Page 34 of Untouchable

“Where are you right now?” He asks.

“In the car.”

“Heading where? Your dad told us about what happened at the Jacobson estate.”

I open my mouth to tell him that we are going to the lake house when Alessandro reaches over and squeezes my thigh tightly. My eyes glance over to see him shaking his head roughly. I furrow my brows in question, but he only squeezes tighter and shakes his head again, giving me a look that is demanding that I listen to him. Normally, I would tell him to fuck off, but for some reason I feel like it isn’t a good idea to say over the phone where we are going. Who knows who could be listening, right?

“I don’t know,” I lie. “Alessandro won’t tell me. He just said somewhere safe.”

“Fucking asshole,” Aiden curses violently.

“Tell me about it,” I smirky slyly, reveling in the fact that Alessandro’s knuckles turn white around the steering wheel at my words.

“I want you away from him. You should never have been left alone with him in the first place. And who the fuck is he to tell me when I can and can’t talk to my girl?” He barks.

“Babe, calm down. He is a royal ass, but he is keeping me safe.”

“That is my job!” Aiden argues, sounding more angry than protective.

“I know,” I coo softly. “Just get back already and come get me, please.”

“I will, baby. I promise. Let me know where you are when you get there, okay?”

“Okay,” I say as I look over at Alessandro who shakes his head again, like that is something that will not be happening.

“Stay safe, I love you,” Aiden says.

I glance over to see Alessandro now watching me intently. For some reason it feels wrong to say something so private with Alessandro’s menacing glare heavily trained on me. So, I turn my head to face the window and whisper, “You too.”

I hang up quickly after and put the phone back into the center console. We don’t say anything, and it takes me a few minutes to realize that one of Alessandro’s hands is still resting on my thigh. The heat that his palm is radiating seeps through my thin sweatpants and the contact alone sends an all too familiar tingling up my leg. He must realize it too in the same moment because he quickly rips his hand away and wraps it tightly around the steering wheel.

I can’t help but notice what feels like disappointment pangs through my chest. I know that we aren’t friends or anything but am I really so horrible that he can’t even stand to touch me consciously? My thoughts sink in making me feel instantly sick. How awful am I being to Aiden? I am disappointed because another man stopped touching my thigh? Alessandro Cordova, of all people! Fuck, get it together Seraphina.

Chapter Fifteen

Alessandro

Seraphina is still facing her window and that is fine by me. I don’t need the extra distraction of trying to entertain her…or getting lost in her annoyingly beautiful eyes. Fuck. I have got to pull my shit together. I have a job to do, a mission to complete. That mission is just making sure that I keep Seraphina and myself alive long enough so that we can figure out what the hell is going on.

This is the closest that I have been to her for an extended amount of time in years. It is proving to be a little more challenging than I was originally anticipating. I kept my distance all this time for a reason. It was the best for both of us. But for now, distance isn’t possible. So, we will just have to deal with it, I guess.

My jaw grits in irritation as I think about her previous conversation withAiden. Of course, he would bitch and moan to her about me not letting him talk to her last night. He is fucking pathetic. If he wasn’t so motherfucking annoying, I might be amused by how damn insecure he clearly is about Seraphina being around me. It has me wondering if it is something to do with me specifically, or if he knows that any man out there would make him pale in comparison.

She doesn’t see what a leach he is, a lot of people don’t, but the prick doesn’t fool me. I knew from that first dinner when I came face to face with him that he was scum. I went to the gym right after and sparred with Seth and Drew until I could hardly breathe trying desperately to get the images of him and Seraphina together out of my brain.

I don’t know what I am walking into. I mean, I have an idea. I got every ounce of information that I could from Drew, Seth and Antonio the day after Seraphina’s birthday party. They all told me that Seraphina spent the entire night with a guy, dancing and smiling. Then they suddenly disappeared together. Drew practically tore the house apart until he found them in the kitchen kissing.

Fuck.

Just picturing her kiss another man has my stomach rolling and my chest aching painfully. Why the hell would she do that? Who the fuck even is this guy? According to Drew, his name is Aiden Ferguson, the governor’s son. How could my Bella do this to me? My Bella wouldn’t. But she isn’t my Bella anymore, she can’t be.

It’s been 2 weeks since Seraphina’s birthday, 2 weeks since she was ripped out of my life, or rather, since I ripped her out of my life. It had to be done. We were about to cross a line. We were on a path that would have destroyed us both in the long run. Any doubts I had in Drew’s words about Seraphina never settling down with someone like me was obliterated when she did the exact thing that he predicted. A guy with all the right connections to benefit the family stepped in and took Seraphina like she had always belonged to him. At least, that is how Drew explained it.

I didn’t show for her sake, and mine, I guess. But now that I am standing outside of the Mariano’s sprawling mansion, I can’t ignore the gnawing feeling in my gut that I fucked up. It’s too late now to dwell on it though. I skipped last week’s dinner and my father explained that my presence was mandatory this week. So, hardening my resolve, I push down all of the aching feelings inside of me as I let my impassive mask slide into place.

When I step into the dining room, I see the usual sight. My father lovingly kissing the side of my mother’s head, the twins messing with Antonio while Aunt Ashlynn fusses over Mateo and Emilio and the Boss taking it all in with just the hint of a pleased smirk.

What is new, however, is that the seat to Seraphina’s left, the one that is usually reserved for me, is occupied. A blonde guy around my age is sitting next to Seraphina, smiling at her with what I assume he thinks is a charming smile before he winks at her. The blush staining her cheeks confirms who he is, even though I have had Aiden Ferguson’s face burned into my brain for 2 weeks after I pulled together every piece of information that I could on him. From what I found and what I see now, I am not impressed.

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