Reckless & Ruined by Bethany-Kris Read Free Book Online

sneering. “And you’re selfish as hell.”
    “Me?” Theo asked, scoffing. “Come on, Adriano. I did my sister a favor; that was all.”
    “And you got my sister in trouble in the process!”
    Alessa frowned, confused.
    Evelina Conti, Adriano’s sister, was supposed to be Lily’s maid of honor. The shootings and murders had pushed Evelina’s father to cull her from the wedding party. Alessa’s sister took Evelina’s place while one of the groom’s cousins acted as the stand-in for a bride’s maid. Nonetheless, Evelina hadn’t shown up at the wedding or reception. At least, not that Alessa knew.
    “I’m sorry your father is a fucking asshole right now, but Eve is Lily’s best friend,” Theo said, unaffected. “I figured they would both like to see each other today. It was only for a few minutes. I sent Eve home with someone from a neutral family.”
    “You sent her home with one of your cousins,” Adriano growled.
    “So?” Theo tossed his hands high, saying, “I could have sent her home with Joel! Would that have been any better? Fuck no. Right now, sending her home with a DeLuca relative was better than sending her home with someone else.”
    Adriano’s gaze narrowed. “Now you’re just being an asshole. Nobody is neutral in this, Theo. My father is in a fit and Eve is taking shit for it. Thanks for trying to be nice, but next time, don’t bother at all. She doesn’t need your kind of nice and I don’t want to run around cleaning up any more messes because of your family.”
    Theo didn’t even blink at those words. “What is that supposed to mean, Adriano?”
    “You know what it fucking means. Leave my sister alone.”
    Theo DeLuca was a loyal, happy guy. He could be pretty loud when he wanted to be and he knew how to charm a lady with just a smile. His brother Dino, on the other hand, was quiet, reserved, and sometimes a little intimidating. Lily, the youngest of the three DeLuca siblings, was a mixture of both quiet and good-natured.
    Alessa had seen both Theo and Evelina interact over the years, but she hadn’t once seen anything romantic between the two. Then again, Alessa never saw anything intimate between her sister and Tommas Rossi, either, but those two were … yeah.
    “Whatever, kid,” Theo said. “I’m over this shit. Here’s the thing, it’s not me who needs to drop it. Let your sister know she can lose my number. I’m done trying with your family. You just lost another ally.”
    With those words, Theo turned on his heel and headed back toward the front of the building. Alessa barely managed to slip around the side out of view. Theo didn’t seem to notice Alessa against the wall as he took the stairs two at a time, yanked open the glass door, and disappeared inside the building.
    Alessa let out another breath, happy she hadn’t been caught eavesdropping. Turning to peek around the corner of the building again, she came face to face with Adriano. Her heart kick-started at the sight of his grin. He could be playful and sweet when he wanted.
    “Adriano,” Alessa whispered.
    “Where have you been?” Adriano asked her.
    “Here and there. You?” 
    “Staying out of trouble. Unlike you.” Adriano winked. “You thought I didn’t see you there, huh?”
    “I wasn’t listening,” Alessa said.
    “That's your story?”
    “Yes. And I’m sticking to it.”
    “Smart girl,” Adriano said, chuckling.
    “I learned from the best.”
    The sound of Adriano’s laughter was dark, rich, and deep. It rolled over Alessa’s senses like liquid sugar, promising to make her high and wake her up at the same time. His green eyes surveyed her, looking over the dress she wore and the black pumps on her feet. Adriano had always been able to make the rest of the world disappear when he had Alessa in his sights.
    She didn’t have the first clue how to feel about this man. Their closeness over the years had been explained away to everyone around them as nothing more than friendship, but