All the girls decided to eat in the cafeteria, considering it was a pizza day. Even Maria had thrown her salad out the window to eat a slice.

“What happened to him?” Elle asked, eyeing Angel at where he sat a few tables away. She was clearly out of the loop.

“He got beat up,” Adalyn told her simply, not sure if she could give more information than that. They were all Carusos, and the mafia princess was sitting at the table.

Putting down her pizza, the girl who didn’t want to be around him due to her friend being captured by the Lucianos, Elle almost seemed concerned. “Who did that to him?”

Does he just get irresistible when he’s hurt or something?

Not knowing what to say to her, Adalyn tried to skate around it. “Uh … I’m not—”

“Carusos,” Maria told her, throwing down her pizza. It was almost unexpected the way she had said it. For a girl who really didn’t like him and who had strong roots to the family she loved so much, there was a bit of disdain in her voice when she had said the family name.

Elle seemed appalled. “Really? Which ones?”

Looking over at Maria, Adalyn wondered if she knew. When she didn’t answer, though, Adalyn simply shrugged, not wanting to speak Joey’s name. “Don’t know yet.”

“I wonder if Nero would know?” Elle’s eyes hadn’t moved from him.

“I’m going to ask Vincent, too,” Lake agreed, also staring at him.

For Christ’s sake, what is happening? They already have sexy, hot men! Especially Elle! Nero is Lucca’s only slightly less hot brother! That family had something weird in their blood, like they descended from God Himself. She looked over at Angel now. And he was created by Satan! Okay … maybe by a really, really good-looking Satan, but still! Shit, he is hot.

It took everything Lake had to look away from him. “Maria, I have a question.”

“Yes?” the blonde who was also descended from God answered.

“Have you seen any of Angel’s brothers or the other Lucianos?”

“A few. Why?”

Not wasting time, Lake got right to the point. “Are they hot?”

Adalyn found herself scooting to the edge of her seat, waiting for the next words out of Maria’s mouth. Even Elle leaned in closer, her interest piqued, too.

Flipping her hair behind her shoulder, Maria then picked up her pizza. “Nope.”

“Told ya.” Adalyn smiled righteously over at a soul-crushed Lake before taking a big bite out of her pizza.

That shit’s for fairy tales.

* * *

Leaving the last class of the day, Adalyn didn’t know how she felt about Angel anymore. She liked him, and then she didn’t, especially when he ignored her like he used to when they were in the cafeteria. He had only paid attention to her when Lake was around.

Jerk.

On the way to the car, her eyes were drawn to the guy who had tried to run into her on the skateboard, along with some guys behind him, who had been laughing and watching that day. They were giving her and Lake uncomfortable feelings with their glances.

“You girls all alone today?” The skateboarder stepped closer.

Angel came up behind them, walking in the middle as he placed his arm around Adalyn, showing him that they weren’t.

The skater looked shocked for a moment to see him again, not recognizing him at first. Then he noticed his rough appearance. He continued following them from a short distance away with his group backing him up.

“I was wondering what happened to you. Should have known someone put you in your place.”

Continuing to pull the girls along, Angel acted like they didn’t exist.

When they didn’t stop following them, Adalyn started to get pissed.

“Will you fuck off—”

Pulling her into his side, Angel shut her up.

Walking in front of them, the skateboarder stopped dead in his tracks, forcing them to stop abruptly, too. “What did your bitch just say?” There was a look in his eyes that told her she had pissed him off.

Excuse me? His bitch?

“I believe she said to fuck off,” Angel answered in a threatening tone.

With the skater’s friends circling them, he stepped up to Angel. “That wasn’t smart. You look worthless right now.”

“I would think really fucking hard if you want to do this, kid, because I got nothing to lose. I don’t go to school here, and I wouldn’t give a shit if I couldn’t step foot back on campus.”

Some of his friends backed up, knowing he was right. There was an audience of students watching them now. They wouldn’t be able to lie about not starting the fight.

The skater looked around, seeing all the eyes on him, and with his backup not willing, he was at a loss. “I want my board back.” He smirked before his eyes moved to Adalyn, who Angel still had his arm around. “Because to me, it looks like you do have something to lose.”

Angel dropped his arm from Adalyn’s shoulders, then went up to him, showing the kid he was no longer playing games and that, even injured, he was well enough to take him on right now. “You should have thought about that before you tried to run her over with it, fucker.”

You could see the skater contemplate hitting him for a second, right before he chickened out and walked away. “Next time, then.”

“Pray there won’t be,” Angel advised with a lethal promise.

Disgusted at what had taken place, Adalyn waited until the prick left before she gave her opinion. “What an asshole.”

“What the hell’s wrong with him?” Lake agreed.

“Don’t ever speak to him again,” Angel ordered Adalyn before looking at Lake. “Either one of you.”

Lake agreed easily, nodding her head, but Adalyn didn’t. She didn’t like how he had shut her up from telling the asshole to fuck off.

Not about to take his order, she walked off, heading back to the car like she had been trying to before the dickhead had stopped them. I can tell him to fuck off if I want.

After all of them were quiet for the rest of the walk, Lake got in the already filled Escalade, while Adalyn went straight to the car door. However, Angel wouldn’t unlock it, waiting until the Escalade pulled off before he finally hit the remote’s button that unlocked the car doors.

As soon as she heard the locks disengage, she threw open the car door, about to get in, when a hand came around her belly, firmly holding her in place. She froze when he spanned his fingers across her taut skin and pressed his lean body into her back.

Leaning down, he whispered softly into her ear, “Why did you walk away from me, sweetness?”

“B-because I’m not agreeing to that.” God, she really hoped she could stay strong, but she seemed to always mold to him when he was like this.

Angel flipped her around in a swift motion, smiling down at her shocked yet thrilled expression. There seemed to be a glint in his eyes as he taunted, “Your friend agreed with me easily enough.”

Her hasty reply came with a grin. “That’s because she finds you attractive.”

“Are you saying you don’t find me attractive?” He moved a finger up her neck to the tip of her chin, forcing her to face him when she answered.

Swallowing, she lied, “No.”

“What have I said about lying, sweetness?” He leered down at her, knowing her too well.

“I didn’t,” she helplessly lied again. “You seemed to like her this morning. Maybe you should leave me alone and bug her instead.”

“I can’t do that because I don’t like her.” He moved his lips to the skin above her jaw. “I like you.”

Don’t be weak, Adalyn!

“Well, I don’t like you.”

Moving closer to her lips, he was so close to kissing her again. “You sure?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Okay, then.” He pulled his face from hers, standing straight up and far from her reach.

Her body practically cried out in pain. “W-wait …”

“Yes?”

“I might like you a little,” she confessed softly.

His tone becoming more serious, he wasn’t going to give in. “Then if you like me, you’ll promise not to mouth off to him ever again.”

“But he deserves it—”

“He deserves a hell of a lot more than that,” Angel told her fiercely, not moving his eyes from hers. “But I know people like him, Adalyn. They feed off your anger. They want a reason to hurt you. Telling them off gives them that. You saw how he reacted when you said something. I’ve learned ignoring them doesn’t give them that chance.”

Remembering how Angel had reacted, not saying anything until she had told him to fuck off, she realized he might be right. Her mind wasn’t happy about it, but her body really freaking wanted that kiss.

“Fine, I promise.”

Giving a slight smile, he slowly lowered his head toward hers. Taking her bottom lip between his teeth, he gave a delicate pull before releasing it.

Adalyn could have died in that moment, loving the way it felt to be captured by him. Anticipating what else was to come, she squeezed her thighs together as a wave of heat flowed through her lower belly.

“Good.” He lightly tapped her ass with the hand that had been resting at the small of her back. “Now, get in.”

Her jaw almost dropped to the floor and the breath she had been holding released in a huff as he pulled away from her reach. She should have guessed he would do that.

Deciding to file that away for later, she got in the car, somewhat grateful he hadn’t really kissed her. Because God knows if I would’ve stopped.

She watched him get in and start the car; it was strange seeing an almost playful attitude come from him today. She was unable to stop smiling almost the entire way to her house. She had to admit their “little game” sure was fun.

“What did you mean this morning when you said he can’t to Lake?”

She had to practically shake her head before realizing what he was talking about. “Oh, we wanted to know if you knew how to ride a skateboard, but I told her you couldn’t.”

“I do know how to ride, though.” He laughed as he put the car in park once he reached her driveway.

Well … shit. Her cheeks began to turn a bright shade of pink as she reached for the car door and opened it. With visions of him skateboarding, she damn sure didn’t trust herself to be around him.

A slow smile appeared on his lips. “I could show you sometime, sweetness.”

LEAVE, ADALYN!

Getting out of the car quickly, she stopped before turning back to make one last mistake. “You don’t ride a motorcycle, though, right?”

“No, but I know how. I used to ride dirt bikes a lot, but I haven’t ridden in a whil—”

Slamming the door, she looked heavenward. “Why, God, why?”