As expected, Luca was aggressive and kissed her like he was in physical pain. Maybe he was. I could see the hesitation on his face with each kiss. This much intimacy was killing him.
I wondered if I would look the same when I finally kissed her. Would it seem like I hated it? I couldn’t imagine kissing her would repulse me, not after seeing how she made Bash feel.
I wanted to know what she tasted like. She smelled good enough to eat.
Sweet like candy.
Luca pulled away first, both breathless and gazing into each other’s eyes as if seeing each other for the first time.
Did he feel it now?
It had taken Luca much longer than the rest of us. He still harbored resentment toward her for what had happened in the past. But Alex was not her mother. She didn’t kill Evangeline Franco. Even Marcello let go of his anger.
“Was that so bad?” Alex asked Luca, clinging to his chest like a koala.
Instead of answering, he dragged her away from the bar. “It’s time for bed.”
She was slightly drunk and wobbling. And when she stumbled and nearly fell, I caught her.
Bash was at my side, stroking her cheek. “You drank too much, Cherry. You need to eat.”
“Are you staying in Providence for the night?” Alex asked no one in particular as we left the bar together.
Luca shook his head. “We’re going back to Cambridge.”
“No,” she said, slurring her words. “Stay the night.”
Alex was desperate for more of us. However, we needed to leave, and she wouldn’t like it when we did. This was the last time she would see us for a while.
Without us nearby, it kept the target off her back. She was in more danger with us. Years from now, she might hate us. She might even blame us for things that were out of our control.
In the end, she would be ours.
I knew it.
My brothers knew it.
So until then…
We waited.
CHAPTER 24
DAMIAN
One year later
I was never far from Alex. Hunting was my specialty, and when I set my sights on my prey, I had laser focus.
I leaned against the brick wall, the darkness obscuring my body. Waiting in the shadows, I stared across the street at her apartment building. Students passed by on their way across campus. It was after ten o’clock.
Alex hadn’t dated while attending RISD. Not even a single kiss. She shared an apartment with her twin and mostly kept to herself. But tonight, she was having company. Two girls from her art class and one of Aiden’s friends.
Whenever she’d gotten too close to another man, one of us put a stop to it. Death threats were incredibly motivating reasons not to touch our girl. I would have killed Aiden’s friend or anyone who got in my way.
Last night, we received intel that men were looking for the heirs to the Wellington fortune. And since I didn’t mind killing her enemies, I volunteered to drive to Providence.
Luca was in Cambridge, holding court for the new members of The Devil’s Knights. Despite being a world-class dickhead, Luca never had a problem getting people to follow him. The girls on campus flocked to him, begging for a minute of his time. It was like high school all over again. And I was still the brother everyone feared.
