Page 251 of Kissing the Villain

I laughed at his stupid suggestion. “Like I would ever be jealous of you.”

“Save it. You were jealous of Alex’s feelings for me. You were out of your mind.”

“Because she’s mine, Marcello!” I yelled louder than intended, and Alex stirred in his arms. “She’s the only thing Ihave that’s mine.” I lowered my voice. “And I have to share her with you and the Knights and Aiden fucking Wellington.”

“Alex might call out my name in her sleep, but she’s yours. You’re an idiot if you think she was ever going to choose me.”

I propped my elbow up on the pillow and looked at him. “I don’t know how to do this for her.”

“Then take your head out of your ass and watch what I’m doing. It’s easy, Luca.” He leaned back so I could see how he held Alex. “You have two degrees from Harvard and run one of the largest companies in the world. If you can’t figure out how to console your fiancée, then you’re a fucking lost cause.”

“What if she’s like Mom?”

He rolled his shoulders. “Sheislike Mom.”

“You were better with Mom,” I confessed. “Sometimes, she was out of control. A completely different person. You knew what to say to pull her out of her head.”

“You have to learn to deal with Alex’s mental illness. It’s not going anywhere. She will struggle with it for the rest of her life.”

“What’s the secret?” I asked.

“Patience. You’re used to getting what you want when you want it. To help Alex, you need to be patient and understanding. Sometimes, you can’t fix her. You just need to let her figure it out on her own.”

“Like Mom,” I whispered, staring at the moonlight from the balcony doors. “I never knew what she needed. I just wanted to fix her. Make her normal.”

“You can do this, Luca.” He sat up and moved Alex into my arms. “Here. Put your arms around her, then lay her head on your chest.”

I did as he instructed, like I was a fucking robot that needed to be programmed to learn how to be a real person. Alex groaned as I slipped my fingers through her hair.

Marcello grabbed my hand and moved it beneath her silky pajama top, helping me make circular motions on her soft skin. “She likes this.”

I lifted my eyebrows. “You were touching her like this every night?”

“It’s her stomach,” he shot back. “Not her fucking tits. Give me a break. You let us do worse things with Alex in the temple last year.”

“I never cared,” I admitted.

“Because you couldn’t come to terms with your feelings for her until after she stabbed you. Why does it take a catastrophic event like a stabbing, shooting, or kidnapping to get you to see what’s right in front of you?”

“It wasn’t until I saw her on top of you that I realized I was an asshole. I’d fucked up.”

“Big time,” he agreed.

“She wanted to fuck you.”

He nodded in agreement. “But I think it was out of spite.”

I shook my head. “No, it wasn’t. She has feelings for you. I see how she looks at you. Her eyes light up when you walk into a room.”

“It’s not the same,” he muttered.

“Marcello,” Alex whimpered. She wrapped her fingers around my wrist and pushed my hand lower. “Marcello.” Eyes closed, she licked her lips.

“Does she do this often?” I obliged her request, allowing her to guide my hand. “Do you touch her while she’s sleeping?”

He shook his head. “Never.”

“But she tries?”

---