Adalyn’s eyes grew wide. She knew the look that was coming upon Angel’s eyes. She needed to get him away now.
Putting a hand on his arm, she pulled to snap him out of it, thankful when he finally started to walk away.
“Get your fucking hands off him,” Joey snapped. “No one’s going anywhere. You can either eat a hamburger or a salad like the rest of them, or don’t eat at all. I don’t really give a shit.”
“Like I said, she is my responsibility, so do not speak to her that way,” Angel threatened as he pushed Adalyn behind him.
“I can speak to her however the fu—”
“Actually, you can’t,” a soft voice interjected. It wasn’t until they all turned their heads to Maria that she continued, “You need to leave now.”
Oh shit.
Everyone’s face, including Angel’s, had the same oh shit expression that had just filtered through their minds.
There were several awkward moments of silence before Joey managed to nod, then left the cafeteria. You could practically see the steam coming off him from the sheer embarrassment of having the Maria Caruso call him out and there was nothing he could do about it.
“Adalyn?”
Swallowing, she looked over at the mafia princess, who unmistakably ruled all. “Yes?”
“Sit down and eat a burger,” she said with a snap of her fingers.
One thing Adalyn wasn’t … was stupid. “Okay.”
Fourteen
Rules to Live and Die By
Adalyn and Lake were in the restroom later that day, drying their hands, when someone who definitely wasn’t a woman came through the door.
“What the hell?” Lake sputtered, looking in the mirror at his reflection.
“Angel, are you crazy?” Adalyn yelled, looking around to see if anyone else was in there.
“Probably,” he told her before looking at Lake. What came out of his mouth next wasn’t a request but a demand. “I need you to do something for me.”
“What?” Lake answered nervously.
“Watch the door and tell me if that prick starts to come back.”
The girls looked confused for a second. Then Lake figured out he meant Maria’s bodyguard, who had taken Joey’s place. “You mean Todd?”
“Yeah, him. I think he’s trying to fuck some professor, but I need that door guarded.”
Okay, maybe Todd is a prick.
Feeling apprehensive, Lake looked at her friend, not knowing if this was a good idea. When Adalyn nodded, though, she gave in, knowing she would be right on the other side of that door if anything happened in there.
Once the door closed with Lake’s departure, Adalyn watched Angel move, expecting him to stop in front of her, but he didn’t. Instead, he slowly began to walk around her, circling her at a creep-like pace while his eyes danced all over her body. With a chill on her skin, she started to get the feeling she was becoming his prey.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
This time when he went behind her, he lightly scooped some tendrils off her shoulders, bringing them to the front. “Why aren’t you afraid of me? Even right now, when you should be, you’re not.”
Her tongue poked out as she licked her bottom lip while thinking about his words. He was right. Her skin might have gone cold, and nervousness rang in her voice from watching him pace around her, but it wasn’t from fear. It was from being awakened. However, she couldn’t tell him that.
“You just don’t scare me.”
“What if I killed Tom?” Those words seemed to echo throughout the room.
Locking her eyes on his when he rounded the front, she went scarily still. “Did you?”
“I’ve done a lot of bad shit, sweetness.” He opened his shadowed eyes to show her that he wasn’t a man of many morals. “But killing Tom wasn’t one of them.”
The tingle in her skin only heightened. She couldn’t explain how or why, but she just knew he was undoubtedly telling the truth. It was like her soul was telling her.
Angel moved in closer, this time stopping right in front of her. Adalyn’s breath vanished when he touched her heavy bottom lip with a long finger and began massaging and teasing the sensitive area. Taking one last step forward, he pressed his body against hers as he murmured darkly, “You’re lucky you saved my life by stealing the ring.”
Her body was screaming now. She couldn’t fully comprehend what he was saying. “H-huh?”
A slight smile parted his lips from knowing the effect he had on her. “They searched my room last night and found nothing, because of you, sweetness.”
Adalyn didn’t know if she should be proud about that fact, but in this moment, in some fucked-up way, she was.
What is he doing to me?
“I guess”—Angel moved his hand down to firmly grab her chin, lifting it high and making her get on her tippy-toes—“I wanted to say thank you.”
His warm voice was the last thing she heard before he brought his warm mouth down on hers.