His hands trail lower.
I swipe his wandering hands away reluctantly and gesture around the room, trying to calm my breath. Get it together, Em. “Are we safe here?”
His inked hands cup my face protectively, warming me. “Don’t you worry about that. I know I fucked up, but I promise you, Emma. You will always be safe with me.”
I give a small smile. “I need more than that.”
He drops his hands. “We buried Maxon while you were gone.” He bows his head.
I suddenly feel horrible for being so concerned with myself to think about Maxon or how Aiden must feel about losing his driver, but most importantly his friend.
“I’m sorry.” I place my hand on his arm.
He gives me a weak smile. “As far as the Mafia goes, all loose ends will be tied up soon. Nothing to worry about.”
“Umm, you still work for a lot of bad men,” I remind him.
He shrugs and holds a solitary finger up. “Let’s make it clear. I work for no one.” Authority laces his voice, making me shiver.
He’s right; he deserves the credit of how successful he is on his own.
“And that was my only dealing with someone who would fuck with me. They’re all dead.” He smiles. “No one else would think of coming after you when word of what happened gets around.”
“I’m not worried about me. I was scared, but I’m terrified of you saving me again and getting hurt. That’s why I left. You charged in that room without fear for your safety.” I try not to cry as he looks at me with the softest expression.
“I know you’re worried about me, sweet girl, but please don’t.” He plants a kiss on my cheek.
“Why did they come after you in the first place?”
He sighs, running a hand over his face. “I was careful since I was dealing with the Mafia. I didn’t want to put myself as the sole investor into their ‘jewelry business’ in case something went south. They buy storefronts and run them as jewelry shops or whatever they choose, but it’s a front for money laundering.”
“I decided to bring another person in to do the heavy lifting, someone who was familiar with their world. I thought I could trust him, but I was wrong.” He props his elbows on the countertop.
“Long story short, Vinny had a daughter. She was only sixteen. My guy, Frank, went to their house one night to get him to sign some papers. They weren’t home, but Vinny’s daughter was. Some things happened and they got romantically involved. Fast forward a few months, Vinny’s daughter, being the young girl she was had already moved on to another guy and wanted nothing to do with him. Frank didn’t like it too much, so he…” He pauses, studying me. “He killed her.”
I gasp.
He sighs. “Last time I’ll ever use someone I don’t know personally to invest with me.”
I shake my head. The poor girl, “But that’s not your fault.”
“To them, it is, or was. The Mafia works like a family. In their mind, anyone you do business with is family. So, since I did business with Frank–”
“They look at you like you’re his family.”
He nods. “An eye for an eye.”
“Is there anyone else I should be worried about?”
“No, we got rid of the bodies. Nothing can be linked back to us. But, just to be sure, I hired security to follow you and Ashley around at every waking step.” His face grows serious. “I’m going to be busier than usual, and we need to move. Between the guy that came here and everything that happened, I want us to live some place new.”
I nod, but a frown settles on my face. “Aren’t you sad? You literally just got the place.”
He shrugs. “I don’t give a shit where I live, as long as you’re there.” He looks at me intently.
It melts my insides. Could I live with him?
We make our way onto the patio, into the warm summer air. Aiden grabs two stemmed wine glasses and a bottle, and pours two glasses of wine.
“Giving alcohol to a minor now, are we?” I tease.
He pulls the glass away. “I mean, if you don’t want it.”
I stick my hand out, and he returns the thin stemmed glass to my hands. I take a sip; it’s slightly bitter but sweet. I definitely prefer it to liquor.
He eyes my happy expression. “You like wine?”
“Very much so. This is delicious! It tastes like dessert!” I take another sip.
He tops off my glass. “Just drink it slow, so you don’t get sick.” He gives me a sweet look.
“Aww, such a gentleman.” I gush.
“I don’t want you throwing up on the white rug in our bedroom.” He jokes, planting a lingering kiss on my lips.
“Our room,” I whisper.
Tall buildings and city lights try to dominate the backdrop, but nothing looks as powerful as Aiden as he sits with a glass of wine in one hand and my hand in the other.
“You can stay as long as you like, you know.”
“I’ll have to go back to school eventually.”
He scoffs. “You’re not going back to that school.”
I sit up straighter. “What?” I couldn’t have heard him right.
“You heard me.” He gives an arrogant smile.
“But Ashley–”
“No. You’re not going to sit here and worry about everyone else. Not your mom or Ashley. You always do that. You put everyone in front of you. I won’t allow it.” His voice is firm as he flattens his palm on the table. “With the exception of me of course.” He winks.
I try to speak, but no words come out.
He places his hand under his chin. “What do you want to do with your life?”
I know where he’s going with this.
“Business,” I lie. A random major I chose after seeing the prices of culinary schools.
He laughs, knowing I’m not being truthful. “Don’t lie to me. I see you. I know what makes you happy.”
From the way his green
