“How’s married life treating you?” Max asked.
The loaded question gave him pause. “Good.”
His friend raised a brow. “Why do I think there’s something deeper going on here? you’re not the type to rush into a wedding, since the word commitment used to give you a nasty rash. Love at first sight?”
He wished he could confess the truth. He was one hot mess. Making love to his wife last night had transcended their usual bedroom games. Things were changing, fast, and the slippery slope kept inclining in a mad rush to toss him off. Sawyer took another sip of beer. “Something like that.”
His friend stared at him long and hard. “you know you can talk to me, right? I know Julietta is Carina’s sister, but if I thought you were a piece of shit I would’ve boarded the plane ASAP to break it up. I saw you together. She’s the one.”
Sawyer raised his gaze, startled. “What makes you say that after a few hours?”
Max shrugged. “A connection. The way you look at each other. And you seem different. Less—”
“What?”
“Haunted.”
Sawyer jerked. He opened his mouth to respond, but Michael and Nick slid into the booth with their beers.
“What are we talking about?” Michael interjected.
Max rolled his eyes. “Women. What else?”
“Bunch of pansies,” Nick muttered. “Hey, speaking of women, aren’t we running late? We’re supposed to pick them up at five, right? Who has a watch?”
The other two men glanced at their designer Zannetti watches. “yeah, we’ll finish our beers and head back,”
Michael noted. “I never go out anymore. Do you?”
Max and Nick shook their heads. “Nope. Not that I partied hard before, but after the kids came, it’s too crazy. I’m lucky to have some quality time with Alexa.”
“Same thing with Maggie. Those boys are a hell of a lot of work. Worth everything, though. How about you, Max?
I bet you’re still hitting fabulous parties and living high.”
Max snorted. “Are you kidding me? We’re not planning to have kids till next year, and we’re already exhausted. our work schedules are insane, and we tire out at ten. Pathetic.”
Sawyer grunted. “Look at you. Finally out for a few drinks with the guys, and you’re whining. Let’s enjoy it. Live it up a bit. Hell, for my excitement, I’m looking forward to a Rocky marathon with Julietta and Wolfe.”
“I love Balboa. Italian Stallion. Never gets old,” Nick said.
“Nah, anyone see Road House? Now that’s a quality movie,” Max ventured.
Sawyer bobbed his head and drained his beer. Put up a finger for another. “Women don’t get the real gist behind that movie. A shame.”
“I’m a Tarantino convert,” Michael said. “He’s a genius.
Reservoir Dogs. Django.”
“Alexa gives me a hard time. Says he’s too violent.”
The men all groaned in agreement. And ordered another round.
When they finally got to Mama Conte’s house, Sawyer sensed trouble. He knew they were late but figured the women would be flexible. After all, how often did their husbands get out for some quality male conversation?
Michael paused before opening the door. He blinked and swayed a bit on his feet. “How late are we really?”
Nick laughed. Seemed like Nick was laughing a lot lately, and the guy wasn’t the giggly type. “Just an hour.
or two. I lost track after the third extra round. That damn funicular should have a warning sign. I almost got killed.”
Sawyer did a quick body scan. Definitely a bit off, but not drunk. No one was really drunk. Why was Michael just standing there? “Dude, aren’t you going to open the door?”
Nick pressed his ears to the heavy wood. “I don’t hear anything. How come the kids aren’t screaming?”
Max rubbed his forehead. “I have a bad feeling about this. This stinks of a setup. Do you think they’ll be unrea-sonable because we’re a little late?”
Michael groaned. “Maggie’s probably stirring them up.”
Sawyer let out a breath. “Guys, get it together. Let’s go in, tell them we lost track of time, and then take them to dinner. Are you afraid of your own wives?”
The looks on their faces screamed yes, but male pride forced them to grunt. Michael pushed open the door.
The scene was not good.
Maggie, Carina, Alexa, and Julietta all sat in the living room facing the open hallway, dressed in killer heels and little black dresses. The sweet scent of musk and spice drifted in the air along with another, fainter smell.
Female rage.
Their expressions all matched. Accusation peppered the men like ammo from a paintball gun, stinging and re-minding them that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
or a woman waiting to be fed. Sawyer glanced at the male crew. The magnitude of their error seemed to hit them all at once. He stepped forward to try and smooth things out.
Julietta met him halfway. The long naked length of her legs got him dizzy. Her hair swung in a rich cloud of dark waves over her bare shoulders. The tiny scrap of fabric hugging her hips and stopping midthigh was an intricate mixture of black lace that played a wicked game of hide-and-go-seek that he desperately wanted to win. She wore a deep red lipstick that plumped her lush mouth and gleamed moist and wet under the light.
“Don’t.” She put up a hand. “We’ve been waiting for three hours. Max’s mother finally left. Mama finally got the kids settled, but the twins keep waking up because it’s a strange place, and Lily peed the bed and we had to refix our hair and makeup at least three times.”
Alexa narrowed her eyes and pinned Nick to the wall.
“you’re drunk.”
“No not.”