Forbidden Temptation My Mafia Fiance's Alpha Father (Brooklyn and Aden)

Chapter 81

Brooklyn

I study the invitation in my hand.

"A...beach party?" I say, cocking my head to the side.

"It's about an hour away," Aden tells me. "Friends and family only, apparently. Some kind of ritual, a gathering for those close to Remington."

I look up at Aden my eyebrow raised. "Did you...read my mail?"

He stares at me impassively, not needing to confirm.

I study the envelope, wondering how the hell he re-sealed it, and then why he bothered to reseal it...

"Brooklyn," Aden says sharply, and I look up to see that he's frustrated with me. As usual. "Are you going to go?"

I look back at the invitation and see, in particular, that it's made out to me.

No mention of Aden or Hudson. Apparently, it's a private party.

"Am I...allowed to go?" I ask, looking back up at him.

Aden shrugs.

"I'll send you with my guards. There's no real reason to refuse. You said you wanted freedom."

Aden says the final words ruefully, but my lips crook into a smile, recognizing my language from this morning.

He was listening. He's trying.

"Okay," I say, moving towards Aden and then past him, walking down the hallway to where a man is waiting by the front door.

"Are you the messenger my father sent?" I ask.

The messenger just bows a little, which I assume is a confirmation."

I smile. "Please tell him that I'm happy to accept."

The messenger nods, reaching for the handle of the door so he can go deliver the reply.

"Oh," I stop him. "Would you tell my father that we might be late? I apologize it will take us some time to get ready."

The messenger hesitates, and then ventures a word. "We?"

I smile broadly. "Yes," I say, turning for the stairs. "My fiancé will accompany me to the party. It is friends and family, correct?"

As I head up the stairs, I see Aden out of the corner of my eye, smirking.

Apparently, he approves.

***

Hudson mopes in the car the whole way. "I can't believe you agreed to this for me," he murmurs. "I hate this kind of thing."

"Oh, come on." I nudge him with my elbow. "You don't even know what this is about. And it's at the beach! I hear there's barbeque."

Hudson just scowls and I laugh, smoothing out the wrinkles in my blue-and-white striped skirt, which I've paired with a white crop-top.

Or, I should say, which Aden has paired with a little white crop top.

Because this adorable outfit just magically appeared in my room after my shower, complete with a wide- brimmed straw hat.

Now that Jayde is gone, Aden has no plausible deniability anymore. We both know he selects my clothes for me.

Luckily, he has immaculate taste.

"You really do look pretty," Hudson says, looking at me from the corner of his eye.

"Thank you," I say, and feel Lena preen herself.

I could tell that Aden approved, too, when I had come downstairs ready to go. He hadn't said anything, but the look in his eye had been enough.

Lena had liked that, too.

I had hesitated, before we left, seeing that Aden was sending us with two guards each to keep an eye on

us.

"Is it..." I had asked, looking at the guns strapped to their hips. "Is there any reason to think it will be like last time?" I ask, worried. "With...the guns?"

Aden had looked down at me reassuringly.

"No," he had said. "Whoever was responsible for that won't pull that move again."

I frowned, but Aden had put a hand on my shoulder, moving on.

"Just have fun. You'll be safe," he had said, glaring at our guards. "My guys will make sure of it."

They had nodded their confirmation and then we had left.

Now, we're forty-five minutes outside of the city, heading away from the stables and towards the beach. I can already smell the salt on the air.

I love the beach. I always have, despite my lily-white skin and my tendency to burn as red as a lobster. Most wolves stick to the woods and the mountains, where they can lurk and hide and make their dens. But not me. There's just something about the beach that calls to me.

And apparently, also, to my father.

We pull up to the indicated spot, and Hudson puts a hand on my arm when I eagerly reach for the passenger door.

I pause, watching the guards climb out of the front seat and the car behind us, sweeping the area in order to make sure that we're secure.

When we get the nod from them, Hudson and I climb out and I look around, studying the scene.

I had expected, really, to be taken to a beach house. My father, I've heard, owns several.

But, instead, we're at a private beach far away from any buildings. The shores are rocky, and there's a bonfire going.

It's just us and the sea, and it's really very, very beautiful.

There are plenty of people milling around. Some I recognize as family members whom I had met at the party. Others, though, are completely foreign to me.

Mostly wolves, but some humans, too.

One man in particular catches my eye.

He's young-perhaps my age, or just a little older than me.

He has tanned skin and bleach-blonde hair, but what is eye-catching about him is that he's covered in tattoos-almost from head to foot.

They're all black and white, matching

his casual, sporty attire, and I can tell-even from a distance that each tattoo was carefully

considered and finely done.

As I stare at him, he turns and looks directly at me.

He doesn't flinch at all, like he was expecting me.

He smirks and raises his beer.

Which, of course, makes me blush.

That's when I feel it. He's definitely a wolf.

I turn to Hudson, trying to cover up my discomfort.

"Ready?" I ask.

Hudson shrugs and sighs. "Into the lion's den we go."

"Brooklyn!" my father says, coming toward us as we walk over the sand. He's dressed in white pants rolled at the ankles, and a soft linen shirt with the top buttons undone.

This is a big, Italian man with wolf blood-I haven't seen him in anything less than an Armani suit yet, so such an abrupt change is...well, it's abrupt.

He comes forward and gives me a kiss, shaking Hudson's hand without a word about the uninvited guest. "Welcome," he says. "Have a drink! Make yourself at home!"

A waiter comes forward, then, offering a tray of soft and hard drinks. I select a can of spiked lemonade while Hudson takes a Coke.

Lennox opens his mouth to say more when Logan runs up to us.

"Hi, Brooklyn!" he says, waving to me, apparently genuinely excited to see me. I lean down to greet him, excited as well.

"Hey, Logan," I say, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "Are you having fun?"

"Yes!" he says, excited, but then he turns his attention to Hudson. "But we're one short for volleyball. Do you know how to play?"

Hudson hesitates, looking at me. But I shrug, encouraging him. Hudson's a bookish guy, but I do know for

a fact that volleyball is one of his favorites.

"Sure, kid," he says, smiling at Logan and handing me his drink. "Lead the way."

I watch them head off down the stretch of sand, and my father puts his arm around me.

"Good, good," he says. "It will be good for the boys to get to know each other, since they will soon be family."

He smiles at me.

"Now," he says, giving me a little tug

and pulling me over to where

chairs are arranged around a

"You come with me. I have some people I want you to meet