on the cheek."
She took a deep breath, but he stalled her again. "And to clarify even further, no, I've never had those kinds of feelings for her, we have not been promised since children, and whatever else she might have told you, is all bullshit."
He saw the anger dissipate from her eyes and swept his thumbs away so she could talk. "She's in love with you."
"I can't help that. I've never given her a reason to be."
"She's going to cause problems between the families. She feels slighted, and you know what they say about a woman scorned."
"No one can take you away from me, tesoro."
"Can your family really annul our marriage because I'm not Italian?"
"Not if I don't want them to."
"And... do you want them to?"
He knew what she was really asking veiled behind her subtle words. But he couldn't give her what she wanted. He didn't know if he even had the ability to love someone. He did know if it were possible, then it would be her.
His Olivia.
He may not be able to give her the words she wanted, but he could give her the next best thing and hoped like hell it would be enough. "Make no mistake that you are mine, tesoro. Will always be mine. And God help the person who ever tries to take you away from me because I'll never let you go."
He saw the look of hurt before she tried to conceal it behind a small smile. But he noticed. He not
iced everything about her. "I'll be yours for as long as you want me, Nico."
God, he loved it when she said his name. "That will be forever, tesoro."
"Please don't say things that might not be true. Forever is a really long time."
He was done talking. Time to show her how he felt.
He captured her lips, and after a slight hesitation, she melted under him. He hated that second of doubt. Elena had planted that seed in Olivia's head, and for that, she would pay.
His fingers went to work on the buttons of her blouse, possessiveness surging through him as he parted the silk, exposing the swells of her breasts that overflowed the lacy cups of her bra. He tugged, freeing a nipple, sucking it into his mouth. Worshipping her body, expressing by deed what he couldn't say in words.
She arched into him, her hands gripping his shoulders, and her nails digging into his flesh. "Tell me you're mine." His lips whispered down the plane of her stomach, stopping when he reached the waistband of her slacks. He popped the button. "Tell me you belong to me."
"Nico, please." She surged her hips, but that wasn't the response he wanted.
"Tell me, tesoro." He lowered her zipper. "Tell me you're mine. That only I can give you what you want, and I'll gladly give it to you." He slid her pants down her legs but left her panties.
"I'm yours, Nico. Always and forever. Only yours."
He placed a kiss under her navel then got off the bed. "Remove your blouse and bra but leave the panties," he said as he removed his own clothing. "Slide to the center of the bed and lie down."
He loved when she followed orders. He moved to the end of the bed. "Bend your knees, feet to the bed and spread your legs. I want to see my pussy."
She did as he asked but raised her head to peer at him through her open legs.
He looked her in the eyes then took himself in hand with a tight fist. "Do you trust me, tesoro?"