“Don’t do it again.”
He lifted his head until our eyes met and nodded.
Damian was doing this for his brother. They needed each other too much to stay apart for this long. And even though he would never admit it, Bastian needed him, too. They didn’t just lose their parents, they also lost their innocence. To cope, they each found different ways to make sense of the world.
I sniffed the flowers, which had a powdery smell, and then handed them back to Damian. “Find a vase for these and put them beside my bed.”
After Damian walked out of the room, Bastian clutched my wrist. I squealed from the pain the ropes left behind and pulled away from him.
He grabbed my hand, softly rubbing the marks on my wrist, then raised it to his mouth. “Come here, Cherry. Let me kiss all of your bruises better.”
An uncontainable smiled touched my lips. I let him kiss up and down my arm, glide his warm tongue over the red mark around my wrist. He looked so tempting I wanted to kiss him.
“What happened to Damian after that night? He seems different. Where’s the psycho?”
Bastian lifted his head and grinned, holding my wrist inches from his mouth. “You like that side of him, don’t you?”
“I like that side of you, too.”
He kissed my wrist, leaving a trail of kisses up my arm. “Good. Because I wouldn’t get used to this. And as for Damian, he’ll be back to normal soon.”
Istared at the security cameras on the wall. Alex was in my mother’s studio painting with Marcello sitting beside her. She had Marcello and Bastian wrapped around her fingers. They were so fucking pussy whipped, afraid Damian would touch her again. Both of them took turns letting her sleep in their beds, even though Damian hadn’t been home all week.
“Put aside your differences with Alexandrea.” My father placed his hand on my shoulder. “The Founders Society is breathing down my neck. They won’t wait much longer, Luca.”
“I hate her,” I bit out between sips of scotch, glaring at her image on the screen. The words stung as they left my mouth. “Her family is responsible for mom’s death. She would still be here if it wasn’t for them. How do you expect me to go through with a marriage to a Wellington?”
My anger surged inside me like a tornado. When I thought about the Wellingtons, I had more than my normal amount of rage. It bubbled up in my chest, spilling over at the sight of the Wellington whore. Just hearing that last name incited dozens of emotions, most of which made me want to squeeze the life from Alex.
“There’s no room for feelings in business,” Dad snapped, venom dripping from his tone. “Act like a man and do the right thing. The future of our family depends on you.”
“Marcello can marry Alex.”
“Not if you want to lead The Devil’s Knights.”
I sat in the leather armchair by the fireplace, considering his statement. Since childhood, I knew I would lead the Knights. It was my birthright as the oldest Salvatore. And then The Founders Society demanded my family produce an heir from a Founding Family, throwing an axe into my plans.
My father took his place across from me, resting his black dress shoe on his knee. “Marcello isn’t strong enough to lead this family. It has to be you, Luca.”
He was right about my brother. Marcello was physically strong and an asset to our security team, but incapable of leading the Salvatores. My younger brother hadn’t bothered to gain the skills and knowledge required to command a global company.
I tapped the ash falling from the tip of my cigar into the tray on the table beside me. “What do you suggest I do?”
“Get your mother’s ring from the vault.” He surveyed me with a stern expression, a highball glass raised to his mouth. “Propose to Alexandrea. Make this official.”
“She’ll say no,” I said with certainty.
“Because you’ve made no attempt to welcome her into our home.” He breathed deeply and blew it out, leaning back in his chair. “You can charm everyone on the board of directors, even get the Knights to follow your orders. If you can do that, then you can get a silly girl to marry you.”
“I gave her the job at the Franco Foundation,” I pointed out. “Even let her work in mom’s studio. That should have been enough to win her over.”
My father laughed. The fucker actually tipped his head back and laughed at me. Mocking me.
“What’s so funny, Father?” I said, not the least bit amused.
“You have much to learn about women, Luca. When I met your mother, she didn’t care how much money I had. She wanted nothing from me. Your mother was the biggest challenge I’d ever faced.”
“Mom wasn’t like other women. She was… special.”