Page 35 of Thorns of Desire

I darted a glance to the rearview mirror to find her eyes already on me and smirked as she averted her gaze.

I’m going to have fun playing with you, amorina.

We celebrated Enrico and Isla’s wedding intimately—to no one’s surprise.

Bouquets of red and white roses were scattered across each table. The dining room of Enrico’s home had been transformed for the reception. The crystals in the chandelier glimmered, throwing a soft glow around the room. Candles set off a romantic mood in the atmosphere, making the space feel cozy and comfortable.

It was clear to everyone how close the girls were. They seemed to move in unison as they danced with abandon—carefree like only women in their early twenties could be. Christ, nothing made me feel older.

I caught Athena’s eyes on me, but once again, she looked away. She was stubborn as fuck, but she didn’t know that her stubbornness was no match for mine.

I’d looked up information on Athena Kosta, and much to my surprise, there wasn’t much that came up. Parents’ names: unknown. Date of birth: unknown. Family: unknown. It almost looked like her identity and footprint on the web had been wiped.

“What do we know about Isla’s friends? I assume you ran a background check on all of them,” I asked Enrico.

He shrugged. “Aside from the Romero girls, not much. I know they’ve been friends for years, and knowing Illias Konstantin and his brotherly overbearing skills, he must have had them all cleared.”

That made sense. The Russian Pakhan had always been protective of his family.

My gaze flicked to Enrico who grabbed a glass vase, then extended a hand to his bride who watched him suspiciously.

“It’s time to break the glass,” I explained. “Forbuona fortuna.”

By the expression on Isla’s face—and her friends’—they had no idea about Italian customs.

“For good luck,” Enrico clarified. “The number of broken pieces will represent the number of years we’ll be happily married.”

Isla snickered softly, her little button nose scrunching. “Well, by all means. You’re gonna need all the luck you can get.”

Athena laughed, then as if she caught herself, she stopped. Enrico and Isla made their way to the corner of the room, everyone following them, but Athena and I lingered behind.

“Stop looking at me,” she hissed under her breath, her eyes trained on her friends. “Someone will see.”

I brought my hand around her waist, smiling.

“See what?” She rolled her eyes but refused to take the bait. I bent my head, pausing right at her earlobe before whispering, “You might as well let them see, because soon the whole world will know you’re mine.”

With each passing moment, the mystery surrounding her appealed to me more.

Her eyes widened. “Jesus, are all Italians crazy?”

“No, just us Marchettis.”

Before she could say anything else, Isla’s voice traveled through the room.

“I hope you know, I won’t be cleaning this up.” I chuckled, so ready to see Isla wreak havoc on Enrico’s life.

“It’s your wedding day. You’re not expected to clean or cook today,” Enrico explained.

Isla rolled her eyes. “Or ever.”

“How about you, Athena? Do you cook?” Not that it mattered, but I wanted to know more about her.

She turned to face me. “I don’t cook or clean either. And I spend a lot of money.”

I leaned over, brushing my mouth over her cheek. “Don’t worry,amorina, you won’t have to do any of that. And I have plenty of money for you to spend.”

“Trouble always finds me. In more ways than one.”