Page 83 of Rockwell Academy: The Twist

“I could say the same.”

Her impish grin stirs a lightness in me—something unfamiliar, but impossible to resist.

We reach the house and as we troop down to the basement, I’m interested in the pairings from The Claiming. Jesse is holding tightly onto Imogen’s hand and they appear happy about that. Serena is with Colton and Grace is with Eric, leaving Molly and Jed to complete the couples.

Summer leans in and whispers, “I’m glad you found me, Luca. I would have hated to be with any of the other guys.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” I smile and say with a wicked grin, “It’s a shame Colton got to Serena first, but you were my second choice.”

“Asshole.” She rolls her eyes and her hand tightens its hold on mine as Frankie glares at us from the bar.

“Let’s get this over with.” She sighs and we head his way, knowing there is nothing he can do about the fact we’re together now. After all, he allocated the places and only has himself to blame.

He nods as Cassie smiles at our approach.

“Good work guys.” She says with warmth in her voice and nudges Frankie, who is sullen beside her.

“Isn’t that right, Frankie? It all worked out in the end.”

He sighs heavily. “If you say so, baby girl, but it’s fucked up seeing my sister holding the hand of any man, let alone one from a rival family.”

Summer chuckles softly. “And that has never happened before? Ask our parents how they felt when they disregarded Uncle Angelo’s instructions and went there, anyway.”

Frankie sighs, “Which I will plead as my defense when dad wants an explanation about how I delivered you into the hands of the enemy.”

”The enemy?” Cassie laughs out loud. “You’re not at war, Frankie. For fuck’s sake.”

Three pairs of eyes tell a different story as we regard one another warily.

I may like Frankie, we could be good friends, but at the back of my mind is the knowledge he is a rival. Mafia isn’t just a word to us. It’s a way of life. A statement and there are rules about how things operate in our world. Ordinarily, if a rival expresses an interest in a girl from a different family, there are many discussions about how it will work to benefit both families. There are rules set in place for events like this and we have just flouted every fucking one of them.

I sigh and my gaze collides with his and an understanding passes between us. If I fuck things up with his sister, he won’t hesitate on marking me as his enemy, and then it is war. I know the risks, respect them even and despite the nature of our relationship, even I understand it was probably the best outcome for Summer.

39

SUMMER

It’s somehow different tonight. After what happened in The Claiming, it’s more of a getting to know you kind of vibe. The couples are huddled together trying to figure things out from here, and we are no different.

Luca grabs us a couple of beers from the bar and jerks his head to the door outside.

I follow him out and we tuck ourselves in the corner, seizing a couple of chairs with cushions, intimate but comfortable.

He touches his bottle with mine and says with a wicked smile. “To us and all good things from now on.”

“To us.” I can’t tear my gaze away from him and he leans forward and rests his arms on his knees, staring me deep in the eyes as he whispers, “This kind of changes things.”

“In what way?”

I almost can’t breathe as he smirks, “We are free to be together and as a couple that brings with it a certain privilege.”

“Does it?” I shrug. “If you say so. I’ve yet to be convinced.”

“Then allow me to convince you.”

He grasps the bottle from my hand and sets it on the nearby table, and I swallow hard. There is a complex look in his eye Ihave yet to figure out. He tugs me so I leave my chair and I find myself on his lap.

“Luca, for fuck’s sake–” I glance quickly at the house and he grins, running his thumb against my lips, staring into my increasingly lust-filled eyes.

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