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4
Islumped against the side of my house and huffed out a laugh. Fuck, she winked at me. That girl was as hot as they came. I watched her sway her nice round ass as she was prodded forward by her relative. So far, I had done everything in my power to avoid the circus playing out in my living room. Numb with boredom, I’d slipped out for a smoke. I rarely smoked anymore but today called for it.
She hadn’t lied when she said she was eighteen. Her wide brown eyes swirled with an intoxicating mixture of innocence and intrigue. Her peach and nectarine fragrance, riding toward me on a slight breeze, was sweeter than the scent of the spring flowers in my garden. And her pink bow-shaped lips turned up in a smile that made my heart stop for longer than was healthy.
Then there was her smoking body. Although on the slim side, she had tits that could fill my palms and flared hips to hold on to. But most importantly, there was that sly irreverence. I was a sucker for irreverence, being the king of it myself. It was even scarcer in my ultra-serious mafie community than it was in the outside world. She was a rare gem, indeed.
For an eighteen-year-old, there was something knowing in her eyes. I could tell that she’d seen her share of stuff. She knew what a farce, what an absurd piece of theater was being played out in there, and she was as disgusted by it as I was. Disgusted enough that she ducked out on her mother, and I knew what a tight leash they kept the princesses on at such events. An engagement party wasn’t only about the so-called lucky couple. It doubled as a meat market to show off their girls to potential suitors.
I pulled out another cigarette and lit it. Her sassiness spoke to me as well. I felt that spark in my chest. Her smile twisted something in me. I’d never felt anything like this with a woman, especially one I’d barely interacted with.
There was also the fact that she was a blonde. Always had a thing for blondes. Hers wasn’t the peroxide kind either. I had picked out at least three different shades of gold in the lock of hair I held between my fingers. There was really only one way to find out if she was a true blonde, and hell, I’d be the first in line for the privilege to peel the panties down those slim thighs. And while I was down on my knees in the name of investigative research, I’d take advantage of the opportunity to give it a little lick. Get myself a little taste of her. If it was anything like her scent, I’d be in paradise.
To that end, I stubbed the cigarette out and slipped through the French doors into my living room. Stripped of furniture to make enough room for the throngs that had come to acknowledge this bullshit union between two strangers, the place looked like a reception room. There were small high tables everywhere, with ridiculous bouquets of flowers on them, where people could deposit their drinks as waiters flitted about with trays of hors d’oeuvres.
I stretched my neck, surveying the large space for that honey-blonde head.
Ahh, found her.
Pushing through the crowd, I almost reached her when Alex approached the gorgeous girl. I screeched to a halt when he gave her a kiss on each cheek before placing his hand on her forearm and wrapping it around his elbow.
What in the ever-loving fuck…?
With his other hand, he waved Nicu over.
No.
No, no, no.
It couldn’t be.
Shewas the fiancée. She was the Popescu mafie puppet.
Fuck.
A ping ping ping broke through the loud hum of conversation as my mother tapped a crystal glass with a fork.
“Welcome, everyone! Thank you for coming so far out of the city to our little reception. It’s nothing fancy, but we wanted to introduce the wonderful new couple to our friends and family. Welcome Catalina to the Lupu family!”
My mother lifted her glass in a toast.
“Cat,” she corrected softly. My mother didn’t hear her, but I heard her soft, melodious voice.
Cat.
She certainly resembled a pussycat, with her luxurious mane of glossy light hair. I wanted to stroke her like I would the back of a ginger cat, from ears to tail. I’d stroke more than that if I had any say in the matter. She was as blonde as a Norse, calling either to the German or Slavic blood in her. She was the most beautiful creature I’d ever set eyes on. I wasn’t a stranger to beautiful women, but no one compared to her. A flame of jealousy blazed in my chest. I smothered it immediately.
“Noroc!” my mother toasted, wrapping her arm around Cat’s shoulders.
Raising their glasses in the air, everyone repeated, “Noroc!”
Her cheeks turned pink, her eyes shooting everywhere but to Nicu, who was staring at her with cold disinterest. Her eyes ping-ponged until they landed on me. And there they stayed, making my chest burn with pride.
Her eyes widened, as if she’d been caught out. And she had been.
“Luca,” my name was called. Alex gestured to me to join the rest of the family. I moved forward slowly, my eyes on hers. Keeping her roped to me.
The girl’s eyes bulged, her lush lips parting. I could almost hear the gasp she made in my eardrums. In my chest. In my fucking soul.
