I hummed, practically purring like a contented cat. I was basking in the current state of our relationship, soaking up as much of the intense heat as I could, just in case the switch was flipped back without warning and I found myself once again subjected to the bitter chill of Enzo’s cold shoulder. I prayed that wouldn’t happen, but with how volatile things had been to this point, I wasn’t foolish enough to believe it would be smooth sailing from here on out. We might share a home, share a marital bed—at least in the biblical sense; we never slept together—but we were still little more than strangers who had been forced together. There were bound to be bumps in the road.
Only a couple of seats down from me along the counter, Summer sighed. “I’m this close to calling Gabi to stay the night with the girls so we can sneak off to the penthouse.”
Enzo’s warmth left my back, indicating he’d pulled away. “Are you not at all concerned about leaving your children with the spawn of Satan?”
Hereallydidn’t like Gabi, and I still couldn’t understand why. Sure, she was sassy, but in a way that you found endearing, and her sense of loyalty was unmatched. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for Summer. She was the type of friend anyone would be lucky to have, and I hoped that, given enough time, I might be allowed to call her one of mine.
Summer didn’t skip a beat when my husband hurled insults toward her bestie. “She could be teaching them incantations that open up a portal to Hell, and I wouldn’t care. Serafina learned how to climb out of her crib two weeks ago. Mommy and Daddy need some alone time.”
Matteo let out a growl so loud I jumped in my seat. “Call her. Now. I need to be your Daddy tonight.”
Why was I panting? That should not be as hot as it was. And it wasn’t even my marriage, for crying out loud.
Large hands landed on my hips before shifting over those curves to grip my inner thighs, and the pulsing between them intensified when they were pulled apart. Enzo’s shallow breaths fanned against the side of my neck. “Never would have pegged you as a voyeur, but I’m more of a fan of exhibitionism myself.”
My head lolled back onto his shoulder as his fingers crept dangerously close to where I ached for him, and I mentally searched for the downside of letting him get me off in this crowded luxury box with all their high-level employees present.
“Our two penthouses share a central wall. What do you say we go there, and I nail you to that wall and make you scream so loud that the soundtrack of our fucking puts theirs to shame?”
An enthusiastic “yes” was on the tip of my tongue, but it was cut off before it could be spoken into existence by the sharp scraping of chair legs.
“Okay!” Gemma’s voice was so loud that my eyes sprang open. “I’m going to the bathroom, and when I get back, I expect this area to be cleared of all nauseatingly horny Bellini men and their spouses. Understood?”
She waddled away, and I couldn’t stifle my snicker. We had definitely been busted.
Enzo offered me a hand. “You heard the lady. Time to go.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Matteo helped Summer down from her seat.
The pair of cousins stared each other down.
“Game on,” Enzo declared.
“You’re going down,” Matteo shot back with confidence.
Summer’s lips curved into a mischievous grin, shooting me a look as if to say,Buckle up, girlfriend, we’re going for a ride.Then I caught the wicked gleam in Enzo’s eye that told me I wouldn’t be able to walk straight tomorrow.
We definitely needed to double date more often.
Chapter 18
Enzo
“Couldhavedonethisonline.” The words were grumbled under my breath.
So help me God, if one more person bumps into Allie . . .
My wife rolled her eyes playfully. “And deprive me of impulse shopping and spoiling our nieces rotten?”
“You’ve seen their playroom. I doubt there’s anything here they don’t already own.” Perks of being the children of a billionaire.
A glare was aimed in my direction. “You didn’t have to come.”
I scoffed. “It’s two days before Christmas. Everyone and their brother is out shopping today, and no matter how much I trust my men, there’s no one better suited to protect you than me.”
Skepticism flickered over her features. “Are there many would-be assassins or kidnappers to be found in toy stores?”
“Your safety is not a laughing matter,” I gritted out, my blood pressure spiking. “Nor is it up for debate.”
