AIDENI wished I knew what the fuck it was about her. I wished I knew for a single damn second what it was about Elena Gilbert that fucked me up in the best kind of way. I wished I knew how the hell she can look into my eyes and make me different. How she makes me stronger, gentler, more understanding.I wished I knew how the fuck she can touch me with her soft hands and crack into the hard exterior my life requires. She didn’t only crack it—she slipped her painted nails between the broken edges until her fingertips were gripping them, and then she ripped them apart, exposing the guy inside. Exposing the guy that was as fuckin’ real as it came.She exposed the protector, the lover, the dreamer.She exposed the guy hidden from all the other girls.I wished I knew how the hell she made a dream come to life when I didn’t even know it existed. How she took my notion of a dream and twisted it until I looked back and realized it was never entirely fulfilled.“Why’d you do it?”“Do what?” I

ELENAI knew they meant well, but my God, I’d love to, you know, at least pee without being shadowed to the bathroom. Never mind the three brawny bodyguards in the next room. They should just hook me up to a mic, then they can all hear my damn business.It was all for my own protection, but unless my ex-fiancé has turned into Spider-Man and can scale up nine floors and ninja jump his way into the room through the window, I think I was probably safe enough.“Are you seriously standing outside the door?”“Just in case.”“Aiden! I can’t pee with you listening!”“I’m not listenin’, darlin’. I’m standin’ guard.”“You know, this is getting a little silly now.” I grunted and forced myself to pee. “Like, for real. And you were totally listening because you answered me!”I flushed, washed my hands, and unlocked the door.He towered over me by a few inches and outward by several more, but that didn’t stop me from narrowing my eyes in a challenging move. It had been days since I got the email, a

AIDENRed. I saw red. I saw motherfucking red.My fist flied into his face and the crunch of his nose was satisfying. But it wasn’t enough—his jaw, arms, legs, every bit of this bastard needed fucking fracturing so he knows.“She’s fucking mine.” He launched himself at me.My response was another punch, this time to his chest, and it knocked him back. The slimy fuck looked up at me and smirked.I was gonna wipe it right off his fuckin’ face.Three pairs of hands grabbed my arms and held me back at the same time Ajay grabbed the shit who just had his hands on my Els.“Get the fuck off me,” I growled, struggling against their hold on me.“Calm the fuck down!” Titus saod.“Then get him out of my sight before I fuckin’ kill him!”“Ajay,” Bray said.He nodded once and dragged the piece of shit out of the room.“Now,” Conor said, watching Brian shut the door after Ajay and five of his boys. “You gonna sit the fuck down and behave or have I gotta punch you, too?”I shoved my brothers off me

He sat still as my hips rocked against him. Again. Again. Again. Again. Over and over until my fingers entwined with his messy hair and he gripped my hips. Until his hips met my gentle thrusts. Until heat swamped my body, throbbing, pulsating, beating through me. Until he groaned my name into my ear and crushed our mouths together barely seconds later.Until I cum so hard tears streamed from my eyes.Until he pressed my face into his neck.Until he whispered my name, again and again.Until he wiped every salty tear from my cheeks before he wiped them from his chest.I smiled as Aiden walked off the stage to deafening applause from the crowd, grinning. He swept his arms around my waist, and I hugged his neck. The swelling on his eye had gone down, and the makeup girls did a great job of covering the bruising that was spread onto the side of his nose and his cheekbone.He touched his lips to my forehead and took the water Charlotte offered. Since Ajay briefed her on Martin and what happ

“Really, Aiden, you could get original with your dates.”“I took her for dinner already. I’m no fuckin’ Romeo,” I retorted.“Pretty good Casanova, though,” Elena admitted. “At least when you stop talking.”“Hey!” I tickled her sides and she giggled, slapping at my hands.“Lay off,” she managed through her laughter. “Can you pay yet? I’m led to believe I’ll get sex on the beach, dear boyfriend, and I don’t want to be disappointed.”“Boyfriend?” Tina sputtered, looking between us.I swiped my card and grinned.“Apparently class comes into play.” Elena shrugged, grabbed the grocery bags, and placed them in the cart. “It was nice meeting you . . .” She looked pointedly at Tina’s name tag. “Tina.”“Pleasure,” she snarled back.I buried my face in Elena’s hair, fighting my laughter. Shit. She’s got an attitude worse than I thought. Fuck. This chick can shoot any bitch down without even thinking about it.She shrugged me off her, grabbed the bags, then looked at the back gate expectantly. I