Page 15 of Brutal Heir (Ruthless Heirs #3)

NEED ME

A lessandro

The happy laughter, clinking glasses and soft music seeps through the walls, infiltrating the crevices of the closed door. I roll over on the massive guest bed, wincing, and bury my head beneath the pillow. Damn it. I never should have come to Serena and Antonio’s engagement party.

And to think, if Antonio had never kidnapped Serena for revenge, I would be the one about to get married.

My entire traitorous family had negotiated a meeting in China to arrange my marriage to the daughter of a rival family, the Red Dragons.

I nearly lost my shit when I found out, which was one of the reasons I’d gotten on that plane to rescue Serena in Milano.

I’m not sure what would have been better, being forced to marry a stranger or dealing with this.

Footfalls and animated chatter echo out in the hallway, and I tense. For fuck’s sake, I just want to be left alone. The sound falls away a moment later, and I draw in a breath of relief.

I thought I could come today and be happy for my cousin, for all of them, but the sound of all that happiness only magnifies my misery. Even hidden in this room, the muddled voices and contented laughter surrounds me, each joyful sound only amplifying the bitterness in my heart.

How did I fall so fast? From heir to the Gemini throne with women throwing themselves at my feet to this shell of a man with gruesome scars across half my body, barely able to walk, to fuck, to do anything by myself…

The door whips open, slams against the wall, and I mutter a curse for forgetting to lock it when I staggered in. Serena stumbles backwards, Antonio glued to her mouth, his hand palming her ass.

Oh, hell, no, this is the last thing I need.

“Don’t you guys have your own room to do that in?” I hiss.

Antonio releases Serena and she whirls around, eyes glassy from champagne and lust as they meet mine. “What the hell are you doing hiding out in here?”

“I needed a minute.”

Her eyes widen, the glee from a moment ago, vanishing. “Are you okay? Are you in pain?” She rushes over to the bed, concern etched into her face.

“I’m fine, Sere, relax.” My cousin has been hovering over me like a mother hen from the moment she flew back in town.

She’s always been like that with all the cousins, but never to this extent.

I know she feels guilty as hell for what happened in Milano.

She thinks it’s her fault, that she owes me somehow, but her guilt only makes me feel worse.

And the pity…

That is the absolute worst of all.

“Maybe we should give Alessandro some time alone,” Antonio offers, curling an arm around her waist.

Smart man. As much as I despised the guy when they first got together, I can’t deny he’s perfect for her.

“Fuck that,” Serena shoots back at Antonio. “That’s not how we do things in the cousin crew.” She rushes out the door and shouts down the hallway.

“Oh, fucking hell,” I grumble as I hear her call for each of our cousins, one by one.

“I tried,” Antonio mutters, lifting his shoulders.

“How do you put up with all of us?” The question pops out unbidden as I force myself to sit up, gritting through the pain.

In the past few weeks, I’ve found it easier to talk to Sere’s fiancé than my own family.

Maybe it’s because he, too, survived being burned alive, or maybe it’s because he wasn’t close to his own father or siblings. Lately, they’re all just suffocating.

A silly grin flashes across his face and instantly, I regret asking. “Because I know how much Serena adores all of you, and I love her.”

“Love certainly is a fickle beast,” I murmur.

“You’ll see one day.”

A cold, hollow laugh escapes. “I don’t think love is in my future, Toni.” Then I motion to my scarred neck and cheek, not to mention all the layers of bandages hidden beneath my loose-fitting clothes. “I look like a fucking monster.”

He shakes his head, that familiar flash of pity surging to the surface.

But he masks it quickly, and it only takes me a second to remember why.

He, too, still bears the scars of the fire he survived.

They’re nothing compared to mine, and yet, I almost take back the callous remark.

Luckily, he’s already speaking before I can figure out what to say.

“We’re all monsters one way or another, Ale.

It only takes the right woman to look past our darkness, our flaws, physical or otherwise.

” He offers a smile, and it’s a genuine one, not like the ones I receive from random strangers on the street when they stare at my bandages.

“You’d be surprised how love can find you when you least expect it. ”

“Right,” I murmur. Maybe I’ll find a hot, blind girl at their wedding next year.

Speaking of the bride-to-be, Serena bounds in with Bella, Raf, Matty, and Alessia trailing her.

Antonio’s hand lands on Serena’s lower back the moment she’s in the room, the kind of casual, effortless touch I’ll never have again.

With each of my cousins finding love, our cousin crew is growing exponentially.

I should be happy for everyone, but my raging bitterness only swallows it up.

“What are you doing moping around in here?” Bella asks, a glass of champagne in her fist.

It isn’t only her gaze pinned to mine now. They’re all staring at me, watching, waiting, walking on eggshells. The worst part of all of this isn’t the scars, the pain, or the fact that I can’t even walk right. It’s the way they look at me. Like I’m already half-dead.

“I’m just not in the mood to dance,” I finally manage, flashing her a sneer before ticking my head at the bandages poking out from beneath the navy sweatpants.

“Shit, I never should have said something so stupid.” She takes my good hand in hers, squeezing. Not that I’d ever admit it out loud, but Bella has always been my favorite. There’s just something about her selflessness and endless optimism that gets through my thick armor. Or at least it used to.

“Just have a drink.” Matty pulls a bottle of champagne from behind his back, and Alessia throws him a scowl.

“He can’t drink on the pain meds, you idiot,” she hisses.

“Aw, come on, let him have one drink. He looks like he could use one.”

I’m about to agree with my cousin when the last person I want to see right now marches through the door.

Rory roars in, her mane of fiery crimson hair wet and wild across her bare shoulders. She looks like she just jumped out of the shower and raced right over. She probably did when Mrs. Jenkins undoubtedly ratted me out.

“There you are!” She jabs an accusatory finger in the air, the Irish lilt seeping through like it always does when she’s angry.

“How could you just take off like that? Are you trying to give me a heart attack, you eejit?” She claps her hand to her chest dramatically, and I focus on the skimpy shorts which barely qualify as clothing, and that clingy tank top, a crime against my self-control.

This crazy girl ran over here in little more than pjs.

“Who is this gorgeous woman?” Matteo’s mischievous gaze darts between us. “She cannot be the same lovely Irish lass I met the other day?”

I huff out a breath, the expanding of my ribcage only tearing at my delicate flesh. But I clench my teeth to hide the wince. The last thing I need is my new overzealous nurse proving her point.

“For anyone who doesn’t already know, this is Rory Delaney, my new live-in—.” I can’t even force her title out because it’s too depressing. As a virile twenty-four-year-old male, admitting to needing a full-time caretaker is just embarrassing.

“I’m his nurse,” she blurts, marching closer to the bed.

I sit up as straight as the compression garments beneath will allow without tweaking my healing skin and meet her fierce gaze. “And I’ve already told you countless times, I don’t need one.” For some reason, I feel the necessity to say it out loud in front of my family.

She glares down at me, all righteous indignation. I should hate the infuriating woman, should send her packing with a single word. But for some reason, the way she storms in like she owns the place makes me want to see what happens if I push back.

“Well, that’s not what your father said, and he’s the one who hired me if you recall.” She offers a smile, flashing her teeth. “And the next time you leave the penthouse without telling me, there will be consequences.”

“You’re really going to punish me, Red?” I taunt, watching for a reaction.

She smirks. “Don’t tempt me.”

I stare at her, brows slamming together in surprise, and she glares right back. At all of five foot nothing and wearing what barely passes as an outfit to leave the house in, the little leprechaun is still a ferocious thing. She looks like she walked out of a Celtic fever dream, all fire and fury.

Matteo laughs, the sound cutting through the suddenly quiet room. “Well, Ale, I think you’ve met your match.”

I meet Rory’s gaze, bejeweled irises burning with something that makes my pulse spike.

“All of you out, I need to speak to my patient in private.” She shoos my family out, herding them like wild cattle. They each shoot me half-hearted waves before lumbering out.

Serena tosses me a smile over her shoulder before pausing in the doorway. “Rory, I fully expect you to get my cranky cousin out on the dancefloor.”

I scoff, shaking my head. “Not happening.”

“Fine, by the wedding then.”

“Deal.” Rory throws her a smirk.

Before I can counter, Serena slips out. I’m impressed by how quickly Rory clears the room.

They don’t even obey Uncle Luca like that.

The moment the door closes, she whirls on me, jabbing a finger to my chest. “What the feck were you thinking running off like that?”

“There was no running,” I hiss, catching her finger before it can jab again.

My body protests every inch as I rise, but I need to look her in the eye for this.

“In case you forgot, I’m still in a damned wheelchair.

” Leveling her in a dark glare most would find intimidating, I tower over her, finger still clenched in my hand.

“My sister’s driver came for me then escorted us to my cousin’s engagement party. It was all very safe.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me about it?”

“Because I didn’t want you here!” I jerk my hand back, releasing her and she stumbles back a step.

I should be relieved to have some space between our bodies.

Instead, my chest hollows like I’ve just lost something I can’t name.

A pang of hurt flashes across her face before the typical fire returns.

Didn’t I wish she were here only a few minutes before hiding out in this room?

Dio , this woman has my head spinning. “Don’t you understand that your simple presence makes me look weak? ”

“You’re wrong,” she growls, closing the space between us once again. “If anything, with me beside you, you look like a man smart enough to accept help. Strong enough to heal.”

My jaw clenches. I want to shove her away, to tell her to leave, to remind her who the hell I am. But I can’t. Because she’s already too close, close enough that I catch the faintest trace of her perfume. Something citrusy, fresh, wild. Like her.

“In this world, this family, this empire, perception is everything.”

“And what do you see when you look at me, Alessandro?” Her eyes blaze emerald fire, chin tilted up in defiance. “Because right now, it feels like you’re trying so hard to keep me at arm’s length when all I’ve done is try to help.”

My throat works around the sudden lump. I wish she’d just yell, threaten to walk away. That I could handle. But this quiet accusation, this unflinching honesty, it guts me.

“This is not who I was,” I admit, voice low, raw. “In a chair. Needing help just to fucking stand. That’s not who I was supposed to be.”

She takes another step closer, her voice softening just enough to slip under my skin. “You’re still that man. You’re just… rebuilding.”

I laugh, bitter and hollow. “You really think that?”

Her gaze never wavers. “Aye, I do. Even if you’re too stubborn to see it.”

My fingers twitch at my sides. I don’t know if I want to grab her or walk away. I’ve never met anyone who infuriates me this much and still makes me want to lean in.

“I’m not used to people pushing back,” I murmur, eyes dropping to her mouth. “Most people just fall in line.”

Her lips curve. Not a smile. Not quite. “Then it’s a good thing I’m not most people, yeah?”

Before I can stop myself, I lift a hand and brush a lock of wet hair from her face. She stiffens, then leans ever so slightly into the touch.

This is dangerous.

I pull my hand back like I’ve been burned. “You should go.”

“And leave you here sulking like a child at your own cousin’s party?” she challenges. “Not a chance.”

“Rory—”

“You snuck out without telling me, and now you’re trying to punish me for showing up? Nope. I’m staying. Whether you like it or not. I love parties.” She smirks.

I stare at her, silent, breath tight in my chest. Then finally, I shake my head. “You’re insane.”

“Probably.” She winks. “But you need me. And deep down, you know it.”

I don’t respond. I can’t. Because she’s right.

So instead, I gesture toward the door. “Then let’s get back out there before someone thinks you’re actually punishing me in here.”

She grins, sliding her arm through mine like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Her hand brushes my bicep, and I swear, my body sparks like it’s waking from a coma. I hate how much I want to keep her close. I hate that I can’t look away.

“Lead the way, McFecker.”

And Dio help me, I do.