Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
AIDEN
When Alex was a little girl, she wanted to be a princess. She often asked me if princes were real and if, one day, one would save her. I said yes, even though I didn’t believe in fairy tales or happy endings. It was essential for her not to lose hope. Through all the horrible times with our mother, she needed to believe there was more to life.
As I stood on the deck of a massive yacht, I felt like we made it. My sister always wanted this life, and until recently, I couldn’t give it to her. I would have sold my soul to the Devil if I could have wiped the last eighteen years and replaced them with new memories.
Sonny hooked his arm around my twin and guided her across the deck. “Are you hungry, Little Wellington?”
She smiled at the mention of food. “Sure, I can eat.”
Alex hadn’t turned down a meal since arriving in Devil’s Creek. Not even a snack. She was so afraid of going hungry that she stuffed her face every chance.
Sonny glanced at Marcello. “Give your girl a tour of the yacht. Feel free to use my room if the mood strikes.”
Marcello shook his head. “Asshole.”
“You love it,” Sonny shot back, all smiles, and tipped his head. “We’ll get the food and drinks and meet you in the saloon.”
I cocked an eyebrow at him. “What’s a saloon?”
“Boat terminology for living room.”
I nodded. “All of this fancy shit is new to us.”
Alex looked up at me, a foot shorter than my six feet four inches. “You okay by yourself?”
“Of course. Go ahead and let Marcello show you around.”
After she left with the youngest Salvatore brother, Sonny flashed one of his boyish smiles at me. “Come help me in the galley.”
I followed him inside the galley, which was another word for kitchen. I was still not used to these people’s names for standard shit. My grandfather called the kitchen at Wellington Manor the scullery. The sunroom was a solarium. I was surprised the bathroom didn’t have a different name. Although, seeing how the bidet worked kind of freaked me the fuck out.
Fucking rich people .
My eyes darted around the expanse of the boat, taking in my surroundings. It had several floors and could accommodate at least one hundred guests and a crew. I didn’t know much about yachts, though. This was my first time on the water.
The galley was a large, open room with expensive hardwood flooring and wooden cabinets that reached the ceiling. Like Wellington Manor, the refrigerator hid behind a door. God forbid people could see their appliances. An island at the center of the kitchen was larger than my last house’s dining room table. Enough food to feed everyone in the state was spread across the room on serving dishes and plates.
“You know it’s just us, right?” I turned to look at Sonny. “This is enough food to feed an army.”
He slapped a sly grin on his handsome face, his perfectly white teeth gleaming. “My mother has a rule about treating guests like family. As long as you’re with me, on my boat, you’re family.” His hand crashed down on my back. “Get used to this, Aiden. This is your life now.”
My life had become a rags-to-riches story in a matter of days. All of this was too much for me to absorb. We had only been in Devil’s Creek for a week and hadn’t had a chance to settle down. Our grandfather planned every second for us.
“We’re not all bad, you know.” Sonny leaned against the island, his blue eyes holding my gaze. “Marcello is one of the good ones. The other Founders aren’t assholes like the Salvatore brothers.”
I glanced out the window at the endless bay view, wishing I could get lost at sea, where Alex and I would not have all this responsibility dumped on our heads. “Who are the other Founders?”
“The Marshalls and the Battles.” Sonny leaned into my arm, stealing my attention back to him. “They live down the block from Wellington Manor on Founders Way.”
“Who lives in the house that looks like a military base?”
“The Marshalls.”
“And the glass mansion? Is that your house or the Battles?”
“The Battles,” he confirmed, stuffing his hands into his pockets, studying my face. “The Cormac Compound is the stone monstrosity that looks like something from a magazine. It’s been photographed dozens of times over the years.”
I plucked a slice of white cheese from the platter, sandwiched it between two crackers, and took a bite. A strange taste filled my mouth, making my tastebuds go wild… and not in a good way.
“What the fuck kind of cheese is this?” I dropped the crackers and cheese onto a plate and opened a water bottle to eliminate the taste. “It’s expired.”
“That would be Cantal,” Sonny explained, smirking at my distaste for his fancy-ass food. “It’s French. My mother doesn’t eat cheddar cheese. It bothers her stomach.”
“But she likes that nasty shit?” I downed half of the sparkling water in a glass bottle with some name I couldn’t pronounce. “Next time, warn me before I bite into rotten food.”
He laughed, pushing off from the island to approach me. “You have much to learn. Whatever garbage your parents fed you will never be served in Devil’s Creek.” Sonny grabbed a slice of creamy yellow cheese from the platter. “It’s time to refine your palate.” He held it up to my mouth. “Be a good boy and take a bite.”
“Fuck, no.” I turned my head away when he tried to feed me. “Get that shit away from me.”
“Trust me,” Sonny said in a firm tone. “This one you will like.”
“What is it?”
“Just open your mouth, Aiden.” Sonny pushed on my chest and backed me against the counter, the cheese touching my lips. “Pretend it’s my cock you’re so hungry for.”
For some dumb reason, I opened my mouth and let Sonny stick the cheese on my tongue. I took a bite, surprised that it was good and helped to rid the foul taste from my mouth.
Sonny stared as I ate the cheese out of his hand like a damn mouse, his eyes never leaving mine. It was oddly sensual.
“What kind of cheese is this?” I asked once I swallowed it.
“Gouda.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of that.” I licked my lips, still focused on him, tempted to eat another slice. “We were lucky if we got Mac and Cheese for dinner once a week.”
His nose scrunched at my confession. “I know what your parents did to you and Alex. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’m a good listener if you want to talk to someone.”
“Nah, I’m good. I don’t do mushy shit.”
My cheeks heated at the thought of anyone knowing what we went through at the hands of our parents. When I closed my eyes, I could still hear Alex’s screams. My mother’s laughter. I’d broken the lock on my bedroom door dozens of times, trying to get to her. My mother never had money for food, but she always made sure the door was fixed, anything to keep me away from my sister.
“I don’t want your pity,” I fired back, wanting to drop this conversation like a hot poker. “We did just fine on our own.”
Sonny’s hand settled onto my waist. “I’ll admit, I don’t know what it’s like not to have money. But I can promise you this. You’ll never have to live like that ever again. You and your sister are one of us now. Founders. And that means a lot more than you realize.”
He caged me against the island with his hip, his hand sliding up my chest, exploring the ridges of my six-pack. I may have looked like I was in a punk rock band, but I worked out and liked to stay in shape. Sonny seemed surprised by his discovery and licked his lips. His fingers trailed over my nipple, teasing the tiny bud until it hardened.
Fuck, I loved how this felt.
I let out a soft moan that quickly turned into a growl of frustration because I really wanted him. It had been a while since I hooked up with a guy, and none were as hot as Sonny. His slow exploration of my body continued until his fingers were curled around my throat.
“You’re so fucking hot.” His tongue traced over his lips, and the simple gesture turned my cock to stone. “I swear I’ve been waiting for you all my life.”
I was speechless, unsure how to respond, and annoyed that I was turned on and wanted him to touch me. As he held my gaze, my heart raced in my chest. I kissed a few guys and fucked around, but it never felt this good.
His hand traveled from my throat to my jaw, and he rolled the pad of his thumb across my bottom lip. “How many guys have you been with?”
“Not many.”
He nudged his knee between my legs to make room for himself. “Have you ever fucked a man?”
I shook my head.
His hand cupped my dick and balls over the top of my jeans. “Do you want to?”
I’d fooled around with a few boys at my last school. It was never anything serious. Kisses here and there. Handjobs and one blowjob from a kid in my English class. But that was about it.
“I like chicks, too,” I said after considering his question. “I’m not giving up pussy.”
“Same,” he said without hesitation. “I’m down for a threesome if you are.”
I shrugged. “Whatever.”
If I fucked any man, it would have been Sonny. The second we met, I wanted him. My cock perked up at his pretty mouth and the possibility of all the things I could do with his lips.
“We’ll find us a girl,” Sonny promised. “One that can handle both of us.”
I ground my dick into his hand, rubbing against him to create some friction. “That’s all well and good. But I don’t see any girls here to help me get rid of this.”
“Do you want to come, Wellington?” Sonny leaned forward and dragged his tongue up my neck, massaging my dick, and I wished he would undo my jeans and touch me. “Didn’t take much to get you hard and panting for me, now did it?”
“I’m not fucking panting, you arrogant dick.”
His fingers found my zipper. I could hardly breathe as he pulled it down and reached into my jeans to grab me over the top of my boxer briefs. “Mmmm…” Sonny’s pretty blue eyes met mine. “Nice and fucking hard for me, aren’t you?”
“Shut the fuck up.” I cupped his dick in my hand, loving how big and hard he was for me. “Who did this to you, Pretty Boy?”
Sonny burrowed his nose into the crook of my neck. His lips trailed up my neck and over my earlobe. “Let’s see how pretty you look when you’re on your knees sucking my fat cock.”
The head of my dick poked through the slit in my boxers, leaking precum on Sonny’s hand. He raised his finger to his mouth and sucked the cum from his skin. “Fuck, you taste good.”
I leaned against the counter, breathing harder as I stared at his plump lips, tempted to kiss them. But I didn’t. Sonny thought he was God’s gift to the world and needed to work for it.
He had everything handed to him. His life was so easy life and carefree. I couldn’t be bought, and despite my attraction to him, I wouldn’t let him have me without a fight.
“Sonny,” Marcello yelled from a distance.
Breathless, he gazed into my eyes. “I’m not done with you. This is fucking happening. The next time we’re alone, you’re mine.”
I tucked myself back into my boxer briefs and zipped my jeans. “This was a momentary lapse in judgment. It won’t happen again.”
“You have no faith.” Sonny slid his hand through my hair and tugged on one of my curls. “I’m finding us a girl to share, and then it’s game fucking on.”
“I already found us a girl.”
“Not Ella Doyle.” He shook his head, disgusted by my suggestion. “I’ll find us someone we’ll both like.”
I closed the small space between us. “I want Ella.”
“Forget about Ella,” he said in a flippant tone, his nose turning up in disgust.
Marcello entered the galley with Alex at his side, eyebrows raised. “Where are our drinks, Son? We’ve been waiting in the saloon forever.”
Alex rubbed her stomach. “I’m hungry.”
“We were just…” My voice trailed off as I looked at my twin, not wanting to lie to her.
Marcello’s eyes lowered to the boners in our pants, and he smirked, shaking his head at Sonny.
A smile touched Alex’s lips. “Were you kissing Sonny?”
“Fuck, no.” I stepped away from Sonny. “He’s not my type.”
“It’s not nice to lie to your sister,” Sonny taunted.
“I didn’t kiss you,” I fired back and grabbed Alex’s hand, pulling her toward the exit. “C’mon, Lexie.”
Before I left the room with Alex, Sonny said, “Do we have a deal?”
Alex gave me a perplexed look.
I glanced at Sonny over my shoulder. “Sure, Pretty Boy. We got a deal. But I told you what I want. It’s her or nothing.”