Chapter 4
Chapter Four
AIDEN
Cinders liked watching me. She didn’t think I was paying attention to her, but how could I not? With a body like that, she had my attention the second I walked through the door.
I glanced at those plump, glossy lips that begged me to notice. Whenever she was not sneaking looks at me, I stared at her thick thighs and that round ass as she straddled the easel bench. I wished she would come over here and ride me.
Fuck .
My cock was at half-mast as I looked at her big tits that were barely contained beneath the white Oxford. She had the first two buttons undone, giving me a nice view of her perfect tits.
She was too damn distracting.
I peeled my eyes away from Ella and focused on the canvas. With her beside me, I wouldn’t get anything done all semester. And I couldn’t afford to fuck up my grades. At least painting was an easy A for me. We were allowed to do a freestyle painting this week, so I chose an old favorite.
Greek mythology.
I loved sketching and painting familiar scenes from my favorite books. Today, I worked on the scene from The Iliad , where Achilles fought Hector. I only had the base paint layered for the story unfolding over the next few days of class, but I knew exactly how I wanted the final piece to look.
Ten minutes before the bell sounded, Mrs. Waters instructed us to clean our brushes and workspace to make room for the next class. So I headed to the sink to strip the paint from my brushes and add the unfinished canvas to the collection at the back of the room with the others.
Everyone in our class had talent. I was not surprised, considering Astor Prep students were mega-rich. I bet their parents paid a lot to get apprenticeships with real artists. My grandfather offered to introduce Alex and me to some of his artist friends.
I didn’t want an advantage.
I only got into painting because my twin loved it. But I preferred to sculpt. My goal was to become a young, American version of Gian Lorenzo Bernini until my grandfather set the terms of our adoption. To become a Wellington, I had to agree to his rules. I only cared about getting Alex away from our parents, so I said whatever was necessary to make that happen.
Alex was fed and free. She was happy for once in her life, and I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her happiness. If that meant not getting what I wanted, then so be it.
When the bell sounded, I scooped my bag from the floor and slung it over my shoulder. Ella watched me, using her long, blonde hair as a shield, trying to pretend she was not staring at me like she’d done all class.
I bent down beside her, getting close enough to make her nervous. “Eat lunch with me.”
She tucked the hair behind her ears, mouth hanging open as she looked up at me. “You don’t want to sit with me.”
Ella grabbed her bag and hurried out of the room. I was at her side within seconds, annoyed that she made me chase her.
“Why not?”
“Because it will ruin your chances of being the next king of this school.”
I laughed. “I don’t want to be king. My sister’s soon-to-be-fiancé already has that covered.”
Ella tugged on the strap of her bag, casting an interested glance at me. “Who’s your sister?”
She was more of an outsider than I thought. Everyone buzzed about our arrival this morning. Our names were on the lips of everyone at Astor Prep. Ella didn’t even know I existed until I walked into painting class. I could tell she was unaware because she didn’t stare at me like the others. While they gave me looks of curiosity, she seemed confused.
“Alex is my twin,” I told her.
She smiled. “There are two of you?”
I nodded. “Alex is my better half.”
“Aww, that’s sweet.” Ella gave me another smile that lit up her face, going straight to those pretty blue eyes aimed at me. “Who is her fiancé?”
“Well, she hasn’t picked one of them yet,” I said as we ran into a group of jocks circling Sonny and Marcello.
Of course, Sonny was on the football team. I bet Pretty Boy was good with those big hands. Ugh. I was an idiot for even thinking about him or his stupid fucking hands.
Marcello nodded as he spotted me. But when his gaze dropped to Ella, he shook his head in disapproval.
Sonny did the same.
Fuck them.
I flipped them the finger because they could go fuck themselves. Ella was none of their business. I wanted to protect her from these entitled dicks just like I did my sister.
“If Luca Salvatore has his way, it will be him,” I finished after we passed the dumb jocks on our right.
Ella gasped at my confession. “Your sister is engaged to Luca Salvatore?”
“Our grandfather is making her marry one of the Salvatore brothers. That was part of the deal before he adopted us and brought us to Devil’s Creek to live with him.”
“Wow,” she said, and my attention shifted to her pink lips, which she smacked together. “She can choose Luca, Marcello, Bastian, or Damian?”
I bobbed my head to confirm. “But I have a feeling Luca will find a way to make her choose him.”
“He’s a jerk. Everyone tiptoes around Luca and his brothers. It’s like they walk on water. They’re untouchable at this school. Anyone who defies them pays the price.”
“I don’t give a fuck about them,” I fired back. “I bow to no one. If the Salvatores hadn’t worked it out so Alex and I had different class schedules, I would be at her side all day, watching over her.”
“That sounds like something Luca would do.” She nibbled on her bottom lip as we approached the dining hall. “He’s gotten students kicked out of his classes and a few times even got them expelled. You get on his bad side, and he unleashes his fury.”
“He can’t do shit to me.” I opened the door so Ella could slip under my arm and enter the room. “My grandfather controls the Salvatores.”
Ella clung to my side, nervously adjusting the strap on her shoulder. “I usually sit in the corner by myself.”
“Then that’s where we’ll sit.” I gripped her elbow. “Lead the way, Cinders.”
“Seriously, Aiden.” She guided me to the right side of the room. “You don’t have to sit with me. I don’t want people to treat you differently.”
Her words stung, striking a chord with me. I knew what it was like to be nothing and no one. Last week, I was Aiden Fox. Alex and I were the poorest kids at our public school, and that was saying a lot. We never had nice clothes. All of our shit was used and from thrift stores, torn in various places.
“I’m right where I want to be. Keep walking, Cinders. I’m hungry.”
Sighing, she guided me to a circular table in the corner. It was small enough to seat four people and gave us plenty of room to stretch out.
“I’m good with this.” I plopped my bag into an open chair and sat beside her. “I prefer privacy so I can sketch.”
A grin pulled at her pretty lips. “Me too.”
We left our bags on the chairs and headed over to the line forming at the front of the dining hall. A massive buffet was at the center of the room, where dozens of students lined up with trays. My stomach rumbled at the scent of garlic and herbs.
I grabbed two trays and passed one to Ella. Considering this school’s cost, I was surprised they didn’t serve us tableside. One year of tuition at Astor Prep was more expensive than Harvard University.
“I’m not sure what you’re used to,” Ella said, “but we do things differently at Astor Prep. It’s Monday. Pasta bar day. And you get three courses.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Are you for real?”
She grabbed two plates, handed one to me, and nodded.
“Alex will be in her glory.”
After going to bed hungry more than I could count, I was excited about the pasta bar. I snatched a plate from the stack and wondered what my twin chose since she had the lunch period before mine. We would have killed to eat food like this on the regular. It would have helped to stave off the hunger pains at night when our parents conveniently forgot to feed us.
I added sausage lasagna, a handful of Italian bread, and Caesar salad to my plate. Ella’s plate was barely filled, with only a tiny scoop of rigatoni and one slice of garlic bread.
“You don’t eat much, huh?”
She shook her head. “Not this early in the day.”
Students whispered Ella’s name, and the word freak followed. My head snapped toward the hushed tones, and I found three pretty girls behind me. Their faces were caked with makeup. Their hair was styled, not a strand out of place. Of course, their uniforms were perfectly pressed. Although, the skirts were a little too short and barely covered their underwear. All the girls at this school tried too hard to look older.
“Don’t talk shit about my girl,” I said to the group, venom dripping from my tone. “And if I hear you repeat Ella’s name, you won’t like what happens.”
“Um,” the short brunette blurted out, stumbling on her words. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Yeah, me neither,” the blonde with too much blush on her cheeks whispered.
I glanced at the third girl, a tall redhead with a dusting of freckles on her pale cheeks. “I guess that leaves you, Red. I better not hear Ella’s name come out of your mouth again.”
I was more of a lover than a fighter. But fuck these girls. They talked shit about Ella because she was easy prey.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I didn’t mean anything by it. Please don’t tell your grandfather. My dad…” She trembled at the threat of my grandfather contacting her father. “He’ll kill me.”
My grandfather was like a god in Devil’s Creek. The Founders of this town looked down on the residents from their mega mansions on Founders Way. I knew the adults feared them, but I had no idea even the students trembled at their power. Good to know. Because if any of these assholes disrespected my girl again, I would make it hurt.
Ella was mine.
She just didn’t know it yet.