Page 91 of Matteo
“You heard him.” I motioned at Nikola while Matteo stepped around, almost as if he wanted to block him from my view. I shifted, purposely avoiding peeling my eyes away from Nikola. “He offered to marry me.”
Not that I would ever consider it.
Nikola smirked. “Brilliant, huh?”
To my shock, Matteo pulled his arm back and punched the smirk right off his best friend’s face. Here. In front of everyone.
Nikola wiped at the blood on his lip, grinning like a fool, his pale blue eyes glinting with… amusement?
“Over my dead body will he or anyone else marry you, Ari.” Matteo turned to face me as he chuckled, the sound dry and humorless. My spine stiffened. “Do you remember what I told you when we were kids?”
“You talked a lot of shit when we were kids, Matteo, and you still talk too much.” I was impressed by my level tone. “It seems to be a trait, an annoying one at that, amongst you men.”
He ignored my jab as he continued, his voice low and threatening, “I told you to be prepared to see any man you touch die. That includes my friends too.”
I twisted my lips into a taunting smile.
“You lost that right.” I started to move past him, but he stopped me by grabbing my wrist. I lowered my gaze to where he touched me, and even as a tremor shot down my spine, his touch rattling me down to my bones, I refused to show weakness. “Let go of me or you’ll regret it,” I snapped.
He seemed taken aback, but he refused to release me.
Without giving it another thought, I curled my hand into a fist and punched him in the face with all my fury.Crunch.
A wave of gasps rolled through the room, all eyes on us, while all my attention was on the boy who’d just broken my heart.
“Next time, I won’t hold back.”
The entire room was like a graveyard, everybody holding their breaths.
Until Nikola broke it with his booming voice. “Uncle Sasha was right. Morrelli and Vitale parties are like soaps, only better.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
ARIANNA
Dad and Mr. Vitale were at our sides in the blink of an eye while the guests pretended to mingle and sip on their drinks, failing big-time.
From my periphery, I could see Mom ushering my siblings to the opposite side of the room. My brothers protested the loudest, shouting threats across the room. My uncles, Luca and Cassio, had to step in, dragging the boys out while Mom pushed Gianna and Hannah toward the gardens.
What happened?Hannah mouthed, but I turned around and focused on Dad and Mr. Vitale surrounding us, blocking the view to the guests.
“Well, this is my cue,” Nikola cut in, ready to bolt.
“Don’t you fucking move,” Mr. Vitale ordered.
“What happened?” Dad asked, his gray eyes on me. I gave my head a subtle shake, refusing to speak, and it seemed the boys had the same idea.
“Why is it that every time my son ends up with a broken nose, your daughter’s around, Nico?”
Dad studied me pensively, then narrowed his eyes on Mr. Vitale before answering coldly, “Better question is why is he always running into things?”
“He didn’t run into her fist,” Mr. Vitale growled. “She punched him.”
“It was actually an accident,” Matteo chimed in, but nobody was buying it. They’d have to be blind and dumb to believe that shit. “I took her hand and she got upset.”
“You might want to advise your son never to touch Arianna again or I might?—”
“Nico, stop,” Mom ordered. She was the only one who could control Dad when he went into overprotective mode. “Matteo would never touch Arianna inappropriately.” She was so damn wrong.
