Page 19 of Aaron

The thud of my suitcase hitting the ground barely penetrates my addled brain, as his arms tighten around me and his tongue delves into my mouth, learning me, making my heart stutter. As he owns my mouth, I hold him closer, my nails digging into his shoulders through the soft material of his button-down. It’s not enough. I want more, need more. But he pulls away, resting his forehead on mine. We’re panting, dragging deep breaths into our lungs.

What just happened?

When I pull away just enough so he can see my face, our eyes meet—his so dark it’s like looking into an abyss. I pull my bottom lip into my mouth and bite down to keep from begging for more kisses.

His lips are red and swollen, making me want to touch them, but I resist at the flash of his devious smile. “I’ll be the only one biting you, princess,” he growls as he thumbs my lip from between my teeth.

I whimper when he makes good on his threat. He bites my lip; the sharp pain shouldn’t feel so good, but it does. As he licks away the pain, I squirm, my nerve endings alight with desire as heat fills my core. I should object, or something, but my thoughts float away as quickly as they form. He’s better than any male main character I’ve written. But how can this be real? How do you fall for someone and not even know their name?

He leans in, his breath brushing my ear, and says, “I knew you’d be sweet, princess. You taste like sugar and smell like roses. It’s perfection having you in my arms.”

My cheeks heat, my eyes searching his face for deceit, but there’s nothing there. I’ve gotten good at reading people over the years, catching things most don’t see. Probably a writer’s thing—we like to people-watch.

“This isn’t right,” I mumble as I lean into his neck. He smells of citrus and bourbon: heady. It’s too easy to get lost in this man. But I don’t know him, or whether Jaclyn is even safe with this family. My brothers would have a shit fit right now if they saw me in his arms—kissing him. He needs to put me down and take me to Jaclyn right away.

“Another trespasser? Is this open season on Gallant Mountain?” The deep voice comes out of nowhere, startling a screech out of me.

Twisting around, I struggle in my sex god’s arms, trying to find who the voice belongs to. It’s crazy. I definitely should have waited for my brothers. Now, I’m alone in the near-dark with two unknown men. I should be terrified or putting up more of a fight. I’m too vulnerable, and I know better.

“Please, put me down,” I demand, putting as much strength as I can into the words.

Instead, he pulls me closer like he’s staking a claim. “Easy, princess. It’s just my brother. Adrian, meet Cheri, Jaclyn’s roommate. She’s here to check on her friend. I explained she wouldn’t be able to see our new sister-in-law until breakfast, and she’s not too happy.”

The person attached to the voice steps out from behind my sex god; his gaze suspicious, like I’m a threat. He’s as tall as his brother and almost as handsome. What is in the air on this mountain?

“Aaron’s right, you can see her in the morning. You’re lucky we saw you on the security feeds, or you would have had a long night outside,” he says, his tone disapproving and not very welcoming. I can’t blame him, though. They value their privacy; everyone knows that, and I just showed up.

“Cavolo,” I murmur and cringe. If he’s not happy seeing me, wait until my brothers show up. But at least I know the name of the man I’ve been kissing—Aaron. If I remember correctly, he’s the second oldest Gallant brother. Not that it matters, I’m not here for a man. Merda. I shouldn’t be kissing anyone. I’m engaged to Arturo, even though I will never marry that jerkface no matter what my family believes.

“Italian,” Adrian states with a glance at the man holding me. What is it with them, anyway? It’s not like cursing in Italian is weird. My family does it all the time. Well, my brothers do. Technically, I’m not supposed to, but what they don’t know can’t hurt them.

“What’s wrong, princess?” Aaron asks.

Ignoring his question, I state again, “You need to put me down.”

“When we get in the house. You’re tired, and it’s dark. I don’t want you hurting yourself.”

“Seriously, you, too,” Adrian mutters. “That didn’t take long…”

“Shut up, bro. No one asked for your opinion.”

“No, but we just had this discussion earlier…” Adrian grumbles.

“Wait, your time will come, and we’ll all laugh our asses off. Make yourself useful, will ya? Grab her suitcase for me; my hands are kind of full.” Aaron doesn’t wait to see if Adrian does it, just turns toward the building I can see now in front of me. I guess we weren’t as far away as I’d thought, plus the lights are on now.

The closer we get, the more I can see of the large log-style home. It’s enormous, but I guess it would be with six brothers living here. The perfect mountain retreat: quiet, fresh air, and a zillion stars in the sky. No wonder they love living here.

“How about you tell me what’s worrying you, princess?” Aaron asks, his mouth near my ear so Adrian can’t hear.

“Nothing. Everything’s fine. I’m fine. It’s all fine.” I’m lying, and we both know it, but I’m not ready to spill the tea about my brothers’ imminent arrival. God only knows what shit will hit the fan then.

“I can’t abide liars, so I’d suggest you think twice before you answer me again, Little girl. You won’t like the consequences, believe me.”

“What consequences? You’re not the boss of me. Merda. We don’t even know each other. I didn’t even know your name until your brother called you Aaron.” First, he won’t put me down, then he kisses the stuffing out of me, and now he’s threatening me? This is insanity.

“I’m sorry about that. I should have introduced myself.”

“Exactly,” I murmur. “And you should put me down. There’s plenty of light coming from the house for me to see.”