CHAPTER THREE: THE MOVE

Aria’s POV

1... 2... 3...

I counted the floors ticking by, my thumb digging into the strap of my duffel bag.

I can’t believe I actually took this job.

No. Not a job.

A cage with a $50M lock.

The elevator dinged. Halfway there. My stomach was already turning I couldn’t wait to get to the 30th floor.

Finally. 30.

The doors slid open and I stepped out on shaky legs.

The hallway hit me first. Marble. Gold trim. Ceiling so high I felt like an ant. This wasn’t a floor. It was a palace. What the hell did their apartment look like?

I checked the address on my phone. Again. 30B.

I’d checked it a thousand times before I even got in the cab. A thousand times in the lobby. And I was still convinced I had the wrong place. Because girls like me don’t end up in places like this.

Unless they’re in trouble.

I raised my hand. It shook. I rang the doorbell.

One second. Two.

The door ripped open so fast I jumped back.

Luca Kane.

He leaned against the frame, sleeves rolled up, top two buttons undone like he’d been waiting for me. His eyes dragged down my body, then back up to my face. Slow. Like he owned whatever he looked at.

“Well,” he purred, his lips curving. “Come in sweetheart.”

My duffel bag slipped from my fingers and hit the marble with a thud.

I forced an awkward smile. My cheeks were on fire. I dropped to grab my bag, my fingers fumbling. “Excuse me,” I mumbled, gesturing for him to move.

He did. Barely. Just enough for his arm to brush mine as I squeezed past.

Heat shot up my shoulder. I pretended not to notice. He definitely noticed.

“I’ll show you to your room,” he said, his voice already at my back.

I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. I was too busy trying not to gawk at the apartment.

It wasn’t an apartment. It was a kingdom. Floor-to-ceiling windows. A chandelier that probably cost more than everything I owned.

We walked past door after door. Office. Gym. What looked like a theater. How many rooms did four men need?

Finally, he stopped. Pushed open a door.

I stepped in after him and my breath caught.

The room was... unreal. King bed. Silk sheets. A balcony overlooking the entire city. It looked like something from a magazine. From a life I’d never get to live.

Luca waved a hand, lazy and arrogant. “Well? What do you think?”

I wrapped my arms around myself. I felt dirty just standing on the rug. Like my thrift-store duffel bag would infect the place. “It’s...” My voice cracked. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

A lie. The truth was: I’m terrified to sleep here. Because if I do, this becomes real.

He studied me. For a second, the Playboy mask slipped. Something softer flickered in his eyes. “I picked it out.” His voice was quieter now. “I wanted you to feel at home.”

My chest tightened. He was the nicest one. Which probably made him the most dangerous.

“Where are the others?” I asked, desperate to break the moment.

“Office. Emergency meeting.” He shrugged, leaning against the doorframe. That stupid, sinful smirk was back. “I volunteered to welcome you. Seeing as my brothers have the social skills of a clam.”

A snort escaped me before I could stop it. I clapped a hand over my mouth.

Luca’s eyes lit up. “See? I knew you’d get my humor.”

Heat crawled up my neck. I stared at the floor.

“I’m making dinner before the cavemen get back,” he said, pushing off the door. “Freshen up. Join us when you’re ready.”

He paused in the doorway. His gaze dropped to my lips for half a second. Then he was gone.

The door clicked shut.

And I finally exhaled.

I scrubbed that thought out of my head with hot water and cheap shampoo. Ten minutes later I was dressed in the only nice outfit I owned — black jeans, soft sweater. Armor.

Now I had to find Luca.

And dinner.

The penthouse was a maze. I followed the low murmur of voices, my bare feet silent on the marble. My heart was in my throat.

I found them in the kitchen.

All four.

Damian. Luca. Elias. Noah.

Tall. Broad. Suits off, sleeves rolled up, ties loosened. They looked like sin dressed in cashmere. And all four conversations died the second I stepped into the doorway.

Four pairs of eyes hit me at once.

I felt naked.

“Hi,” I managed, lifting a hand in the world’s most awkward wave.

Silence.

Luca broke it first. Of course he did. His smile was slow, deliberate. The kind of smile that made stupid girls do stupid things. “How nice of you to join us, sweetheart.”

Before I could answer, Damian cut in. His voice was steel.

“Sit.”

It wasn’t a request.

I slid into the nearest chair like my legs weren’t working. The scrape of wood on marble sounded like a gunshot.

They all sat. One by one. Surrounding me. Damian is at the head of the table. Luca to my left, too close. Elias across from me, is silent. Noah was at the far end, watching everything.

Damian steepled his fingers. CEO mode.

“If you’re living with us, we need house rules.”

The word if made my blood run cold. Like I had a choice.

His gray eyes locked on mine. “Rule one.”