“Well, I am not ready to leave yet. So, you can just go wait in the car.”
Alessandro blinks slowly as he stares at me. His eyes soon drift over to Aiden, narrowing in on him like he can see exactly what we were just doing if he looks hard enough. Aiden doesn’t give him the time of day though as he stands up and slips his arm around my shoulder, bringing me close to his side.
“It’s late, baby. You should probably head home before your parents start to worry.”
I turn to Aiden, my lips forming into a pout as my eyebrows draw together. That is the one bad thing about Aiden, he is too nice. He is always concerned about staying in my parents’ good graces even if that means giving up time with me.
“But-” I start, when he holds up a finger to my lips.
“Hey, what did we talk about with the pouting?” He scolds with a half a smile before it turns into a full one. “Give me a smile.”
I try to fight it, but it never works. His smiles are practically infectious. My frown begins to crack until I am grinning up at him like an idiot. Aiden leans down and captures my lips one more time when a door slams.
Breaking apart, I see that the doorway is empty, at least for a few moments before Seth pokes his head in.
“Come on, Trouble. The Boss has been calling every 5 minutes.”
I groan and roll my eyes before wrapping my arms around Aiden. He gives me another quick kiss before cupping my jaw.
“Text me when you get home?” He asks.
I nod with a small smile before I grab my purse and head towards the door. Seth and Aiden nod at each other respectfully as Seth steps aside to let me through the doorway before following me out. We walk through the practically silent mansion to the front door. Nicholas and Bethany, Aiden’s parents, went to bed a little after dinner while Aiden and I decided to watch a movie to try to spend a little more time together.
Seth and I step outside as we make our way towards the all too familiar black SUVs parked in the driveway. One for me to ride in and one to follow us. I have three personal bodyguards. THREE! It is ridiculous and I have begged and pleaded at least a hundred times for my father to ease up. Antonio only has one and that is only occasionally. But no, not me.
I am never allowed to be in a car that isn’t driven by one of the guys, not even by Aiden, not even by myself! A 20-year-old woman should be allowed some freedoms you would think, but not if Luca Mariano has anything to say about it.
As if having three men shadowing every step of my life wasn’t bad enough, the men that were assigned for the job just so happen to be Seth, Drew and Alessandro. The first two are fine but the latter is less than ideal. When I first complained about it, my father asked if there was a reason that Alessandro wouldn’t be able to keep me safe. I didn’t know what to say to that because even though he is now a total ass to me, he takes his job very seriously.
So, Alessandro and I settle for ignoring each other. I hoped that after years of getting the cold shoulder from him, the pain would start to ease, and it has some, I guess. It is only an occasional ache now instead of a crippling pain. Not that I would ever let even that show.
“You know, you shouldn’t push him,” Seth says almost to himself behind me.
I turn around and raise an eyebrow in question. He is looking at me with his signature smirk as we head towards the cars. I am about to open my mouth and ask him what he is even talking about or who he is talking about but decide to shrug it off instead.
Drew gets out of the passenger seat of the first car and comes to open the back door for me. He dips his head respectfully as I come to stand in front of him.
“Hello, little flame,” Drew says lowly, a small smile playing on his lips that only seems to pop out on rare occasions.
I smile and shake my head as I slide into the back seat. “Hey Drew.”
Ever since I have known him, he has always called me little flame. Seraphina means fiery, so I guess it is appropriate. But I think that it is more of a nod to my hot head temper when things don’t go my way. I have my father to thank for that inherited trait.
Seth keeps going to the car in the back as Drew shuts my door and hops into the front seat. I pull out my phone so that I don’t have to look at the brooding jackass in the driver’s seat. As soon as Drew’s car door thunks shut, we are off. A little faster than normal. When we go around a corner, I tip over for a second, righting myself quickly.
“Buckle your fucking seat belt,” Alessandro grits between clenched teeth.
I roll my eyes at his typical asshole tone before reaching for the seatbelt. Drew looks back to make sure I am buckled in, shooting me a half smile before he looks at Alessandro.
“Slow the fuck down or they will be peeling us up off the pavement. And don’t fucking speak to her like that or you will have more than the Boss to fucking deal with,” he promises lowly.
Alessandro grunts in response and I almost expect him to ignore him completely, but I do feel the car slow down a bit. Drew is always coming to my rescue when Alessandro and I are at each other’s throats. Since he is Alessandro’s friend, I assumed that he would hold the same burning hate that Alessandro clearly has for me, but he doesn’t at all. If anything, he acts like the peacekeeper between us. But instead of keeping the peace, he usually just tells him to stop being such a dick to me.
On our way back, I take advantage of the dark car to sneak a peek of Alessandro. His hands are clenched tightly around the steering wheel, his movements rigid and jerky. What the hell happened to him? He used to be so fun. So wonderful, so kind. It’s a shame he turned out to be nothing but a bastard and a huge disappointment.
Chapter Six
Seraphina