by Cora Reilly
Gianna snorted. “Do you think Luca will cut off your dick too because she leaned against you while she was sick?”
“Luca is my boss and Aria is his.”
Gianna muttered something under her breath but I couldn’t make out the words.
“Open the door for me,” Romero said and then I was lying on cool leather. Gianna lifted my head and put it in her lap. Her fingers untangled my hair and she rested her forehead against mine. “That guy gets what he deserves.”
I closed my eyes. I had condemned a man to his death with my words. My first murder. “Your bodyguard doesn’t even dare to wait in a car with us. Luca is a beast.”
“Romero keeps watch,” I whispered.
“Sure.” I must have dozed off because suddenly the door was ripped open and Luca spoke. “How is she?”
“Holy fuck,” Gianna said, voice shrill. “You’re covered in blood.”
I opened my eyes, but had trouble focusing.
“Only my shirt,” Luca said, annoyance clear in his voice. There was rustling.
“You have no shame,” Gianna said.
“I’m taking off my shirt, not my fucking pants. Do you ever shut your mouth?”
“Here, Boss.”
Blurrily I saw Luca putting on a new shirt. “Burn that one and take care of everything, Romero. I’ll drive.”
A hand brushed my cheek and Luca’s face hovered over me. Then he was gone, the door closed and he slipped behind the driver seat. The car started moving and my stomach churned.
Gianna leaned forward, her head between the seats. “You are quite a hunk, you know that? If you weren’t married to my sister and not such an asshole I might consider giving you a go.”
“Gianna,” I groaned. When she was scared or nervous or angry, she never stopped talking, and the longer she talked the more offensive she got. And around Luca she was constantly angry.
“What, cat got your tongue? I hear you usually jump everything that doesn’t have a dick,” Gianna said.
Luca still didn’t say anything. I wished I could see his face to find out how close to exploding he was. He’d killed a man not long ago; Gianna should really shut up.
Gianna sat back, but I knew she wasn’t done yet. She wouldn’t give up until she got a rise out of him. He pulled into the underground garage of our apartment building. “We’re there,” Gianna whispered into my ear. I wished she would talk as reasonably to Luca as she did to me.
The car door swung open and Luca hoisted me into his arms. He carried me toward the private elevator and stepped in. The bright halogen lights hurt my eyes but I kept them open to watch Gianna and Luca in the mirror. She leaned beside him and her expression didn’t bode well. “Have you ever had a threesome?”
Luca didn’t move a muscle. He was looking down at me but I kept my attention on the mirror, trying to send Gianna a silent message to close her mouth. “How many women have you raped before my sister?”
Luca’s head shot up, eyes burning as he stared at Gianna. I pressed my palm gently against his chest and he glanced down at me. The tension remained. “Can’t you do something else with your mouth than yap?”
Gianna straightened. “Like what? Give you a blowjob?”
Luca laughed. “Girl, you’ve never even seen a dick. Just keep your lips shut.”
“Gianna,” I croaked in warning.
At last, we arrived on the top floor and Luca stepped out into our penthouse. He headed for the stairs to our bedroom when Gianna blocked his way. “Where are you taking her?”
“To bed,” Luca said, trying to sidestep my sister but she followed his movements.
“She’s high on Roofies. That’s probably the chance you’ve been waiting for. I won’t let her alone with you.”
Luca became very still like a wolf on the verge of attacking. “I’m going to say it only once and you better obey: get out of my way and go to bed.”
“Or what?”
“Gianna, please,” I pleaded. She searched my face, then she nodded once and quickly kissed my cheek. “Get better.”
Luca walked past her, carried me up the stairs and then into the master bedroom. The sickness that had been a distant pressure in my stomach turned into an insistent throbbing. “I’m going to be sick.”
Luca carried me into the bathroom and held me over the toilet as I retched. When I was done, I said, “I’m sorry.”
“What for?” He helped me stand, though the only thing keeping me upright was his steely grip on my waist.
“For throwing up.”
Luca shook his head and handed me a wet towel. My hands shook as I wiped my face with it. “It’s good that you got some of that shit out of your system. Fucking Roofies. It’s the only way for ugly fucks like Rick to get their dicks into a pussy.”
He led me back into the bedroom and toward the bed. “Can you undress?”
“Yeah.” The moment he let go, I fell backward and landed on the mattress. Laughter bubbled out of me, then a new wave of dizziness hit me and I groaned. He leaned over me, his face slightly blurry.
“I’m going to get you out of your clothes. They stink of smoke and vomit.” I wasn’t sure why he was telling me. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen me naked before. He grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head. I watched him as he unzipped my leather pants and slid them down my legs, his knuckles brushing my skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. He unhooked my glittery bra and threw it to the ground before he straightened and stared down at me. He turned abruptly and disappeared from my view. Dots danced in and out of my vision and I was on the brink of another laughing fit when Luca returned and helped me into one of his shirts. He was only in his briefs. He slid his arms under my knees and shoulderblades, and moved me up until my head rested on the pillow, then he got into bed beside me.
“You’re impressive, you know?” I babbled.
Luca scanned my face, then pressed a palm against my forehead. I giggled and reached out, wanting to touch his tattoo but misjudging the distance and brushing my fingertips across his abdomen and then lower. He hissed, snatched my hand away and pressed it against my stomach. “Aria, you’re drugged. Try to sleep.”
“Maybe I don’t want to sleep.” I wriggled in his grip.
“Yes, you do.”
I yawned. “Will you hold me?”
Luca didn’t say anything but he extinguished the lights and wrapped his arms around me from behind. “You better lie on your side in case you feel sick again.”
“Did you kill him?”
There was a pause. “Yes.”
“Now there’s blood on my hands.”
“You didn’t kill him.”
“But you killed him because of me.”
“I’m a killer, Aria. It had nothing to do with you.” It had everything to do with me, but I was too tired to argue.
I listened to his breathing for a few heartbeats. “You know, sometimes I wish I could hate you, but I can’t. I think I love you. I never thought I could. And sometimes I wonder how it would be if you made love to me.”
Luca pressed his lips against my neck. “Sleep.”
“But you don’t love me,” I mumbled. “You don’t want to make love to me. You want to fuck me because you own me.” His arm tightened around me. “Sometimes I wish you had taken me in our wedding night, then at least I wouldn’t still wish for something that will never be. You want to fuck me like you fucked Grace, like an animal. That’s why she told me you would fuck me bloody, right?”
My tongue felt heavy and my eyelids stuck together. I was talking nonsense, a garble of words I shouldn’t say.
“When did she say that? Aria, when?”
Luca’s sharp voice couldn’t rip through the fog blanketing my thoughts and blackness claimed me.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A wave of sickness wrenched me from sleep. I stumbled toward the bathroom and threw up again, kneeling on the cold marble floor, too exhausted to get up. I shuddered. Luca reached over me and flush
ed the toilet before stroking my hair back from my forehead. “Not that hot anymore, am I?” I laughed hoarsely.
“That shouldn’t have happened. I should have kept you safe.”
“You did.” I gripped the toilet seat and staggered to my feet. Luca’s hands grasped my waist.
“Maybe a bath will help.”
“I think I’ll drown if I lie in the bathtub now.”
Luca turned the water on in the tub while still holding me with one hand. The sky was turning gray over New York. “We can take a bath together.”
I tried a teasing smile. “You just want to grab a feel.”
“I won’t touch you while you are on Roofies.”
“A Capo with morals?”
Luca’s face was serious. “I’m not Capo yet. And I have morals. Not many but a couple.”
“I’m only teasing,” I whispered as I leaned my forehead against his naked chest. He rubbed my back and the motion sent a sweet tingling down into my core. I drew back and carefully walked over to the washbasin to brush my teeth and wash my face.
Luca shut the water off when the tub was almost full. Then he helped me out of my panties and got out of his boxer-shorts before he lifted me into the tub. I ducked my face under the water for a moment, hoping it would clear the remaining fog from my head. Luca slid in behind me and pulled me back against his chest. His erection pressed against my thigh. I turned so I was facing Luca and his length slid between my legs and brushed my entrance. I stiffened. Luca would only have to push his hips upward to enter me. He groaned, gritted his teeth, then he reached between us and pushed his erection back so it rested against my thigh again and pulled me flat on his torso.
“Some men would have taken advantage of the situation,” I murmured.
Luca’s jaw clenched. “I’m that kind of man, Aria. Don’t kid yourself into believing I’m a good man. I’m neither noble nor a gentleman. I’m a cruel bastard.”
“Not to me.” I pressed my nose against the crook of his neck, breathing in his familiar, musky scent.
Luca kissed the top of my head. “It’s better if you hate me. There’s less chance of you getting hurt that way.”
What had I told him last night when I was out of it? Had I told him I’d fallen in love with him? I couldn’t remember. “But I don’t hate you.”
Luca kissed my head again. I wished he’d say something. I wished he’d say that he…
“You mentioned something Grace said to you.” His voice was casual but tension gripped his body. “Something about fucking you bloody.”
“Oh, yeah. She said you’d hurt me, fuck me like an animal, fuck me bloody when she talked to me during our wedding reception. Scared me out of my mind.” Then I frowned. “I think that guy last night almost said the same thing.”
“Before I killed him he said one of the women who bought dope from him told him you were a skank who needed to be told a lesson. She gave him cash.”
I lifted my head. “Do you think it was Grace?”
Luca’s eyes were like a stormy sky. “I’m sure it was her. The description fits and who else would have an interest in attacking you.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I can’t kill her, even if I want to cut her fucking throat, but that would cause too much trouble with her father and brother. I’ll have to talk to them, though. Tell them they need to put her on a fucking leash or there won’t be any more money from us.”
“What if they refuse?”
“They won’t. Grace has been fucking things up for a long time. They’ll probably ship her off to Europe or Asia for rehab or some shit like that.”
I kissed him but the tension didn’t leave Luca’s body. “I can’t stop thinking about what would have happened if Romero and Cesare hadn’t been there, if that fucker had gotten you out of the club. The thought of his dirty hands on you makes me want to kill him again. The thought that he might have…” He shook his head.
I knew it wasn’t because Luca had emotions for me. He was possessive. He couldn’t bear the thought that someone might have gotten his hands on me, that someone might have taken what Luca considered his. Resignation filled me. “When Gianna leaves in a few days, you can have me,” I whispered against his throat. Luca’s hands stilled on my back. He didn’t ask me if I was sure. I hadn’t expected him to. Luca had said it himself; he wasn’t a good man.
***
Gianna and I had spent the last few days trying different cafés and restaurants, talking and laughing and shopping, but today Gianna had to go back to Chicago. My arms around her were tight as we stood in the departure hall of JFK. Gianna needed to go through security soon but I didn’t want to let her go. Not only because I’d miss her terribly but also because I was anxious about my promise to Luca.
I braced myself and took a step back from Gianna. “Visit again soon, okay?”
She nodded, her lips pressed together. “You call me every day, don’t forget.”
“I won’t,” I promised. She backed away slowly, then turned and headed for the line at security. I waited until she walked through and disappeared from view.
Luca stood a few steps behind me. I rushed over to him and pressed my face against him. He stroked my back. “I thought we could grab dinner and then have a relaxing evening.” He sounded hungry and excited, but not for food.
“Sounds good,” I said with a small smile. Something shifted in Luca’s face but then it was gone.
***
I hadn’t eaten much; my stomach was already churning. I didn’t want to take any risks. Luca pretended not to notice. He ate what I didn’t. When we stepped back into our penthouse, I headed for the liquor cabinet, looking for some liquid courage, but Luca gripped my wrist and pulled me against him. “Don’t.”
He lifted me into his arms and carried me upstairs into our bedroom. When he set me down on the edge of the bed, my eyes found his crotch. He was already hard. Nerves twisted my insides. He wanted me. I wouldn’t deny him, not tonight.
Luca climbed on the bed and I lay back, my palms flat against the blanket. His lips found mine, his tongue dipping in and I relaxed under his skillful mouth. This was good, familiar, comforting. My leg muscles loosened. Luca ripped his mouth away from me and sucked my nipple into his mouth through the fabric of my dress. I cupped his head, letting his experienced ministrations carry away my fear. There was an urgency to his kisses and touches that I’d never felt before.
He tugged at my dress and slid it down my body, leaving me in only my panties. He took a moment to admire my body before he moved down and buried his face between my legs, his tongue sliding between my folds over my panties. With a growl, he gripped them and ripped them off, then tossed them away. His mouth was hot and demanding, but too quickly he stopped and thrust a finger into me. Then he stood abruptly and slipped out of his shirt before he removed his holder and pants. His body was taut with tension and his erection harder than I’d ever seen it. The raw hunger on his face sent a spike of fear through me. “You’re mine.”
And then Luca loomed over me, his knees parting my legs and his tip nudged against my entrance. My muscles seized up and I dug my nails into his shoulders and squeezed my eyes shut. This was too fast. He seemed barely in control. I pressed my face into the crook of his neck, trying to let his smell calm me.
Luca didn’t move, his erection still only lightly touching my entrance.
“Aria,” he said in low voice. “Look at me.” I did. His gaze was hunger mixed with something gentler. I tried to focus on the gentle. For a long time we gazed at each other. He closed his eyes and lowered himself so his body was flush with mine. “I’m an asshole,” he rasped. He kissed my cheek and my temple.
Confusion filled me. “Why?” God, was that small voice mine? Luca was my husband and I sounded as if I was terrified.
I was terrified, but I should have hidden it better.
“You are scared and I lose control like that. I should know better. I should prepare you properly and i
nstead I almost shove my cock into you.”
I didn’t know what to say. I shifted and Luca’s erection rubbed over my entrance, making me gasp. Luca released a harsh breath, squeezing his eyes shut. When he opened them again, the hunger was contained. He slid down until his head hovered over my breasts and his abs pressed against my folds. I exhaled at the friction and Luca’s muscles flexed. I could tell he was still on edge.
“You are my wife,” he said fiercely as if to remind himself. Then his fingers closed around my nipples and he tugged at them. I moaned, bucking my pelvis, making my core rub against Luca’s abs again.
“Stop squirming,” Luca ordered, almost pleadingly. He tugged again, this time I forced myself to stay still but a moan escaped my lips. Luca’s expression was concentration and restrain as he tugged and twisted, twirled and rubbed. I arched my back, practically pushing my breasts into his face and he gladly took me up on my invitation and sucked my nipple into his mouth. I closed my eyes as he suckled one breasts while his fingers pinched my other. He shifted and ghosted his fingers over my ribs, my hips, my sides before his tongue followed the same trail. He bit the skin over my hipbones, then soothed the spot with his tongue. My entire body was on fire, desperate for release.
His fingers began massaging my thighs, parting me further as he moved lower. He kissed my mound, then my inner thigh before biting gently. I gasped and rocked my hips. He slid his hand under my butt and lifted me a few inches, then he kissed my folds. I whimpered at the soft touch. He kissed me again, his lips moving against my folds, then he pulled back. My eyes peeled open. He watched me, then he kissed my opening and I could feel wetness pool out of me. Luca thumbs spread my lips for him and he licked his tongue over my wetness.
I shuddered and felt another trickle. Luca gently lapped at me, not once touching my clit. He sucked my folds, licked them, circled his tongue around my entrance but never touched me where I needed his touch.
