Dangerous Beauty: Part Two: A Mafia Princess (24 page)

The Originals were the first to arrive. Carter clung to Cesare’s arm and scowled at her mother— who had made it back not too long after she’d left— when she had the audacity to greet him with a kiss on his cheek. Leading him to the kitchen, she proceeded to try to feed him food she had prepared from her hand.

He laughed. “Carterina, stop this,” he said, trying to fight off her efforts.

Carter insisted. “Stop fighting me, Cesiebear. Let me feed you.”

“Why do you call me ‘Cesiebear’ every time, eh?”

“Because I know how much you love it. Now eat.”

She caught him off guard and popped the food in his mouth. He laughed and chewed at the same time. Carter reached up and touched his face softly, and he quickly backed away from her touch.

“Jesus Christ, Carterina!” he groaned. “Why do you insist on teasing me like this?”

Carter shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t know why she did it. She just had fun teasing the guy.

A little while later Carter found herself feeding a much more willing man. Her man. Nathan tasted each of her hors d’oeuvres with exaggerated moans of pleasure. She sat on his lap and fed him while simultaneously blocking his hand from slipping under her skirt.

“Aww … look at the happy couple.”

Carter looked up with a smile when she heard Kyle’s voice. She stood from Nathan’s lap and scrambled over to his open arms.

“Kyle!” she screamed.

Kyle laughed. “You miss me, beautiful?”

She placed a kiss on his cheek. “You know I did.”

She looked into eyes to find him staring at her lips. A sly smile appeared on his face.

“What kind of lip gloss are you wearing, Carterina?”

Carter cocked her head to the side with a look of confusion.

“If you keep looking at my wife’s lips like that, the next greeting you get will be from the bottom of my shoe.”

Kyle chuckled and looked up at Nathan. “I don’t know. The kiss I want to give her just might be worth it Nathan.”

Nathan arched an eyebrow. “I’m going beat your ass, Kyle.”

Kyle’s smiled wider. “Bring it on, Russian.”

Carter raised her hand between them to get their attention. “Now, while I do agree with Kyle that my kiss is worth a good beating, I must say I’m disappointed that no one even asked me if I wanted to be kissed.” That made them both smile. She let out an exaggerated sigh. “Because of your disregard for my wants, I will not be kissing either of you. I’ll just leave you here to kiss each other.” They frowned, and Carter smirked. “As for me? I’ll be leaving to find someone else to kiss.” Carter started to walk away. “Has anyone seen Cesare?”

Both Nathan and Kyle reached for her at the same time and pulled her back. Carter laughed.

“As you can see, Carter’s still crazy,” Nathan said as he brought her to his side.

Carter wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest.

Kyle chuckled. “Well, she’s been living with you, so I expected as much.”

Nathan chuckled. “Fuck you, you blue-eyed son of bitch.” He and Kyle slapped hands and pulled each other into a hug, sandwiching Carter between them.

Umm…hell yes
, Carter thought.

“I do have blue eyes … and my mother is a bitch,” Kyle said. They both laughed and completed their hug with loud slaps on the back. “How’s married life treating you?” he asked.

“Very well,” Nathan replied with a nod. Kyle slipped a cell phone into Nathan’s hand, and Nathan put into his pocket.

Carter caught the exchange, but didn’t react. It was one more thing Nathan was keeping from her, but she wasn’t going to ruin her birthday by going off about it. Her mother was right— everything was not for her to know. It probably had nothing to do with her. She tuned back into Nathan and Kyle’s conversation.

“Are you enjoying all of the power you’ve been given in my absence?” Nathan asked Kyle.

“Fuck no,” he said, walking over to the beer and appetizers.

Kyle’s response amused both Nathan and Carter. They looked at each other and laughed.

“I believe they’ve developed an appreciation for their mean Russian underboss,” Carter said as she rested her head on Nathan’s chest.

Nathan nodded. “It’s about damn time.”

“Damn legs!” Mickey’s voice sounded from the kitchen entrance. “Did you dress that sexy just for me, baby?” He wiggled his eyebrows in playful suggestion.

Carter smiled. “Depends … did you dress that sexy for me, Mikilo?” she said with her sexiest smile.

Mikey sauntered over to her and took her from Nathan’s possessive embrace. Surprisingly, Nathan let her go.

“You know I always have to look good for you, Legs. You’ve had to stare at Nathan’s ugly ass for the past couple of months—”

Carter burst into laughter. Mickey brought her up into a hug and gave her a big smooch on her cheek.

“— so it’s the least I could do,” he said with a wink.

Carter smiled wide and kissed his cheek. Damn, she had missed him.

“Kiss my ass, Mickey,” Nathan said, trying to hide his amusement, but Carter caught it.

After letting Carter go, Mickey walked over to Nathan and gave him a good-natured slap on the back.

“It smells damn good in here, Carter,” Mickey said, walking over to the food.

He bypassed the appetizers and went straight for the roasted chicken.

Carter gasped and scurried over to the food. “Mickey, stop!”

Mickey didn’t listen, but she made it over to him just in time to slap his hand away.

“Dammit, Carter, I’m starving!” he yelled. “Feed me, woman!”

Carter glared at him. “If you touch this chicken, I’ll kick your ass, Mickey.”

“From the looks of this chicken, the ass kicking just might be worth it!”

They argued until she gave in and gave him a taste of the chicken. Then she convinced Mickey to go flirt with her mother for a while.

***

It was finally dinnertime, and Carter was more than ready to dig into her masterpiece.

She noticed that when the older family members entered the dining room, there was some tension between them, but she didn’t dwell on it. As her mother had said, everything was not a puzzle for her to solve. Carter agreed with her mother, so she shook off her curiosity. Everyone took their seats at the table, and Carter sat happily between Nathan and her mother.

The whole scene before her was dream come true. She had dreamed of having an amazing family, a beautiful home, a gorgeous husband, and she had it all. Her family wasn’t what many would consider normal— everyone at this table, including herself, had a body count— but she loved them nevertheless. This was the perfect life for her. Now all she and Nathan needed was a child.
Not yet though,
Carter thought. She still had a few things she needed to handle before she could take time off from her bad-ass life to be fat and pregnant with a Salerno baby.

Once everyone was seated, Angelo blessed the food, and everyone present made the sign of the cross. Their lifestyle didn’t necessarily reflect it, but every man present was very much Catholic. Carter had learned more about the religion when she and Nathan first moved in together. Her first and only experience with church had been with her ex, Henry. He’d attended a Baptist church.

When dinner finally began, Carter was quite pleased with the reaction to the meal she’d prepared. The moans of delight put a satisfied smile on her face. Everyone told Nathan how lucky he was to have such an amazing woman. His pride in their admiration of her was almost palpable. Carter loved to give Nathan reason to be proud she was his.

She loved that they were all enjoying the meal. She’d prepared all of her father’s favorites, feeling the need to be close to him since this was the first year she’d celebrated her birthday without him. She really did miss him.

Once the conversations started, everyone settled in comfortably. The Originals spoke about their travels, and her mother spoke about where she’d been in her absence. The guys told hilarious stories about Kyle’s stand-out moments as their boss and had Nathan and Carter in stitches. Carter and Nathan shared the appropriate moments of their honeymoon, and Carter told the story of Nathan’s trip to the grocery store. She related how Katherine had saved Nathan from the group of rabid females and how her daughter said he resembled a Ken Barbie doll. Carter had never seen Angelo laugh so hard. Before she knew it, it was well past midnight, and they still relaxed at the table, visiting and having drinks. They had been in the dining room for hours laughing and telling stories, and Carter had been showered with numerous extravagant gifts from all over the world.

Eventually, the conversation eased into talk about business— and New York. Bruno asked a question Carter knew pissed Nathan off because as soon as the question was asked, Nathan’s expression went from warm to ice cold. “So when will you two be coming back to work?” he asked. “I know I’m not the only one who wants to know— just the only one brave enough to ask.” Bruno continued coolly, “There are many matters in Las Vegas that could use the attention of the
actual
underboss, not the acting one. Not to mention that in the short time she’s been with S.O., Carterina’s influence has become quite important to many of the men I do business with. I have associates that refuse to meet unless she’s present. I’m not the only one affected by your absence.”

“Bruno, I think this is a conversation Carter and Nathan should have alone,” Angelo interjected, seeming irritated at Bruno’s boldness.

Bruno raised an eyebrow. “I know that. I just think it’s important they know how things are going in their absence, Angelo. This will help them make the right decision, yes?”

“A decision they can come to later. They have time,” Angelo bit out through clenched teeth. He was trying to remain calm and polite while a guest in his son and daughter-in-law’s house.

Bruno sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Why not be honest with them? They’re both needed in New York, Italy, and Las Vegas.”

“Bruno, I understand what you’ve said,” Nathan said in a deep but calm voice. “As my father said, though, my wife and I will discuss it.”

“When?”

Nathan slammed his fist on the table. “When we do!” he snapped.

Bruno closed his mouth.

“Calm yourself, Nathan,” Angelo said quietly.

But what Angelo didn’t know was that Nathan wasn’t the one that needed calming. As if to absorb the rage radiating from Carter, Anastacia placed a calming hand on Carter’s shoulder. When Carter turned to her, Anastacia swallowed hard. The warmth and expression usually present in her daughter’s eyes had emptied, leaving them cold and completely void of emotion.

“Shit,” Anastacia muttered. She didn’t know if Carter’s temper was exactly like her own, but if it was, these men better back off. “Do you want to take a walk, baby girl?” Anastacia asked her, determined to keep her anger from escalating. “We can talk.”

“No.”

Anastacia muttered expletives in French and sat back, preparing herself for whatever was going to happen next.

Nathan waved his hand. “Change the subject. This is Carter’s birthday— we should be focusing on that.”

“It’s past midnight, Nathan. It’s no longer my birthday. Bruno, you don’t have to stop telling us what you need. Continue if you’d like,” Carter said sweetly. But her expression was anything but sweet.

“Carter—”

Carter raised her hand toward Nathan, silencing him. She knew the gesture would piss him off, but she didn’t give a flying fuck. “Bruno I would like to apologize for my husband’s rude behavior. It seems he’s forgotten how to treat family visiting our home. Perhaps we should address his attitude problem when we have this ‘discussion’ I know absolutely nothing about. Now as I said before, feel free to talk openly. If my husband knows what’s good for him, he will not yell at this table again.” Her warning was clear and cold, causing everyone at the table to shift uncomfortably in their seats. “Give me the associates’ names, and I will help as soon as my husband and I have our discussion.”

Between Carter’s deadly tone and expressionless stare, and Nathan’s deadly glare and sudden silence, everyone at the table knew that the evening was about to take a very dark turn. Uneasiness settled in the pit of their stomachs.

Bruno shook his head “It is fine, Carterina. I shouldn’t have said anything,” he apologized, looking back at Nathan.

“Bruno, its fine,” Carter said, more sharply than she wanted. She spoke again, this time in a calmer voice. “You don’t have to walk on eggshells,” she said firmly. “Just speak freely,” she said, feeling a large amount of frustration at the moment. She reached forward and retrieved her wine, downing the entire contents of the glass, hoping it would calm her.

“No, Carterina, all is well,” he said. “It was insensitive of me to push you so soon. You survived a traumatic event, and it’s only normal for you to be affected by it and a little afraid to return.”

Carter’s hand began to tighten around her wine glass. Rage more intense than any she’d ever felt engulfed her body. Suddenly, the sound of the glass shattering in her grip filled the room. Everyone at the table was silenced by the sight of Carter sitting motionless in her chair, eyes empty, shards of glass stuck in her hand, blood oozing through her fingers.

“Carter, enough of this,” Nathan said firmly. “You’re hurt. Come, I’ll wrap it upstairs. We need to talk— right now.”

“No,” Carter said quietly. She couldn’t feel the pain, and that was a problem.

“What do you mean, no?” Nathan asked in disbelief.

“Look it up, Nathan, and then you’ll know what I mean by no,” she spat. Carter had tried to be patient with Nathan, but now she was done. This was the last straw. The secrets, the lies, and the isolation had pushed her past her patience limit.

She stood from the table, looked down at her hand, and pulled the glass from it, tossing each piece on the empty plate in front of her. She examined her hand to ensure all the glass was removed and pushed her chair back behind her.

“For the record— to everyone at this table— I will not break down in tears at the mere mention of New York City—”

Angelo tried to speak, but Carter continued as if she didn’t hear him.