4. Adrien

Chapter 4

Adrien

Even if I wanted to stop right now, I couldn’t because she’s finally in my arms. There isn’t a place I would rather be. And I know the moment Julien walks into this room, his desire will be ablaze, just as mine is.

Her mouth is warm, delicate like a flower opening in the springtime. She’s pliable in my hands, and I grip her hips hard, digging my fingers into her curves until I hear that mewl that’s music to my ears.

I don’t stop the assault, my tongue delving into her warmth, tasting her as she tangles her hands in my hair. We’re both older now, matured, but there’s a rush of lust that course through my veins, and I have a feeling it’s racing through her as well.

My hands move lower, until I grip her ass, and I tug her closer. We’re molded to each other, there’s no beginning or ending. The image that springs to mind only seems to make my cock harder. The idea of me, Julien, and Alessia all together like we always should have been.

I lift her until those slender legs wrap around my waist. Her dress has been made for easy access, and I want to smile against her lips, but I don’t. Instead, I walk us over to the door, the glass offering a view of the gardens of our home.

Alessia pulls away, breaking the kiss and looks at me. “I didn’t…” Her words filter off into silence, and it hangs there, reminding me of the girl I first saw all those years ago. There was innocence in her pretty eyes, which turned into something more as she matured. When she turned eighteen, I knew there would be no stopping the desire, the feelings that had churned in my gut. Julien whispered his feelings to me one night, and that’s when I knew, we were made for each other.

Fate wouldn’t have thrown us together if there was nothing meant to come of it. Even though we’ve endured heartbreak, we can now mend those shattered pieces.

“What’s wrong?” I ask her, lowering her to her feet. She doesn’t move away from me, but instead, her slender fingers grip onto my shirt.

“I didn’t think it would be so easy to fall back into your arms.”

Her admission makes me grin. “I thought you would have wanted to kiss me the moment you saw me at the bar?” I challenge, causing her cheeks to darken to a bright red from the soft pink hue.

“Perhaps,” she shrugs. “But this is different.” I know what she means. We’re no longer hiding from parents, from watchful eyes. There are no longer any barriers to stop us from taking this further. “What if…?”

“What if, what?” I tip my head to the side as I reach for her chin and tilt it up so those pretty eyes can meet mine.

“I was afraid you’d have forgotten me,” she admits shyly and her gaze glazes over with tears.

“How could I have ever forgotten about you?” I ask her then, taking a step back to regard her. “You were the one girl I wanted but knew I couldn’t have. I counted down the days until I knew they’d release you from the convent. It was only when Father died that I knew you’d be safe here again.”

“What if the men don’t want me around?”

“Stop worrying about trivial things,” I tell her as I pull her into my arms. “Nobody is going to take you away from us again. That I can promise you.”

“Us…” Her voice is a whisper as she repeats what I said.

“Yes.” I nod as I cup her cheeks. Holding her face steady, I force her to look at me, and I smile. “Us. All three of us.”

A knock at the door startles both of us and when I look up, I see one of our men on the threshold. “Sorry Mr. Medici,” he says in a rough tone. “The lawyer has called. He’s got your father’s will ready for reading.”

“We will wait for Julien before making the appointment with the lawyer,” I tell him. “That will be all for now, Nico, thank you.”

“Of course, signore ,” he responds before stepping back and shutting the door behind him. The click is loud in the heavy silence of the room.

“The Nostra will not be happy that I’ve returned,” Alessia says once more. In our city, we’re regarded as royalty. They have even gone so far as to name us princes and Father was king. But we’re mere mortals. Even though we rule over the south of Italy, and parts of Rome which Father conquered with his violence and tenacity, we are still normal men.

“Alessia.” I whisper her name like a prayer to the Heavens. “You’re ours now, there is nothing that’s going to change that. And these men who work for us now, they’ll accept you. If they don’t, they’ll be fired.” Even though it sounds like it’s any other job, it’s not. They won’t be breathing when Julien and I are done with them. Most of them were loyal to our father. But when he died, a lot of them moved on. They changed their allegiances, and I was thankful for that. I didn’t want them to stay when they wouldn’t offer us the same loyalty as they would our father.

“Okay,” she finally mumbles, her lips pouting as she pierces me with that glistening stare that I used to dream about.

I capture her mouth once more, and I can’t stop myself this time. I press her against the window, not caring if the men patrolling the grounds can see us. My tongue duels with hers, and she’s as fiery as I knew she would be. She may be a gentle kitten, but she also has claws, and I can’t wait for her to use them on me.