Page 121 of Kissing the Villain

She leaned over me, her sweet scent invading my nostrils. I closed my eyes as my skin pebbled with goosebumps from her delicate touch. Her skin was so soft and warm, and she smelled good enough to eat. I licked my lips, trying to push down the memories of Alex from the past.

I’d always known she was Luca’s girl, but that didn’t stop me from wanting her. All The Knights wanted a piece of their queen. As she stared into my eyes, her nails raking down my arm, I remembered my promise to her brother after he joined The Serpents.

On the morning of the children’s charity gala, I picked Aiden up at his house in The Hills. Luca had already taken Alex toNew York with him. As the future CEO of Salvatore Global, Luca had responsibilities that often required him to leave Devil’s Creek. Alex was my brother’s date for dinner, where she would play her role as his future wife.

Aiden had asked for my help with The Serpents. I figured we could still maintain the illusion that we hated each other in front of Alex. It would be better if she didn’t know I was secretly friends with her brother. I often met him in Beacon Bay to spray paint and get drunk at The River Styx. Despite how Luca felt about Aiden, he wasn’t bad company. I thought one of us should give him a chance since he would eventually be family.

Aiden slid into the passenger seat of my Maserati with his eyes focused on me. “Thanks for doing this. I didn’t know who to ask. Alex has been giving me shit all week about The Serpents.”

I glanced in the rearview mirror and reversed out of the driveway. “She can’t find out that we talk.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Aiden shot back. “I know. What’s with all the secrecy, anyway?”

Luca had plans that involved Aiden, and I wasn’t about to reveal them to him. Carl Wellington had clarified that Aiden would choose the correct path regardless of how we had to get him there. If Aiden didn’t become a Knight, he could never ascend to The Founders Society. And since he had no interest in joining either of those societies, we had to force his hand.

“Luca doesn’t want Alex to know,” I said as I flew down the hill to Beacon Bay. “Trust me. It’s better if she’s not involved. There’s too much at stake.”

Aiden rested his elbow on the armrest and glanced over at me. He looked like fucking hell, his eyes red-rimmed and bloodshot.

“When was the last time you slept?”

“Two days ago,” he admitted with a sigh.

“You need to get your shit together. Seeing you like this makes Alex upset.”

“My sister is busy with Luca.” He ran a hand through his messy curls that were longer than usual. “She won’t even know.”

“Don’t involve her in this shit with The Serpents.”

He nodded. “You care about my sister, right?”

“She’s going to be my queen.”

“C’mon, Marcello.” He tapped my arm with his fist. “I know you have a thing for Alex. I’m not blind or stupid.”

“I don’t expect you to understand what our queen means to us.”

I’d wanted Alex from the moment I saw her at the Midsummer Night’s Dream party. She was a knockout, a perfect ten in her skimpy fairy costume. But I knew beforehand that she would marry Luca. No matter how much I wanted her, she would never be mine.

So, I watched her from a distance, observing every move she made to ensure her safety. However, I often checked on her because I wanted to see her. I needed to know she was happy, and Luca took good care of her.

“My sister’s involvement with The Devil’s Knights is another reason I can’t join you,” he groaned. “Alex deserves better than this shit. The whole concept is fucking ridiculous. Why do you need a queen?”

I ignored his question. Technically, he was an outsider, even though he knew how the organizations worked. He’d always been interested in The Serpents because of their flair for the unusual and the fact that they were all talented artists who expressed their political views through their murals.

“You could join us instead of The Serpents,” I insisted. “It would make your grandfather happy.”

“I don’t care what Pops wants me to do. I will never submit to Luca,” he fired back. “I have tried so hard to keep Alex away from him, and no matter what I do, I can’t keep her from running back to him. I don’t want her to become your queen.”

Aiden was aware of what would happen at Legare. The thought sickened him. He’d expressed his disgust when we drank at The River Styx a few times. If he had his way, Alex would have been halfway around the world painting and selling her art. He never wanted this life for his sister, and I couldn’t blame him.

“Promise me one thing, Marcello.”

I turned onto Beacon Parkway and looked over at him.

“If anything happens to me, promise you’ll keep Alex safe. That you won’t let her fall apart without me.”

“I won’t let anything happen to our queen,” I assured him.

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