📚📚📚📚📚📚ANNOUNCEMENT 📚📚📚📚📚📚

♥️AIDEN is officially published, all because of YOU!!!! Your support and love for Emden has made this happen and I couldn't be more excited!♥️

You can purchase here: https://www.amazon.com/Aiden-H-L-Swan/dp/1653345470/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=hl+swan+aiden&qid=1578675461&sr=8-1

Or search on amazon under: HL swan Aiden

You can find the link on my Wattpad Bio as well as on my Instagram bio!

And remember, the book has been professionally edited/polished with updated scenes and an epilogue!

Enjoy this chapter!

♥️♥️♥️

Emilia

The ball went wonderfully besides the threat... or warning we received from the stranger, we raised well over our goal for the charity. Howard has been staying close to my mom, it's weird not having him around the house but I wouldn't want anyone else protecting her while we figure this out.

And to her, she doesn't suspect any danger. She's dating Howard, so it's normal for him to be around a lot.

"I just don't understand why we aren't making a move." Ashley says to Aiden, the sun set hours ago and they're still going at this.

Aiden stands, pacing the kitchen and grabbing sweets along the way. All of the counters are lined with various pastries and cupcakes, something I do when I get stressed. Bake.

"Because." He takes a swig of his beer after biting a cupcake, ew. "I don't give a fuck anymore; I'm done making you two run because of my shit. Before, when things like this happened I didn't budge."

"Before what?" I ask, chiming in.

His features soften when they reach me, "Before I had Ashley back in my life and before I met you." He smiles, his emerald eyes dancing as they look at me. "My immediate reaction has been to move all of us somewhere safer every single time. Apparently, that doesn't work. Now we're playing the game my way and I'm letting them come for me."

I don't like the sound of that. "And by your way, what do you mean?"

"I'm staying put. Both of you are going to a safe house." His tone oozes finality.

Ashley laughs, "Okay, so you're saying you're done making us run but that's exactly what you're doing."

He shakes his head, taking another swig. "No, I'm saying that I'm staying and the best place for you guys will be close by in a safer location." he hesitates, "I just don't want to risk anything since the threat is supposedly coming here."

Ash slams her first onto the marble countertop, "You can't do that, Aiden!"

He's so cocky, and arrogant, and deliciously sexy. "I can, and I will." He states. Doesn't he realize that he can't get rid of me?

I laugh. "Hello." My voice is quiet compared to theirs and no one notices me.

Ashley stares daggers at her brother. "You do realize you can't tell me what to do, right?" Ash walks over to Ricky.

Ricky gives her a pleading look. "Babe, it's what's best."

"Hey." I say at a higher pitch, again no one hears me.

"Not you too!" her face collapses in her hands.

Aiden steps forward, talking to Ash. "It's only temporary, until whoever it is comes here... then we will fight and I can't risk either of you being here." His words terrify me.

Ashley scoffs, "No, you have no idea if that threat was even credible, we have been totally fine and you're just going to lock us away when someone whom we don't even know says something like that?"

Aiden crosses his tattoed arms, examining the room and keeping his eyes away from me. "This isn't a discussion, it's an order."

"Hello!" I scream. They all turn to me, "We're not going anywhere. None of us." I state.

Aiden gives me a half-smile, "And what? You're going to fight off the mafia on your own?"

I nod, "If I have too. But none of us are separating, I won't have it. When we separate, that's when bad things happen."

Aiden runs a long hand down his face, "I'm just trying to do what's best."

I walk over to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of wine. "This is what we need right now." Ashley giggles, running over to me. She gives one angry look at Ricky before getting the cork opener.

While me and Ashley pour and sip our glasses, carelessly ignoring Aiden's insane orders, the guys talk in a separate room.

***

After thirty minutes, they make their way back. I can tell by both of their faces that they've caved. "It is true, this is the safest place but you have to listen to me Emilia. I'm not playing around. If one threat is detected on this property, you and Ashley both have to go to the hidden compartment in the basement."

I nod, "Yes, completely understandable."

He continues, "I'm still going to work, Ricky's still going to run the club."

Ashley whines, "What about us? What do we get to do?"

Aiden smirks, "Online classes, both of you. You've both fallen behind because of me so you need to make up for it."

"Okay, dad," Ashley mumbles in a giggling tone. I nod in agreement; I had a business proposition for Aiden. I wanted to tell him about it before all of this happened, but it can wait. Online classes are more than welcome right now, a good distraction.

I bring the red liquid to my lips, and watch as Aiden's eyes trail over me. "So why can you leave but we can't?"

His arrogant smirk makes me roll my eyes, "We can fight, we have guns, do you want me to continue?"

An idea pops into my head, "Teach me."

"About a gun?" Aiden raises his brow.

"No, my dad was a cop I know guns. I want to know how to fight."

He only ponders this for a split second, "That would require you possibly getting hurt so... absolutely not."

I glare at him, "A few bruises won't hurt me, I need to learn how to defend myself."

He walks over, placing a lock of hair behind my ear. "Sweetheart, you have me to defend you. I said no, that's final."

***

"Get up, Beautiful." Aiden's soothing fingers slide through my hair, but my head throbs from the two bottles of wine me and Ashley consumed last night.

"Five more minutes." I croak.

The covers get ripped off of me, "Nope, up." He tells me.

My eyes open slightly, catching sight of Aiden in his basketball shorts, no shirt and sweat glistening against his muscles. I recall his glistening skin from the sauna a few nights ago.

Then I look at the alarm clock, six a.m. Nope.

He shakes his head, "I'm not playing around, Emilia. You wanted this." Wanted what?

I move the heavy comforter off my body. "Why don't you crawl into bed?"

His head dips, messy black hair flies in front of his face. "While I would love to ravage you in bed all day, I need to teach you a few things."

I wipe my eyes, to get a better view of him. "Like what?"

"How to fight."

♥️

⚠️ To celebrate the publishing of Aiden, I'll be posting ANOTHER chapter in a few hours!