Page 34 of Dirty Heirs

Aiden sat beside me at the football team’s table. Sonny was on my right, talking to one of the linebackers. None of the jocks commented about my family or the fact they didn’t want me sitting here. They sometimes nodded or said hello.

At least I was no longer invisible.

Aiden slid his hand to my thigh after eating a heaping plate of turkey and mashed potatoes. He did this every day like clockwork. Sometimes, he leaned in for a quick kiss.

“Wanna come to a painting class with Alex and me this weekend?”

I chewed the rest of my food and nodded. “Sure. Where are you going?”

“This place outside of Devil’s Creek called Paint It Black.” Aiden tapped his long fingers on my thigh. “Alex has been dying to go. And she’s excited about meeting you. She’s never had a girl friend before.”

“Me neither,” I admitted. “Yeah, that would be amazing. Count me in.”

I didn’t tell him my dad would probably insist my driver/bodyguard tagged along… just in case. We couldn’t be too careful after last year. The men who murdered my mother were still out there. They dropped off the grid after the attack. Her murder was unsolved, a mystery even to my father. So until they caught those monsters, my life was in danger.

I could be their next victim.

“Sweet.” Aiden gave me a boyish grin that reached his pretty blue eyes. “You’ll love Alex. She’s pretty much me in a skirt, no tats, and less of an attitude.”

I laughed. “I can’t imagine a female version of you.”

“She’s my better half,” he joked.

Aiden’s love for his sister was written all over his face. So I had to make a good impression. His sister was the number one person in his life, and I wanted to be part of his world. Even after weeks at this school, our paths still hadn’t crossed. Aiden wasn’t kidding when he said the Salvatore brothers ensured they had opposite schedules.

“Thanks for the invite,” Sonny said to Aiden, leaning over my lap to speak to him.

Aiden’s right eyebrow rose an inch. “Do you want to come, Pretty Boy? This isn’t a finger painting class.”

“I can’t go, anyway.” Sonny shoved a hand through his short, blond hair and smirked. “I have a football game on Saturday. Will I see you there?”

Aiden squeezed my leg. “Wanna go with me, Cinders?”

I glanced at Sonny, who smiled like an idiot, hoping we would say yes.

I bit my lip, looking at Sonny. “What time is your game?”

“Seven o’clock.” His hand glides across the back of my chair, smothering me with the scent of mint and bergamot. Sonny smelled expensive and so damn good I wanted to shove my face in the crook of his neck and breathe him in. “But the pre-game party starts in the parking lot around five.”

“Don’t the teachers catch you guys?”

He shook his head. “I don’t drink before games. And the teachers know better than to fuck with the Salvatores.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, confused about what football had to do with the Salvatores. He must have noticed my confusion because he added, “Luca and the other two idiots can do whatever they want without the administration freaking out.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“Anyway,” Sonny said, “They’re taking Alex to the game. You and Aiden can sit with them.”

Would my dad let me stay out all day and night? I hadn’t asked to hang out with a friend since middle school when Susie Weaver invited me to her pool party. It was a cruel joke to lure me to her house and make fun of me. I went home crying.

That was the first and last time I trusted anyone at school. I distanced myself even more than usual and gave up on trying to impress these people. I attended school with the same kids since first grade. Everyone knew everyone. And for me, that was not a good thing.

“Okay, yeah.” I forced a smile, praying my father would allow me to go to the painting class, let alone the game. “I’ll go and cheer for you.”

I knew nothing about football, only that Sonny was one of the best tight ends in the state. He and Marcello were a big deal around here. People called them the Dream Team. College scouts came to their games to watch them play.

Aiden clutched my chin from the side, turning my head toward him, and sucked my bottom lip into his mouth. I could taste the gravy and potatoes on his tongue, mixed with his usual scent.

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