Stolen Sighs (Mafia Romance)

Ch 9: Always

Nathan

The music soared through the room in that familiar classic tempo that many saw as the very opportunity to grab a partner and follow the notes around the dance floor.. Violins sweetened the tones while the piano lifted them, on and on, slipping from a minute to the next, and effortlessly having me drift away in my own damned mind.

Kristin played the piano. Not that I had heard her in years, but I knew she practiced when she was younger. She could play a night and a day and I could listen every second of it. It seemed like the only melody I could really focus on. Everything else sounded the same to me.

That night was hers. The night she would remember her whole life. An engagement was a life-long promise in the world we lived in. I was glad she was at least happy. Even though she had doubts, her happiness was the only thing that mattered. And no matter how little trust I had in Montgomery, I was not going to stand in her way. That night I promised I wouldn't, no matter how much the fool bothered me.

Why they chose to have the engagement party at the house, I couldn't really understand. The place was enormous, the back gardens as wide as some parks, and there was no doubt in that, but I had considered that George would do as much as to at least give her that privilege to make the choice herself. He didn't.

However, what mattered was that Krissy was enjoying herself, and no one could deny that. Her eyes sparkled from the fairy lights Julia had arranged around the garden, her laughter filled the air more melodically than the music itself.. The slight breeze played with the soft waves of all that gold and amber that her hair was, the wild locks that tumbled all the way down her lower back..

She was exquisite that night.. From the crimson velvet that laid over her body like a second skin, to the same rubiness of her lips that constantly curled into smiles. One could only stop and stare.. Wish to cause another one of those captivating gurgles of laughter in her throat, and proudly admire when it was a success.

Jackson Montgomery however, stuck to his modesty and gentle manners that seemed to have her grin all the same. It was apparently his night as well. He was taking the sacred fortune of that della Broderies.. The beauty of Chicago. So that pride and delight in his eyes was undeniable.

But no matter how hard I tried, the fool sickened me. I did not like him. Oh, not at all. The sham was radiating off him and George was blind not to see it. He may had needed an alliance, but he was making it with the wrong one. Montgomery was nothing but a criminal with a tie, and hell perhaps all of us were, but he had something suspicious about him that I intended to get to the end of.

He was dancing with Kristin and while many joined, others observed. I was one of those on the side, with brandy in my hand and too much on my mind to follow anything but the little show that everyone seemed to be enjoying. The bastard had clung her against him in the most indecent way, definitely causing scandal that would go on for weeks, if not months.

The smile that stretched her red lips when he leaned closer to her ear burned my chest harsher than the whiskey did. It was not alright. Hell, it was everything but alright for him to show such intimacy when she was barely his fiancée. I could feel the fury thrive at the pit of my stomach like a ball of fire. The fool knew nothing of respect.

"They do make a wonderful couple, though, don't they?" Charlotte, the redhead Kristin had introduced me to at the beginning of the night was saying something, but I was hardly following. Unfortunately, she didn't have an off button once she started talking. "What do you think he's whispering to her? He could be making promises for their wedding night, I think men tend to do that, you know, once it's love at first sight,"