Honored_ An Alpha Mob Romance(12)

I glanced to my left while standing in the shade near the front door and saw Richie playing with his Gameboy. I smiled and walked over to him.

“Your brother coming for you, Richie?” I asked.

He didn’t look up. “Yes, Miss Boucher.”

I leaned my back up against the wall, standing next to him. Richie wasn’t a talkative kid, and I hadn’t had any more issues with him since the fight. It surprised me how quickly Richie went from passively taking the other kid’s bullying to attacking him viciously. It was like there was no middle ground for Richie, no moderate emotion he could cling to. He was either rational or he was animal. For the most part, Richie sat firmly in the rational, but he did have the capability to snap, and to jump to an entirely different personality.

I wondered, briefly, if his brother was like that, too, and which side of the spectrum he typically fell on.

I felt good, standing there next to Richie, although I knew I would have to pay close attention to him in the coming weeks. I needed to make sure that moment didn’t change something for him; I needed to make sure he wasn’t going to think he could solve all of his problems with fighting from now on. But that was a problem for another day.

“Yo, kid,” I heard a familiar voice call out.

I looked up and locked eyes with Liam Sullivan, and I felt my pulse begin to race.

He was tall and broad, muscled and strong, but not a meathead. He had a five o’clock shadow, which made him look rugged and sexy, and I wanted to pull at his thick brown hair. His pouty lips were constantly locked in an arrogant smile, and it was his cocky look that I couldn’t get out of my mind.

Richie looked up briefly from his Gameboy.

“Hi, Liam,” he said before looking back down.

“And hello to you, Ellie,” he said, stopping in front of me.

I quickly ran my eyes along his body, glancing at the muscles peeking from underneath his tailored white button-down shirt and his slim-fitting black dress pants. I had no clue what he did for a living; rumor was, he owned a restaurant, but there were other rumors, too. I wasn’t sure what I believed, though I found it pretty impossible to imagine that a man involved with the Mob would be such a devoted older brother.

Older half brother, I reminded myself.

“How are you, Liam?” I asked.

“Better now. You’re looking nice.”

I felt myself blush. What a stupid, innocent thing to feel flustered over. He probably said it to every girl he saw.

“Thanks. You do too, I mean.”

His cocky grin got wider, and he glanced at Richie.

“Kid, you mind giving me a second with your teacher?”

He shrugged and stood. He walked off, sitting back down with his back against the stairs about fifteen feet away.

Liam stepped closer to me. “So, how has he been?”

“Better, honestly. At least there haven’t been any more issues.”

He nodded, looking concerned. “I talked to him. I don’t think he’ll do it again.”

“He’s a good kid, Liam.”

“I know that. He just has a tough life, and there are some things I don’t want for him . . .” He trailed off and then caught himself. His concern suddenly disappeared, replaced by a huge grin. “Like getting expelled. No way am I watching him full time.”

I laughed, though I knew that wasn’t what he was thinking. There was something else, something he didn’t want to share with me.

“Believe me, he’s one of the easy ones.”

There was a short pause.

“Listen, what are you doing tomorrow night?” Liam suddenly asked.

I was a little taken aback. “Uh, nothing. Why do you ask?”

“I own a bar and restaurant place in south Philly. I’d love to have dinner with you, on the house, as a thank you for taking care of my little brother.”

His confident smile cut through any awkwardness I might have felt. I had to deal with other fathers, mostly scumbag husbands who wanted to flirt with the young schoolteacher, but Liam was the first guy I actually wanted to go out with. And he was probably the first single one, too.

“Yeah, as a thank you?” I teased.

He nodded. “No strings attached.”

“Something tells me you have ulterior motives,” I said, biting my lip.

His whole demeanor suddenly changed, and he stepped closer to me, speaking quietly.

“Would that be okay with you?” he asked.

My mouth hung open at his intense and sudden shift, though I could tell there was something calculated in his movements. It was almost as if he could read me, as if he knew that I wanted to feel what it was like to squeeze his muscular shoulders as he kissed my neck.

“I’m not sure it would be appropriate.”