“How did it happen?”
“I thought he was dead.” His head snapped back to me, and he winced as if the sudden movement was painful. “He grabbed one of our guns from the floor. I tried to dodge the bullet but didn’t move fast enough.”
“Still, you did it for me.” I leaned down to kiss his lips. “Thank you.”
He kissed me back. “No need to thank me.”
His stomach growled so loud it filled the silence in the room.
“Are you hungry? I can get your breakfast,” I offered.
His long, dark eyelashes fanned out against his skin as he looked up at me. “Yeah, I can eat.”
I hopped off the bed and poked my head into the hallway, looking at Benji. “Can you get Marcello’s breakfast?”
He nodded, then removed his cell phone from his pocket. The house manager knew what everyone liked to eat. This place ran like a well-oiled machine.
Benji’s fingers glided across the keypad, and then he said, “I’ll bring in Marcello’s food when it’s ready.”
I flashed a smile at him. “Thanks.”
After I closed the door, I got back into bed with Marcello. We talked about art and books for ten minutes before Benji knocked on the door. He entered the room without a word, gave Marcello a quick nod, then set the tray on the bed in front of me.
I lifted a plate of egg whites and a fork. “Can you sit up?”
Marcello tapped a button on a remote. The head of the bed rose, but I still shoved a few pillows behind him to prop him up.
As I fed him a forkful of eggs, the door slammed into the wall. I nearly dropped the fork and screamed at the sound. I couldn’t handle any more surprises. Every loud noise I now associated with gunshots.
When I glanced over my shoulder, Luca stood in the entryway, his jaw flexed and dressed in his usual three-piece suit. He crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at us. And even though we had done nothing wrong, I felt like I was in trouble.
Anger flooded my veins as I stared at them. Alex held a fork in front of my younger brother’s mouth. It was happening all over again. He stole my mother from me when we were children. And now, he was doing the same with Alex.
Why the fuck did I agree to share?
I let my hatred for her cloud my judgment back then. Until recently, I still couldn’t get over how much I hated her family for the past. I was paying the price for my mistakes every second I had to watch her with Marcello.
He’d stolen all of my mother’s love, time, and attention. Her perfect, obedient son didn’t enjoy hurting himself and others. I loved my mother more than life itself, and history was repeating with Alex.
She asked me if I could ever love her. Love was such a simple word, and yet it held so much meaning to some people. I understood obsession, possession, the need to claim my beautiful queen. But love? That was such a foreign concept to me. I hadn’t felt it in so long, I wasn’t even sure I remembered the feeling.
“Luca,” Alex said with a warning tone as she set the fork on the plate. “Why do you look like you’re ready to explode?”
Because I am.
My blood felt like it was boiling in my veins. “Why are you in Marcello’s bedroom instead of your own?”
Her chest rose and fell as our eyes met. “I’m feeding him.”
“My brother can feed himself,” I shot back as I crossed the room, moving to her side of the bed. “He’s not an invalid.”
She slid off the mattress and reached out for me. I recoiled as she tried to touch me. Most of the time, I hated intimacy. Just the thought of someone’s hands on my skin made me physically ill. Alex was the exception to my rules, and I broke them for her. But at the moment, I would have rather stuck my dick in a wood chipper than let her touch me.
“Luca,” Alex said in a sweet tone, giving me one of her perfect smiles. “I’m helping Marcello get back on his feet.”
“He has nurses who can help him.” My mouth twisted into a hateful sneer. “He doesn’t need you.”
Her nostrils flared. “Watch your mouth. I’m not in the mood for your bullshit. Marcello almost died, and you’re acting like you don’t care.”