Page 88 of Nicoli

“You said a promise is expensiver—”

“Expensiver?” I chuckle.

He smiles. “Yeah. You said a promise isexpensiverthan a pot of gold. And that every time you make a promise, God writes it down in His book. And if you break it, He has to tear out that page.” Nicoli finally looks up at me, and the emotion in his eyes steals my breath. “Tonight I promise that I will love you with all that I am, every day for the rest of my fucking life. I promise that I will protect you, keep you safe, and make sure you are loved the way you deserve to be loved. And I swear, Mira, I fucking swear—” he bites out “—I won’t make God tear out this page in His book. Ever.”

Tears roll down my cheeks, and I gasp, placing my hand in front of my mouth.

“Mirabella Tirell, will you marry me?”

I stare at him through the tears in my eyes, unable to speak. I'm unable to move because I’m afraid I might fall apart in this most beautiful, powerful, and magical moment of my entire life.

“Yes,” I whisper. “A thousand times, yes.”

Nicoli slips the ring on my finger, and something inside me unlocks; the world changes and suddenly, everything is just...right. It’s as if every breath I’ve taken my entire life now makes sense.

Nicoli is still on one knee as he reaches around my waist, pulling me close and pressing his lips against my belly, his eyes squeezed shut. “I’m sorry it took me this long, Hummingbird.”

I weave my fingers through his dark hair, his naked arms and chest warm against my skin. “Better late than never.”

ChapterTwenty-Seven

MIRABELLA

I’m nervous.

Of course, I am. I never imagined Nicoli would agree to bring me here. I’ve spent hours, maybe even days, of my life wondering what it looked like. Leandra often goes there with Alexius, but she never talks about it. What happens at Myth stays at Myth, it seems. It’s like their nights spent there are part of a world that’s only theirs and no one else’s. The only thing she has shared with me is that they always go masked because Alexius is determined to hide her from the rest of the guests. No one gets a glimpse of her because she is only his. And she’s okay with it. She’s more of a background kind of woman, the silent type who observes, yet her presence is always known. She’s the perfect woman for Alexius. She’s strong enough to keep him grounded, and she doesn’t need to use her own voice to feel validated simply because she has all the confidence she needs to be Alexius Del Rossa’s wife. I’m not like that. I’ve never been like that. The spotlight is where I shine the brightest. My personality is too large to be contained in the background. I grew up in this world. I’ve lived it, and I’ve become just like it.

I was born to be a Del Rossa wife.

Nicoli parks his car by the back entrance, and I’m nervously flicking my nails. “Everyone’s here?”

“Yeah. Alexius made sure everyone and their fucking mother got invited tonight.”

“Nunzio?”

Nicoli swallows hard. “I’m afraid so. I got outvoted. Seems like my brothers, including yours, think that having Nunzio here with a personal invitation from the Dark Sovereign would make it less likely for him to follow through with his plans to step into our line of business.”

“How so?”

“If he’s seen among our VIP guests enjoying the services we provide and tomorrow decides to open his own club, he’ll be branded a snake who can’t be trusted. And that would make his odds of finding allies zero to none.”

“It makes sense.”

“I know,” he sneers. “But that doesn’t mean I like it. And then my brother doesn’t even have the balls to be here himself.”

“You know how he is with Myth and showing Leandra’s face around here,” I say. “And she doesn’t want him here without her, which reminds me.” I reach out and touch his cheek. “That rule applies now to you as well, Nicoli Del Rossa. No more midnight rendezvous around this place without me. Understood?”

He places a palm on my knee. I’m wearing an A-line, high-neck, floor-length dress that’s tight around my waist and entirely made of red lace. Two slits on either side spread all the way up to my hip—no panties required, which is convenient when your husband decides to finger you in his car.

His hand eases the lace off the side of my leg. “Trust me when I say there is nothing here that I want.”

“Says the man who came here almost every night.”

“Because he tried to fuck the one thing he couldn’t have out of his system. And now—” he forces a finger inside me, causing me to squirm on the leather seats of his Audi “—I no longer have to.”

I let out a sigh as he pulls his hand away from me, trying to catch my breath. “You are the devil. You know that?”

“In an Armani suit.” He winks and shoots me a wicked grin before getting out of the car, moving around it and opening my door to help me out.

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