Winking at me, he replied, “You got it, sexy.”
Bianca cocked her brows at me. “Shots?”
“Exactly.”
“Don’t you think you might need to take it a little slow?”
Instead of responding, I grabbed the shot glass from the bartender and threw back the vodka. After slamming it back down on the bar, I took the shot intended for her. “Seriously, Drea?”
“More, please,” I said to the bartender.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied.
With four shots of vodka burning in my stomach, I grinned at Bianca. “I’m going to dance,” I pronounced.
She shook her head. “You’re looking for a fuck.”
Shrugging, I replied, “Maybe I am.”
Placing her hands on my shoulder, Bianca countered, “You know I’m all about a woman fucking like a man. But I just want you to make sure what you’re about to go forth and do is for the right reasons.”
I groaned. “I just want to be free and have fun.”
“That was you ten minutes ago. Now you just want to rid yourself of the image of your future husband madly in love with a beautiful woman.”
“Aren’t all hookups based on bad decisions?” I countered.
Bianca sighed. “Fine. Just make sure you use a condom.”
With those words of wisdom, I headed into the sultry fray of dancers.
CHAPTER EIGHT: LEO
As I glanced in the mirror, I slicked back the long strands of my hair. Everything had been so crazy lately, I hadn’t taken the time for a haircut in months. The same could be said for the beard I’d grown.
When Rafe claimed I was trying to look like him, I told him I was doing most of his work for him, so I might as well look like him.
That shut him up pretty quickly. But it was the truth. With an expiration date on their romance, Rafe slacked off work whenever he could to be with Maeve.
Although I teased him about it, I didn’t mind taking on the extra work. First off, he was my brother, and I’d die for him, which meant that taking the brunt of his work was nothing in the vast scheme of things.
Second, it alleviated some of the guilt that I felt for having the hots for his future wife.
And finally, it gave me a focus where I didn’t have to think about Drea.
Regardless of how hard I tried to fuck her out of my system, I couldn’t. For a man like me, it was absolute insanity that a woman who I had barely spoken to, least of all fucked, hadthis much hold over me. One of the worst parts about it was I couldn’t talk to Rafe or Gianni about what I was going through.
I’d sunk so low I’d approached Caterina for advice. Although she’d never had much experience even prior to joining the convent, she was a woman and understood their feelings. Not to mention she was blissfully happy with Callum and four months pregnant.
Of course, I hadn’t told her the love triangle was between me, Drea, and Rafe. When I’d finished, she sighed. “Seriously, Leo? You’re only obsessed with this woman because you can’t have her.”
“Ouch, Kitty Cat. Easy with the claws.”
Instead of apologizing, she rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry if the truth hurts. I could’ve said maybe karma has come to bite you in the ass.”
I snorted. “How were you almost a nun with that language and attitude?”
“I’m serious, Leo. Men like you and Rafe and Gianni make me sad for what my future daughter might face.”
