“What are you not telling me, Rhi?”
“Nothing.”
“When I mentioned the Donnellys, you tensed.”
“That’s not true.”
I reached out for her, and she scraped my skin with her nails. I could still recall how good her nails felt when she raked them down my back, digging them into my skin—marking me like I was her property. I did the same to her. She was mine, and I made sure she knew it.
What we shared was intense, fueled by our love-hate for each other. Back in high school, I fucked her because I knew it would piss off my old man. He’d made it clear I would only marry someone worthy of our family’s legacy. Not like I was thinking about marriage or a future when I was fucking Sonny’s cousin behind his back.
Rhiannon O’Shea was another one of my secrets. There was something sick and dark inside her, and that part of her spoke to me. Like calls to like, and Rhi knew that better than anyone. She was feisty, never soft and delicate. A woman like Rhiannon needed to be tamed, bent over my knee, and given a good spanking.
“Tell me the truth,” I demanded.
She bit her bottom lip. “I have no idea why he was chasing me.”
Aiden tapped my shoulder. “What do you want to do with him?”
“It’s fine,” Rhi said, though her tone did not reassure me. “Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”
“I’m not letting him go. So you either tell me why he’s here, or I’ll bring him to your father to deal with him.”
Rhiannon slung her bag over her shoulder, her eyes on me. “Do what you want with him, Marcello.”
She turned her head so I could see the handprint on her cheek. Anger surged through me like a storm as I inspected her cheek. I knew every inch of her body like the back of my hand. When we were together, I left no part of her untouched, unclaimed.
“I remember you,” Rhi said to Aiden. “From the masquerade party five years ago. You never came into The Ink Yard for a sleeve.”
His eyes widened in acknowledgment. “Oh, right? Yeah, I was planning on it. And then you disappeared.”
“Sorry, I had to leave town.” She dipped her head to the ground at McDougal. “Come by the shop this week, so I can pay you back for saving my life.” Then her gaze met mine. “And you… You know where to find me.”
Aiden helped me lift McDougal from the ground. We dragged him through the Feltons’ yard with every intention to hand him over to Connor O’Shea.
After my encounter with Rhi, my head was a fucking mess. She got under my skin every single time. And knowing she was in danger again only made me want to protect her more.
But my hands were tied.
So I dropped her off at her house with the man who tried to hurt her. O’Shea’s men didn’t waste a second when I dumped the problem on their doorstep. They beat the shit out of McDougal within seconds of leaving him at the compound. I took comfort in knowing her father would handle the situation. It would probably lead to more security and less chance of seeing her again, but at least she would be safe.
I needed to tell someone about her, make it known she was back in town. If Rhi opened her mouth about Aiden, it would fuck up Luca’s plans for Alex. She was already unstable and a fight risk. One word about Aiden’s existence, and she would be out the door, looking for a way to escape. Her twin brother had been living and breathing right under her nose all along.
I found Luca on the couch in the living room with Alex. She laid her legs across his lap, curled up against his chest as she laughed. Even my brother chuckled, a rare sighting for the prince of darkness. Luca didn’t know how to process human emotions. And yet, since he’d told Alex he loved her, he was becoming a different person.
I wasn’t wrong about what I told Aiden. Luca looked like a man in love, and it was always clear she loved him, too, even though they were both too stubborn to admit their feelings.
Oblivious to their surroundings, they tugged at each other’s clothes. Luca sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, pulling on it with his teeth. I was slightly jealous of what my brother had with Alex. Even though our families had arranged their marriage, it didn’t stop them from falling in love. I never thought I would see my brother smile, let alone be happy. Alex changed him. Hell, our future queen had changed all of us.
I cleared my throat from the entryway. Their heads snapped in my direction. Alex flashed a smile that illuminated her face, reaching her pretty blue irises. She flicked her long blonde curls over her shoulder as Luca shifted his weight on the couch. He leaned forward, an annoyed expression crossing his face.