Page 166 of Kissing the Villain

Marcello’s laughter shook through me. “The movie version isn’t the same as Homer’s poem.”

I rolled onto my side so I could see his face. “What themes do you like in the book?”

Marcello turned his intense gaze on me, searing my skin with one look. “Homer’s story focuses on the glory of war, fate,mortality, honor, duty, friendship… and love.” His blue irises held mine as he said the last part. “I can relate to it.”

“Do you remember the party your brother threw the day before I left for my final year at RISD?”

“How could I forget?” Marcello licked his lips. “You wore that red bikini that barely covered your tits and ass. I had a front-row seat to the lap dance you gave my brother.”

I waggled my eyebrows at him. “Did you want me back then?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation.

“It’s funny you likeThe Iliadso much. At the party, Luca said I was his Helen of Troy.”

“And you told him to start a war for you.”

I sighed at the years of heartache I’d brought upon myself after that night. “My first year of college sucked because of Luca. Whenever a guy asked me out, he suddenly canceled on me.”

“The war was with you,” he pointed out.

I drew a breath between my teeth and nodded. “I’m afraid it will never end.”

“It will,” he promised. “Luca needs some assurance that you’re his.”

“But I’m not.”

“Until you give in to him, he will continue to act out. When my brother sets his sights on something, he always gets it. You are the biggest challenge he’s ever faced. He doesn’t realize he needs to accept his feelings to keep you.”

“How do you understand this, and he doesn’t?”

Marcello smirked. “My brother is a genius, but he’s too fucking stubborn to see what everyone else can see.”

“What’s that?”

“You love him,” he said with sadness in his tone. “And you would marry him if he’d return your feelings.”

“I don’t know what I want anymore or how I feel about him.” With a groan, I covered my face with my hand. “I need time and space to wrap my head around everything. Aiden is still missing. Men tried to kill me. You almost died. We have more important issues to worry about than me marrying Luca.”

“I’m not normally home this much.” He brushed his fingers down my arm, creating tiny bumps on my skin. “Luca will have more time for you.”

My heart dropped into my stomach. Every time we discussed the possibility of us having a future, Marcello steered me in Luca’s direction. I could tell he cared about me. So why did he keep championing Luca? Was he so loyal to his family that he would rather give up on us?

I pushed my feelings aside, maintaining a calm exterior so he couldn’t see how much it hurt me. “What exactly do you do for Salvatore Global?”

“I lead Alpha Command.”

“Yeah, I know.” I flipped onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. “But what does that mean?”

“On the books, we handle security for the largest companies in the world.”

“And off the books?”

Marcello’s fingers caressed mine, snapping my attention back to him. “I lead a team of mercenaries. When corrupt men need an army with no affiliation or interest in their conflict, they hire us.”

Knowing Marcello was the leader of a badass army turned me on for some sick and twisted reason. I almost drooled on myself, imagining what he would look like in camouflage pants and no shirt.

“Do you steal?”

---