Page 6 of Untouchable

“He isn’t coming, is he?” I ask, my vision starting to blur from unshed tears.

Uncle Gio gives me that same pitiful smile as he pulls me in for a tight hug before he speaks.

“He said that he didn’t want to get you sick. Stomach bug came on this afternoon.”

“And did he mention why he hasn’t even wished me a happy birthday, let alone told me this himself?”

He stays silent for a moment before he pulls back to look down at me with furrowed brows, his strained smile slipping off his face as he shakes his head. I take a step back and turn on my heels, determined to run away from this train wreck of a party. I unfortunately don’t get very far before the extravagant detailed lace trim of my dress gets caught in my 6-inch Jimmy Choo’s and I begin to fall to the floor.

I squeeze my eyes shut, preparing myself for the pain of the impact, but it never comes. I peek my eyes open to realize that a strong pair of arms are wrapped around my waist.

“Whoa there. Are you okay?” A smooth voice asks.

I blink my eyes rapidly, still trying to banish my tears away as I turn to see a tall man in his early 20’s with dirty blond hair perfectly trimmed short on the sides and longer on top. He is wearing a crisp black tuxedo that looks expensive and absolutely divine stretched across his lean muscles. He has soft brown eyes that look like melted chocolate while his warm smile showcases his perfect teeth.

“Miss?” He asks again, his smile getting a little wider by my blatant perusal.

“Oh. Uh yeah. I am fine. Thank you for, uh, catching me.”

Wow. Hopefully I am not expected to give a speech tonight if that is how my communication skills are looking.

“My pleasure,” he smiles softly before he rights me until I am perfectly balanced. I notice that his hands linger on my waist for a second longer than probably necessary. I also don’t miss the fact that a soft buzzing feeling against my skin is instantly gone when his touch is removed. It isn’t as intense as the near electrical zap that I get from Alessandro’s touch, but the feeling alone has me more than interested as to who this stranger is.

“I’m Aiden,” he says, keeping his captivating smile in place.

“Seraphina.”

His eyebrows raise. “So, you are the birthday girl.”

I let out a dry laugh and shrug. “I guess so.”

Aiden’s smile softly fades as he reaches up and brushes away a stray tear falling down my cheek with his thumb.

“Now tell me, why is the birthday girl crying? Do I need to beat someone up?” He teases with a wink.

A laugh bubbles out of my chest before I have the chance to stop it. The idea of anyone beating up Alessandro is fairly comical since he has been a heavily trained solider for years now. But I can’t deny that Aiden’s offer is pretty tempting right now.

“Maybe another time,” I say with a small smile.

Aiden nods as he straightens his suit jacket almost like he is relieved. “Good, I wouldn’t want to get blood on my suit. My parents would kill me.”

Another laugh escapes me as I smile, more genuinely this time and nod as he shoots me a wink. I almost forget, just for a moment, why I was even crying in the first place.

“Is it too forward of me to ask you to save me a dance?” He asks with a swoon worthy smile.

My heart flutters at how sweet it is to be asked and something inside of my stomach dips at the way he is looking at me.

“Not at all. I was just about to head inside.”

“Do you have an escort?”

I bite my lower lip and shake my head as my smile begins to fade. Aiden’s, however, comes out in full force as his eyes light up. He bows like a renaissance man before offering his elbow to me.

“Well, I would be honored to escort you, Miss Seraphina.”

I smirk softly and shake my head as I loop my arm through his. “Are you always this proper?”

He laughs softly. “Not at all. Just trying to be charming, is it working?”

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