Blurred Lines 1: CHASE
Chapter 137

~Chase-

The wedding was not traditional by any means. It was far from the glamorous one we had planned for six months, but it was perfect. Even the venue and the weather were spot on. I've always loved the weather in Rio. When the sun hangs on the horizon before it sets, the air becomes cozy, a perfect blend of warm air with erratic chilling wind brought by the ocean breeze from time to time.

Candles inside glasses littered the deck's floor while lanterns, vines with purple and white flowers hung from the pergola, and thin white sheets wrapped around the wooden poles extended to the roof swayed with the wind. Tables covered in white linen dotted the edges of the deck, leaving the center open for anyone who wanted to dance.

Sofia was dancing with Leo, and Dad swung around with Elise in his arms. Julian refused to be carried like a child, though. He dragged a chair to the center of the dance floor, and his chosen partner, Georgia, rocked with him patiently to the tune of Rihanna's We Found Love.

"Regretting your decision yet?" Eros teased, leaning beside me on the railings and setting a bottle of whiskey on the table next to us. He filled two glasses with the golden liquid, passing over one to me. Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on FindNovel.net. Visit FindNovel.net to read the complete chapters for free. Most of the guys, including me, have discarded our suits, bows, and ties, but Eros changed into a gray shirt and jeans. I considered myself lucky he even wore a suit at the wedding ceremony.

Accepting the glass, I glared at him. Before I even admitted to myself that I had feelings for Sofia, he already knew I was head over heels in love with her.

"You and Jessica gonna get married next?" I punched back.

Eros growled, his gaze sliding toward Jessica's table. She was speaking with Ana and Mich, laughing at something Mich said. As if she felt our gaze, she turned in our direction and glowered at Eros. "Annoying blond," Eros murmured, facing the beach, tucking his hands in his pocket.

"Ah, man.... This is gonna be good," I mumbled, eyes dropping at Sofia. She was still dressed in the wedding gown Carlota provided. Her hair was out of its braids, falling in waves over her shoulder. This was the happiest I've ever seen her since we set foot in Rio. She radiates with happiness and contentment; it was f*****g contagious.

"The fuck are you talking about?" Eros' beast-like growl pulled me from watching my woman. He huffed and looked over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes on Jessica, then released another huff as he faced the waters again.

"I've never seen you reject someone like you rejected Jessica," I explained, turning to the waters as well.

I've known Eros for a long time, and I've never seen him act the way he did with Jessica before. He's the cool one, the life of the party, and always ready to mingle. Though he rarely fuck around, he had some constant booty calls whenever he needed someone to spend the night with. In his line of work, he had to be careful of who he chose to be with, whether women, companions, or business associates.

"That girl's fucking trouble," he said, finishing the last of his whiskey.

My brows furrowed. "Girl? She's the same age as my wife."

Fuck! I sucked in a heavy breath, feeling lightheaded for a moment. I had to hold on to the railings. We're f*****g married. This was real. I glanced down at my left hand, our wedding band shining against the setting sun's glow.

"Sofia's mature enough to handle shitty stuff," he murmured. "Blondie? I don't think so."

So Jessica indeed caught his eyes. He wouldn't push someone like Jessica away without reason. She was his type, after all.

"There's no harm in trying," I pressed. Though I personally disliked Jessica for threatening to cut off my balls if I hurt Sofia, things have changed. She grew on me, just a tiny bit. My daughter adores her and Georgia, plus she's been there for Sofia when I wasn't. She's still annoying, though.

Eros shook his head. "There's no place for love in my life," he said. "Not then, especially not now."

"What do you mean?" I asked, catching sight of Carlota walking down the lawn on the side of the beach house, then disappearing behind the tree line.

"Nikos is working with Bunko," Eros murmured. "That's why his people called him Don."

I turned to Eros. "Bunko?"

He nodded, his brows creasing as Derek walked the path Carlota had taken. I knew something was off with those two, but I don't know what. Derek had always been adamant about keeping Eros and Carlota away from his family, but this was different. Something definitely happened between them. Glancing at Eros, he seemed to have an idea of what was going on between them. Nothing gets past his prying eyes, especially when it comes to his little sister. If he was worried or bothered about it, he didn't show it. Instead, he turned to the table beside us and filled his glass with whiskey, the amber liquid sloshing against the glass.

"Bunko," Eros parroted. "As his name suggests, everything about him is dirty. He makes money from scraps left by the big fish on top of the food chain. They're clearly using each other, but with Nikos' money and connection backing him up, Bunko became a big shot in just over a year. To cut the long story short, Bunko made Nikos the Don of his family by name."

"How did you know all this?" I asked, taking a sip of my whiskey. I'd been watchful of my alcohol intake. It was my wedding night, and I planned to make the most out of it.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I have eyes and ears everywhere, Chase. Bunko will dispose of Nikos once he's done sucking all he could take from him. But Nikos is smart. He's already building a good foundation right where he is. I'm waiting for their tandem to crack and get my hands on Nikos." He slapped a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it. "Don't worry about him. I've got that fucker covered. Consider it a wedding gift."

His words were enough to pacify the nagging worry in my chest. Nikos was able to blindside us because we knew nothing about him. Now that we know what he could do, we could prepare for his next move or, better yet, strike him at his home court. "I'll help however I can," I patted his shoulder. "And thank you for helping keep my family safe."

"Your family is my family too, Chase," he murmured, tossing back the content of his glass. "Now I have to keep an eye on my sister."

I chuckled and watched him follow the trail Carlota and Derek took. I guess he does care about what's going on between them.

"Chase," Rafa approached me with a grim look, shooting worry down my spine.

"What's up?"

He glanced around before handing his phone. "The testing center sent their report."

My heart thudded in my chest as I scanned the DNA result, my eyes landing on Sofia. She immediately caught on my reaction and excused herself from Leo, coming to my side. "What's going on?" "Cyrus isn't mine," I said, giving her Rafa's phone.

In my heart, I already consider Cyrus mine. I wanted him to be mine.

Sofia handed Rafa his phone and threw her arms around my waist, burying her face in my chest. "It's okay."

"Hey," Sofia plonked on the sand beside me. "Drink with me?" She handed over a beer.

The perspiration on the bottle soothed my hand as I accepted it. "Thanks."

"Everyone already left," she murmured.

I heard the last car roll out of the driveway thirty minutes ago. Mom and Dad took Elise with them. Our flight to Croatia will leave tomorrow evening, but they wanted to give us time to celebrate this day.

"I'm sorry," I said, nudging Sofia's shoulder. The news about Cyrus hit me harder than it should have. The sad part was Sammy was already dead. I had nowhere to pin my anger.

"I feel you," she nudged my shoulder back. "I wanted him to be yours... be ours."

A stiff silence befalls us. The ocean waves, the insects, and the blowing wind were the only sound around us. She leaned her head on my shoulder, curling her hands around my arms. "Georgia wanted to adopt Cyrus," she said.

"Yeah?" This was news to me, but Georgia would be a great parent to Cyrus. It would also help her move on.

Sofia nodded. "Georgia and Rafa wanted me to talk to you about it. If you're okay with it, they'll ask for Eros' help about Samuel."

"Even though he wasn't mine, I feel some kind of connection to Cyrus. I was actually thinking of adopting him, but Georgia and Rafa will be wonderful parents to him."

"Whatever you decide, Chase, you'll always have my support."

Abandoning the beer bottle, I scooped Sofia onto my lap. The beer spilled on the sand as I repositioned Sofia until she was straddling me.

My eyes roamed around her face, the soft edge of her jaw, full lips begging to be kissed, and piercing blue eyes pinning me with the same scrutinizing gaze. I cupped her face, running the pad of my thumb over her lips. "How did I get so lucky to have you?"

If she were any other woman, she'd be over the moon knowing Cyrus wasn't mine. But Sofia's big heart was like mine; she already considered Cyrus part of our family.

A blush spread on her cheeks. She slid her hands over my shoulder, playing with the ends of my hair with her fingers. "I'm the one who's lucky, Chase," she sighed, her eyes dilated. "I just married the man of my dreams!"

My brows arched, a haughty smirk tipping my lips. "Man of your dreams, huh?"

She nodded, her blush deepened. "I've had a crush on you since I was thirteen. But you always see me as your kid sister." She rolled her eyes. "That's why I was hurt when you disappeared without even saying goodbye."

"No wonder you had googly eyes when you set foot in my office," I murmured, my smile widening. Sofia slapped my shoulder. "Aw, what was that for?" I asked, burying my face in the crook of her neck, my hands sliding down her sheer top to her a*s. The fabric was so thin I could see the outline of her b****t, her nipples punching against the fabric.

I lowered my mouth to capture one of her dusky peaks, biting down on it.

Fuck! She gyrated above me, rubbing her barely clothed center over my d**k.

"Hmm..." she moaned when I squeezed her a*s, moving her over my c**k. "Chase..."

"I asked you a question," I said in between raining kisses on the exposed skin of her collarbone and chest. I tugged her shirt lower until I could kiss the swell of her b****t.

"Make love to me, Mr. Montiero," she whimpered, raking her fingers through my hair.

"As you wish, Mrs. Montiero," I lifted her gently and laid her on the sand, gazing down at her as the moon shone above us. "You are truly mine, are you?"

She lifted her left hand between us, lacing it with mine. My heart thrashed against my chest cavity, watching her kiss my wedding band. This still felt like a dream, one I didn't want to wake up from.

"I'm yours 'til death do us part."

~END~