“Bryce’s eldest brother, Atticus,” Matteo informed her dryly when he noticed her staring at the other man. “The four men with him are more of Bryce’s brothers and their wives or partners. Standing next to them, because they’re good friends of Bryce’s, is Gregori Markovic and Nikolai Volkov and their wives.”
Grace shifted her gaze to the blond-haired man and the dark-haired one, both of them devastatingly handsome. She also knew them to be the head of the Russian bratva and his second and head of security.
She shook her head. “I would comment on the strange friends your brother-in-law has, but…” She gave Matteo a pointed glance. “It’s like a meeting of the London crime bosses in here! All you need are the heads of the Irish, Romanian, and the Albanian syndicates, and you’ll have a full set.”
“Could we not discuss such things at my sister’s wedding?” Matteo requested firmly.
She winced when she saw that his mouth had tightened and his gaze grown glacial. “I’m sorry.” She had spoken more out of self-consciousness than any intention of being insulting. “I’m a little nervous,” she admitted. They had been garnering more than their share of curious glances as they crossed the room together.
Matteo’s expression immediately softened. “Don’t be.” He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “My sister will enjoy meeting you, and the rest of us are only here to give our good wishes to Bella and Bryce on their wedding day.”
It was still more than a little unnerving to know there were so many powerful and dangerous men in the room.
Powerful and dangerous men, Grace realized as she watched them, who were all deeply in love with, and eager to please, the woman standing at their side. Not in a pussy-whipped way; it was just easy to see they were deeply in love with their women and didn’t care who knew it.
That was a surprise to Grace. The arguments she remembered between her father and mother had all been related to the fact her father professed to love her mother in private but treated her like shit whenever his men or male friends were around. When her mother told him she couldn’t live like that anymore and she was leaving him, he had shot her and then himself. Robbing Grace of both her parents had been his ultimate act of selfishness, as far as she was concerned.
“Earth to Grace.”
She dragged her thoughts back from the past to realize they were now standing in front of Matteo’s sister. “Sorry.” She smiled brightly. “Your dress is absolutely beautiful,” she complimented once Matteo had introduced the two women.
“Thank you.” Bella beamed, a dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty. “I’m so pleased you were able to join us.”
“You are?”
Bella nodded. “I told Matteo to invite you but had no idea whether or not he had.” She gave a shake of her head. “Men can be so secretive at times!”
“He did invite me, but I hadn’t told him yes or no.”
“Well, I’m so glad you decided on yes. My big brother has been like a bear with a sore head all day.”
“He has?”
Bella nodded. “Did you like the flowers he gave you, and did he grovel?”
Grace’s eyes widened as she slowly turned to look at Matteo. She knew he’d taken advice from his brother-in-law, but exactly how much had he told his sister? Hopefully not the reason he’d needed to buy her flowers in the first place!
Matteo held both hands up defensively. “I didn’t tell her a thing.”
Bella giggled. “He really didn’t. I only overheard the part of the conversation where Bryce was telling him he needed to buy you flowers to apologize and to grovel while doing it. A lot.”
Grace gave Matteo a mocking glance before answering the other woman. “Unfortunately, I crushed most of the flowers when Matteo pushed me facedown over my own desk. But he did get down on his knees after that. Although I’m pretty sure there was no groveling involved. Does that count?” she asked innocently.
“What the fu—” Matteo cut off his expletive as, after a short, stunned silence, Bella began to laugh.
In fact, his sister laughed so hard and for so long as Matteo felt his face suffuse with heat, he could see there were tears running down Bella’s cheeks by the time she was able to talk again. “You’ll do nicely, Grace Morrissey.” Bella squeezed the other woman’s arm. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She glanced across the room. “I believe it’s time for me to join my husband for the first dance of the evening.”
“My God,” Matteo murmured appreciatively once a glowing Bella had left them to join Bryce on the dance floor. “There’s a naughty edge to you that’s so fucking sexy, I want to take you right here and right now.”
It was Grace’s turn to laugh.
Chapter Nine
“So you and Matteo are together?”
Grace turned from watching Matteo as he performed his brother—rather than father—of the bride dance with Bella. She had been right, Matteo had a natural grace and rhythm that allowed him to move easily and assuredly as he guided his sister around the dance floor. With no bride’s parents present, Bryce was dancing with his mother.
The smile faded from Grace’s lips when she found herself looking at the blond-haired man Matteo had told her was Nikolai Volkov, second-in-command and head of security for the Russian bratva. “I wouldn’t say that, no,” she answered guardedly.
Pale blue eyes narrowed in a handsome face that was all sharp angles. “Then what would you say?”
She shrugged. “That Matteo invited me to join him for the evening, and I accepted.”
“You—”
“Excuse us, Nikolai,” the man Matteo had told her was Atticus Steele, one of Bryce’s brothers, cut in. “This is our dance, I believe?” He held out his arm to
