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Chapter 31

Iris' Pov

I'm shaking, my heart is hammering away in my chest as if I'd just sprinted a marathon across New York City. I am beyond nervous at actually, finally meeting Luca's family and well, everyone else.

The music is pounding and, to say we haven't even gotten close to the room which the party occurred within was saying something.

Luca and I's footsteps could be heard in the long hallway, silenced by the thick beige carpets.

"Relax, Iris." Luca coos soothingly, though this did nothing much to ease my nerves. "You're psyching yourself out."

"I know, I know." I wave him off, he just doesn't understand.

Luca shakes his head and drops it, he opts instead to rubbing calming circles into my exposed side which I am exceedingly grateful for.

We take a right and finally I could see the door now, it stood before us like a golden gateway to the other side. The guards who stood here wasted no time of opening the door once they'd given a curt nod at Luca and me.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, Luca's mother had definitely gone all out.

It's like a literal winter wonderland, the ballroom is decorated with glittering snowflakes hanging down from the ceilings and leafless white painted trees are on the ground all around the room.

Fairy lights twinkle like stars in a Christmas night and a photo shoot area with a sleigh was set up near the door for those who wished to capture their night.

White wooden chairs and tables covered with white tablecloths sat over to our far right as not to occupy what I suppose was the dance floor.

Blue centerpieces were placed smack in the middle of these tables and might I say they looked rather rather expensive.

They'd dimmed the blue fluorescent lights so that the room was on the verge of darkness yet it was still bright enough to see everything and everyone else.

Damn.

"Wow." I gape in awe, my eyes wide and mouth almost on the waxed floors.

"Mother outdid herself this year," Luca comments glancing around with his own mild astonishment, it seemed the comment was more to himself.

Oh, how wrong I was.

"That she did." A handsome gentleman chuckles suddenly from my right, raising his drink in the air.

He gives a dazzling dimpled smile, pearly whites showing off. His eyes are like beautiful molten silver with brown specs sparkling, they're eyes unlike anything I've seen before.

He also has impeccable cheekbones.

"I mean when it comes to you, her pride and joy, it's only expected." He smirks, though his sentence comes off a bit on the bitter side.

Luca ignores the strange man's comment though rolling his eyes dramatically. The man with the charming silver eyes digs a tattooed hand into the pocket of his well-tailored black dress pants, a beaming grin on his handsome face.

My eyes wander over him as I try to analyze his character, he's a tall man, a tad bit shorter than Luca yet still way taller than I am. He has a muscular, slender build that makes him look as if he can knock a man out with ease if he so pleased.

He moves light on his feet, with elegantly and precise steps. He seems to be a man who's always smiling mostly for devious matters and his sliver eyes are calculating, deathly and they going ruthlessly like a blade in the sun.

I perceived him as a laidback individual and that was proven by how his pitch black hair was styled in a messy 'bed head' sort of style as well as the fact that he had unbuttoned the two top buttons of his white dress shirt at such a formal event.

I could also tell he's wealthy, it was rather apparent from his neat red velvet suit, well-polished shoes, and the many gold rings which rested on his fingers plus he screamed money.

He's a perfect picture, there seemed to be no flaw with this man, not a single flaw. From his flawless olive skin to his well-sculpted jawline that would have had me drooling once upon a time and from his steal your girl smile on those blood red lips to the elegant look of him.

But then again the devil used to be an angel.......and if I've learnt anything from Luca, looks can very well be deceiving.

"Fuck off, Arsenio." Luca hisses annoyed, flipping him the finger.

My jaw drops to the floor, as I stand there baffled. The man standing before me is him, Luca's mysterious brother. Jesus, how was it I hadn't noticed it?

They both had so many similarities between them; the hair, the olive skin, the unbelievable good looks etcetera.

"Tsk tsk, That's no way to speak in the presence of a lady, dear brother." Arsenio tsks raising his glass to his lips.

"What is this the 50's, she swears like a sailor." Luca snorts, making me narrow my eyes at him.

"Says you, you swear even more than I do," I grumble, jabbing my finger into his side.

"My dear, how rude of me, it's very nice to meet you," He grins, extending his tattooed hand out for me to take. "the gorgeous woman wedded to my half-wit of a brother, tell me how do you do it?"

"You learn to live with it." I giggle taking his hand, a smile lighting up my face as he kisses my hand.

"I like you already, beautiful." He gives me a lopsided-enchanting grin.

"Yeah okay," Luca mutters, taking ahold of my other hand and practically pulling me into his arms, glaring daggers over at his brother.

Jealous much.

Arsenio holds his hands up in a defensive manner, his silver eyes twinkling with pure delight. As Luca whisks me away from his little brother. I can't help but smirk at Luca's territorial behavior.

Luca notices this and rolls his eyes acting even more of a grump, he purses his lips in irritation.

"What?" He huffs.

"Nothing, I just think it's cute when you get jealous." I go to pinch his cheeks but he bats my hand away with a groan.

"I'm not cute, I'm sexy." Luca frowns whilst glancing down at me.

"Iris!" Comes Ezra squealing, she shoves Luca out of the way and launches herself unto me.

I stumble back almost landing on my ass as the small blonde holds me in a death grip like no other. She pulls back abruptly, starting to hop up and down like a puppy on cocaine, a wide excited smile on her face.

"Jesus Ezra, relax," Estevon says, hand in his pocket as he stroll up to us.

She scowls and waves her twin brother away before turning back to face me. "You look ah-mazing." She compliment, making me blush, flattered.

"And you look gorgeous, Ezra." I smile complimenting her as well.

She did look truly gorgeous, dressed in a floor-length emerald green lace dress with off the shoulder long sleeves that made her look both sophisticated yet still effortlessly sexy. Her blond hair was swept to the side resting on her shoulder, showcasing her neck which a set of diamonds shone from.

Her makeup wasn't as glittery and extravagant as I thought it would be instead it was a simple and natural look.

It was beautiful but really not what I'd expected from Ezra.

"Thanks." She chirps, a broad smile on her face though I did see her green eyes flicker over to a certain Prince who stood, chatting with rather posh men in neat suits.

"She's hoping Nikolai notices." Estevon snickers, grabbing a flute of champagne from a passing waiter.

"Am not," Ezra sulks like a small child an action which makes her brother roll his eyes at her childishness.

Estevon waves his sister off and turns his attention to me giving me a one of a kind smile, the smile which usually makes woman discard of their panties.

"¡Qué hermosa te ves!" Estevon utters in his foreign tongue, his tongue caressing each word bewitchingly. "My dearest, Iris, you are more radiant than a rose, rarer than a diamond. Absolutely nothing can ever compare to the beauty that is yours. The angels sing your praises-"

"Cristo, we get it Cassanova. She's beautiful, now get your hands off my wife." Luca hisses at his friend, his jaw clenched.

Estevon smirks and chuckles at Luca's behavior.

"Such a temper." Estevon gives a broad teasing smile, slapping Luca on the back, heartily. "Don't worry Luca, you look beautiful as well."

I bite my lip as not to laugh at Luca but I can't help myself, instead, I'm almost in pain from how hard I'm laughing at the annoyed look on Luca's face.

"Laugh all you want, tesoro." Luca grunts once I'd sobered up from my laughing fit, he looks ready to throw a tantrum.

Straightening up with an innocent smile, I lean in to press a kiss to his cheek when the little asshole moves his head to the side so that I kiss his lips rather than his cheek that I had intended for.

"Sneaky bastard." I breathe against his lips making him beam.

"Come on, I still need to introduce you to everyone else." Luca says, intertwining our fingers.

"We'll see you two later then, adiós." Estevon raises his two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute, Ezra however barely notices our goodbyes as she stares longingly at an oblivious Nikolai.

Poor girl.

"How long has she been in love with him?" I questions, quizzically after we've walked away, cocking my head a bit.

"For as long as I can remember." Luca shrugs, glancing back at the lovesick girl.

"And does Nico know?" I inquire and again he shrug though this time without a worded answer.

My train of thoughts are suddenly pushed aside as both men and women, both of his family and not of his family greets us, some hugging me, others giving me those fancy air kisses and generally, some fascinated by have never met me. They were all very nice yet still, Luca seemed on the edge especially everytime it was a group of men who were apart of his family.

They were quite odd and pretty vague, they all seemed to work together in the hushed family business and had great respect for Luca, his father, and his younger brother.

When we finally met his mother near the bar, she embraced me so hard I thought I would pass out from a lack of oxygen but thankfully, she let go before I could collapse.

She was very happy to see Luca and me, his father, however, greeted me yet it was not as gleeful as his wife. He pulled Luca off to the side leaving me by the bar with his mother and some very interesting women.

When he does come back to me he appears to be generally upset. Though he does try to cover it up it's not very successfully, smiling down at me, he outstretches his hand.

"Would you like to dance, amore?" Luca offers and I nod my head without a second thought. Taking his hand with a blush, I giggle softly as he leads me towards the dancefloor, the women voicing their awes.

I knew I loved you then

But you'd never know

'Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go

I knew I needed you

But I never showed

But I wanna stay with you

Until we're grey and old

Just say you won't let go

Just say you won't let go

Luca and I sway to the song, his hands on my waist securely and my arms wrapped around his neck. Resting my head on his chest I bite my lip, listening to the soothing rhythm of his heartbeat, my heart beating the very same tune.

The music stops and I lift my head from his chest as we watch Luca's mother usher up the stairs in her satin royal blue ball gown looking quite regal.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please take your seats. Dinner will be served in a few minutes but not to worry after dinner the party will go on." Luca's mother announces into the microphone a gentle smile on her face.

Luca takes my hand and we stroll towards a large table which I suppose were for the people of a higher esteem. There sat Luca's dad, mum, his brother, Ezra and Nikolai with about four chairs to spare.

As the gentleman he is, Luca withdraws my chair for me and I thank him with a small smile, pushing it back in once I've sat down.

Luca takes his seat on my left, immediately beside his brother, Arsenio, something Luca looked pretty peeved about. Nikolai sits across from me with a twinkle in his eye and a full-blown smile with Ezra next to him.

"Hello, kotek." Nico says his lips curving up into a smirk.

"Well hello to you too, dear Prince." I greet.

"Ah when did you too get so familiar?" Estevon cocks his brow as he walks up, pulling out his chair and sitting down at the table.

"None of your business, Esa." Nico shoots him a grin.

Shaking my head at the boys, I glance at the empty chair to my right wondering, who the space was being held for?

"Luca." I whisper.

Switching his gaze to me, he cock a brow in an inquiring manner, pointing at the chair I open my mouth to ask about the empty chair when Arsenio cuts in.

"I'm guessing the techie nerd isn't coming?" Arsenio's eyes scans the very same empty seat I'm staring at.

"He's not a nerd." Ezra defends, narrowing her eyes at Arsenio.

"I'm sorry, principessa, but not to offend you, the question was directed at the other men at this table." Arsenio remarks immediately, pursing his lips into a thin line. "Plus I thought your type were princes, not nerds."

He didn't seem to get along with Ezra much.

"That's a bit of a sexist comment, cabrón." Ezra bites out, her hands clenched into fists.

"You women and your feminism." He shakes his head in a manner of unbelievability, resting his chin on his fist which was propped up by the elbow on the table. "I wasn't trying to be sexist, Ezra."

"Sure, you weren't," Ezra mumbles as she raises her glass of water to her crimson red lips.

"No, uh... Zev is supposedly busy," Nikolai says, interrupting the two. "said it was his best friend's birthday and you know how he feels about her. He wouldn't miss that for the world."

Luca chuckles lightly as did everyone else well, everyone except me as I had no idea who the hell this Zev was.

Ignorance was not always bliss.

Our food is brought out soon after and I moan delightedly at the taste explosion that occurs within my mouth.

"May I have a bite, dolcezza?" Luca asks, an amused grin on his face.

"No." I giggle playfully holding my knife like a sword, as to protect my precious meal.

"That's not very fair, you ate some of mine."

"Yes because what's yours is mine but what's mine is ....mine." And with that point, I shovel a mouthful of steak into my mouth.

Luca roll his eyes at my clear restructure of the phrase. In an attempt to distract me he leans in and kisses me, trying to steal a bite from my plate.

"Get a room you two." Ezra scrunches her nose up in disgust.

"Don't be a hater, little sis." Estevon teases.

"I'm not hating....I'd just rather not see them fuck-" Luca's mother's head perks up at Ezra who freezes.

"Sorry, Mrs. D." Ezra apologizes, smiling sheepishly.

Luca's mother only shake her head and went back to chatting with her husband who seemed more concerned with each other than with any of us.

"You guys are just all jealous, little lumps." I remark with a slight quirk of my lips.

"Sì, that they are." Luca joins in, placing his hands on my face as he draws me in for yet another sweet kiss.

Nikolai scowls and raises his hand, signaling for a waiter who rushed over immediately. "Vă rog, can I get like a barf bag because I can't possibly bear to stomach this anymore?"

Dramatic much.

"Will you two horny kids go jump each other somewhere else?" Estevon shakes his head lips pressed into a thin line, grimacing in disgust at us.

Rolling my eyes at our over theatrical friends, I pull away from Luca which makes him grumble out a string of curses.

"Okay, we'll keep it PG, you old saps." I chuckle, crossing my arms over my chest.

Dinner calms down, we all talk and laugh, tossing back shots after shots.

The waiter places my slice of cheesecake before me and I grab my dessert fork, taking a bite of the appealing desert when I feel his hand rest on my leg.

Sending Luca a sharp look, he only winks and continues the conversation which happened at our table. The men and Ezra—the peppy girl, believe it or not possessed jaw dropping knowledge on cars—had started up a full-blown debate on classic versus modern day luxury cars, something I really didn't care much for.

My eyes scans the venue, watching the people who had already gone back to dancing as I chew somewhat lazily.

I almost choke, making an audible gagging sound on the fork when Luca's hand slips under my dress and strokes my bare thigh with his thumb.

Everyone at our table turns to look at me, their eyes filled with a questioning of my outburst. Waving them off I give them a quick smile.

Luca lowers his head as he looks at me his eyes filled with amusement instead of worry, he bites down on his lower lip and feigns a mocking concerned look.

"Are you okay, amore?"

"I'm fine." I say through gritted teeth, narrowing my eyes at the man who was clearly enjoying himself. "Just bit off more than I can chew."

"Well as I was saying," Mr. Donario looks between us with his unsettling grey eyes before steering right back on track with what he had been saying.

I turn my head, releasing a soft exasperated breath. Rubbing at my temple I feel him caressing his way up my thigh, his hand close to my weeping core that throbbed for his delightful touch.

I couldn't help but press myself against his hand wanting more even if we are sitting at a dinner table with his family and friends and I could have sworn I glimpsed it, the corner of his mouth tilting up into a victorious smirk before settling itself back into a passive line.

I am practically shaking with anticipation when Luca shifted my thong to the side, the cold breeze making me throb even harder.

"Luca, tell these piccole merde how classic cars are better than these new sports cars." Luca's dad quips up, his voice thick with his Italian accent, posing his question at Luca who has been the only one to not participate fully in the heated debate.

I feel his finger graze my wet folds, teasingly and he gives a small smile one which is two-sided.

"Personally, I prefer a good sports cars, though I don't mind a classic." He answers still not really getting into it, he has a finger at my entrance now and I'm dying. "To each there own, a classic has its good properties and so does a sports car."

"You still haven't said which is better, I say classic all the way." Arsenio pipes up leaning casually in his chair.

I was only half listening to what was said after that instead I'm screaming in my mind for Luca to just fucking touch me.

Squirming, I reach under the table and press his hand to where I need him most. Briefly, his eyes switch over to glance at me filled with an unquenchable desire.