Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
SONNY
I was doing things I would never do because of Aiden. Take that kiss in the dining hall with Ella, for example. Never would I ever have kissed the daughter of my family’s enemy. And never would I ever have fucking liked it.
But I did.
I wasn’t thinking when I stripped off my jersey and tossed it onto Ella’s lap. Although, I didn’t regret it. That kiss was fucking amazing. Knowing Aiden had his hands all over Ella while I tasted her only intensified my high.
After the scene I made, everyone at school would know about the kiss by the end of the day. I hoped my parents wouldn’t find out about Ella.
They would kill me.
“Where are we going?” Ella asked on our way out the front doors that led to the student parking lot. “I can’t leave school. If my dad finds out…”
Even she was afraid of her father, and rightfully so. He was the reason her mother was assaulted and murdered last year. She would still be alive if not for his shady business deals and ruthless nature.
My uncle was still torn up over Bridget Doyle’s death. She was Declan’s high school sweetheart, the love of his life, and Cian Doyle stole her from him. The feud between our families started over a woman. And now I was sharing a woman with Aiden. This could only end horribly for all of us, but I didn’t care.
I wanted him.
I wanted her.
I wanted them .
“Your dad won’t find out,” I told her, clicking the lock on the keyfob as we approached my Porsche 911 Carrera GTS. It was metallic blue and just as pretty as me.
I opened the passenger door, and Ella laughed, staring at the red thong hanging from the rearview mirror.
“Sonny, you have underwear on your mirror. Who do those belong to?”
“Me,” I said with my head held high. “The thong is mine.”
Aiden shook his head and smirked. “You got a secret career as a male stripper we don’t know about, Pretty Boy?”
“Actually, yes,” I said since I was not ashamed of anything I did. “I wore the thong last year when I did a private show at The Candy Shop.”
Ella looked confused. “Isn’t that a gay club?”
“How do you think I figured out I like men?” I said with more attitude than intended. “I went to gay clubs. Kissed guys. Fucked around.”
She held up her hands in surrender. “Hey, I’m not judging. I know you guys like each other. It’s cool with me.”
She better be cool with it.
Aiden jumped into the passenger seat first since my car barely fit two people comfortably, let alone three. “Didn’t I tell you she’s perfect for us?” He smiled up at Ella and patted his thigh. “Get in here, Cinders.”
She complied with his request and rubbed her sweet ass on his cock. I was not getting left out, so I bent down and pulled the seatbelt across her big tits that were popping out of her shirt. I noticed a two-tone green and yellow shamrock on her breast for the first time. Celtic vines connected it, and now my mind was racing.
I wanted to know what she was hiding.
My hand brushed her skin beneath the shirt as I peeled back the fabric. “What do we have here?”
“It’s a tattoo,” she said to state the obvious.
“Let me see it.”
She scanned the vacant parking lot. “Not here.”
Aiden moved his hand over mine on Ella’s chest. “Wait until you see the detail in her ink. It’s fucking awesome. Ella’s talented.”
I could have cared less about the ink. I wanted to see the beautiful body attached to it, but I said, “Can’t wait,” and closed the door.
We were halfway to the marina when I realized where I was driving. This impromptu ditch day wasn’t exactly something I had planned. Ella feared someone catching her outside of school. So I parked at the marina–the last place anyone would look for her.
“What are we doing here?” Ella shifted her weight on Aiden’s lap to look at me. “You have to take me back to school, Sonny. My dad will kill me.”
“It’s not like we’re leaving the port.” I opened the car door, one foot out of the car. “We’ll hang out on my yacht for an hour or two and return to school. No one will notice we were gone.”
“Uh, my teachers will,” she shot back. “What if they call my dad?”
“Let me handle it,” I said to assure her and exited the car.
She was terrified of her dad. I knew her life was shitty, but I had no idea she lived in constant fear. Her bodyguard drove her to and from school. Even when I saw her around town, she never drove herself. I didn’t think she owned a car or had a driver’s license. Cian had every right to protect Ella after what happened to her mother. And now that she was mine, I needed to protect her, too.
Once aboard the yacht, Ella stood on the deck, staring at the bay. “This view is incredible.” She spun in a circle, arms at her sides. “Wow! I can see Devil’s Creek and Beacon Bay perfectly from here.”
I was born into generational wealth, never wanting for a single thing. It wasn’t until I saw Aiden and Alex’s reactions that I realized most people don’t live this way. It was evident by the look of shock spreading across Ella’s face this wasn’t normal for her either. She lived in a gated compound in Beacon Bay, secure enough to be a fortress. But she had been denied so many things.
“I’d never been on a boat until Sonny invited me,” Aiden said, offering his hand to her.
She slipped her fingers between his, and he twirled Ella again, gazing at her like she was the center of his universe. I’d only ever seen him look at one other person this way.
He cared about Ella.
This wasn’t another hookup for him.
“My dad owns jet boats,” she told Aiden. “But nothing like this.” Her eyes wandered around the deck in awe. “We can’t afford a floating hotel.” She laughed like it was a ridiculous concept to own a yacht. “He’d have to sell a lot more guns and drugs to…” Ella stopped herself, realizing her mistake, and cleared her throat. “I mean…” She scrubbed a hand across her face and sighed. “Shit.”
“We know how your dad makes his money.” I moved beside her and rested my hand on her hip. “It’s not much of a secret, El.”
“Right.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m just so used to hiding it.”
“You don’t have to hide from us.” Aiden dug his fingers into her side, the three of us so close my skin was on fire. “Isn’t that right, Pretty Boy?”
I nodded, tugging Ella toward the center of the boat. “Your secrets are safe with us.”
We entered the saloon, and Ella gasped. Alex and Aiden had the same reaction. To me, this was just one of many boats my family owned.
Another possession.
It was nothing special.
The room had windows on three sides, with a shiny bamboo floor you could see your reflection in, a massive sitting area that accommodated forty people, and a bar long that spanned half the wall.
My parents hosted local events on the yacht. But, otherwise, they never came to the marina. This was my safe space, my usual hangout to escape the house. Most weekends, I slept here. Sometimes, Marcello or my teammates joined me. On occasion, I brought guys here to hook up since my dad hated it when I flaunted my sexuality at home. He didn’t like my group sleepovers.
“If you like this boat,” I said on my way to the bar, “you’ll love the one we dock at the Port of Málaga. It’s twice the size.” I stepped behind the bar and looked at them. “So, what are you drinking?”
“Just water for me,” Ella said. “I can’t go home smelling like alcohol.”
I leaned forward, elbows on the wooden countertop. “Have you ever gotten drunk, El?”
She shook her head. “I don’t have any friends.” Her cheeks flushed as she said this, and she turned her head to avoid me. “Who would I drink with?”
We could have been nicer to Ella. But it was easier to avoid her altogether than to get involved with the Doyles.
“I’m going to fix that.”
Her head snapped to me. “How?”
“You’re coming to the after-party with me this weekend. As my date.”
Ella bit her lip, clearly bothered by my invitation. Most girls jumped at the chance to be my date.
But not Ella.
She looked miserable.
“What’s the problem, babe? You got somewhere else to be?”
“No.” She sat on a stool before me, our fingers almost touching as she tapped on the wood. “It’s just… You don’t know my dad.”
“Unfortunately, I do.”
Aiden sat on the stool beside her and patted her thigh. “It’s okay, Cinders. I can take you home after the game if this is too much. You don’t have to come to the after-party.”
“But…” She shifted awkwardly on the chair. “I want to go. You don’t get it. My dad will get suspicious if I ask him to stay out all day and night. After what happened…” She sighed. “You know about my mom, right?”
We both nodded.
Everyone in Connecticut and probably New York read about the brutal home invasion at the Doyles. Ella was home at the time, and I’d always wondered how much she saw and heard.
Did they hurt her, too?
The police hadn’t caught the intruders. For months, Cian Doyle pushed them for leads. My uncle Declan even offered support but was tossed off the Doyle Estate. No matter what, my uncle and her father would always be enemies despite having one in common.
“Well, he’s like crazy protective now,” Ella explained, picking at her nails. “I can’t go anywhere without a security detail. School and work are my only escape from his imprisonment. He’ll let me go to the painting class. Maybe the football game because it’s school-related. But I highly doubt my dad will let me stay out for a party.”
Aiden pulled her toward him and planted a kiss on her lips. “What if you say you’re sleeping at a friend’s house?”
She laughed. “He would never buy that. I don’t have any friends.” Her eyes drifted to me. “You and your friends made sure of that.”
“I’ll admit I haven’t always been nice to you.” I grabbed three water bottles from the refrigerator, passing one to Ella. “But I want to change that, okay?”
Ella twisted off the cap and took a sip. “How do you plan to do that?”
“ We will fix it.” I slid a bottle in front of Aiden, looking at him to confirm what I was about to say. “Alex will come home with you and pretend you’re friends. She’ll charm the pants off your old man. ”
Aiden’s brows furrowed. “I don’t know about this. I’m not sending Alex into the lion’s den. She’s not good under pressure. And if Cian finds out who she is…”
“Until recently, she was Alexandrea Fox,” I pointed out. “Alex can lie. Cian won’t do a background check on her.”
“This could work. But…” The stool creaked as Ella turned to face Aiden. “Are you okay with this?”
Aiden ran a hand through his hair and nodded. “I’ll talk to Alex. We should head back to school.” He rose from the stool and drank from the bottle. “She can go home with Ella today and lay the groundwork for this weekend.” Standing behind Ella, he bent down and kissed her cheek. “You good with that, Cinders?”
Her cheeks flushed as she peeked up at him. “If it means spending the night with you, then yeah. I’m more than good.”