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NICU
“Where’s my bride?” came a bellow from below.
“Cat! Quick, hurry and hide near the bathroom,” Jewel ordered with a pointed finger toward the spot down the hall of the VIP section of The Lounge, where she and Luca had apparently hooked up the night I met Jewel. It was an extra little touch to the mock abduction of Luca’s bride. We’d caught Emma and Jewel escaping with Cat outside the reception hall and convinced them to let us guys into their plan. Which was a good thing because I wasn’t about to let Jewel out of my sight.
There was a great stomp, stomp, stomp on the stairs. The curtain swung open, and Luca stood there like an avenging berserker, eyes wild, as if we really had stolen his bride from under him. Alex and Tatum followed close behind, with Cristo right behind them. Struck with possessiveness, I instinctually moved toward Jewel.
She glanced up at me, and the muscles of her throat moved in a hard swallow. She hated seeing the remnants of my fear in the way I drew close to her as if she’d disappear, but if I knew anything about my little warrior, I knew she’d do everything in her power to show me how much I meant to her. Fighter that she was, I also knew the custom of arranged marriages was on its last leg in my clan. I was so damn proud of her. She had free rein in my book; I’d be her biggest champion. Wrapping an arm around her, I was gratified to see her curl into me, rubbing her cheek against my sleeve and purring with pleasure.
“Where is she?” Luca growled in a low and dangerous tone.
Emma giggled at his show of possessiveness. “Oh, stop, Luca. She’s fine. But you have to get through this before you can have her,” she warned, waving her hand over the room.
The bridesmaids in charge of this kidnapping had placed a shot glass of ?uica beside every lit votive candle on every table of the lounge, and there were a dozen.
Glaring at her, he muttered, “You’re kidding me.”
“No, dear brother, I am so not kidding you. You must drink your weight in ?uica to retrieve her. The shots are numbered. Once you drink it, flip the glass over. The last one has the final clue that will lead you to your bride,” she explained.
Emma was a sweet, reserved, nerdy girl, but I’d quickly learned she had a diabolical sense of humor. And very little mercy when it came to her brothers, or men in general. Cristo’s eyes were locked on her, a dumbstruck look on his idiotic face like I’d never seen before. I knew that look all too well. Well, fuck. On one hand, I’d have him off Jewel’s back if he was as smitten with Emma as he looked. On the other hand, fuck no. He wasn’t about to touch a hair on my half sister’s head.
My thoughts were interrupted by Luca, who turned to Emma with, “This is your doing, isn’t it?” He followed his accusation with a look that would’ve had me taking a step back, but she simply returned his stare unfazed. “I can tell,” he accused. “It has your name written all over it. I’m going to get you back for this.”
She chuckled. “Easier said than done since I have no intention of ever marrying, brother,” she tossed back at him. My eyes shot to Cristo, who broke into an arrogant smirk that made me want to smack him. Aww, fuck. That statement was like throwing down a challenge to a man like him.
Urging Luca on with her hand, she said, “Go on, then. Get to it. Your bride is waiting to be rescued.”
With one last threatening scowl, Luca moved to the first table, scooped up the shot glass, threw it back, and slammed it down with a bang. I nuzzled Jewel’s hair as we watched him make his way through the room. I was enjoying this, knowing that soon, it would be my turn with Jewel. I couldn’t wait. I wanted the biggest wedding in existence to show off my bride. I’d already told Mama that everything would be over-the-top. It was going to be stupid big and flashy. Fireworks and anything else I could think of. No one would doubt how I felt about this woman after our wedding, especially not her.
Finally, Luca reached the last shot glass. Lifting it up, he found the paper underneath with a little rhyme we’d made up to clue him in to where Cat was hidden. Once he downed it, he pivoted on his heels and rushed down to the hallway where she was waiting.
They emerged moments later, with Cat in his arms. Stalking past us, he let out a triumphant shout, and they were gone.
By the look of determination on his face, I guessed we wouldn’t be seeing them at the party for a while, if they came back at all. Tucking Jewel closer, I murmured, “I need you again.”
She gazed up at me with such edgy neediness, it rasped and crackled over my skin like a caress.
“What about the rest of the party? It’s only past midnight…” she said.
“They’ll be too drunk to miss us,” I assured her, tightening my hold on her, worried she’d fight me. “I doubt Luca will return either. I want you in my bed, baby doll. Brace yourself. It’s going to be days before I let you out again.”
Addressing my anxiety, she vowed, “I won’t kick you out ever again. I won’t run ever again. This is it, Nicu.”
“You’re right about that because we’re moving in together, so you can’t throw me out, and if you ever try to leave me, I will hunt you down and fuck you into submission. That is my promise to you,” I swore as I turned us toward the stairs. “Come on, let’s go, baby doll.”
She trustingly placed her hand in mine, took a step forward, and tugged me along as she clarified, “Home, Nicu. Let’s go home.”
