“You,” Luca said. His smile faded as he took a step in Russ’s direction. “Meet your new owner. Didn’t you even bother finding out who owned the company that purchased yours? Belle Boating Company. Ring a bell? If you enjoy your job, you better leave.”
Russ’s eyes widened and without another word, he stalked away, disappearing in the crowd.
Luca’s attention shifted back to me with an intensity that practically felt electric. In that moment, we were the only ones in the room. I had never seen anyone so clearly. Everything I wanted was in front of me. He licked his lips, staring at me as if I were his prey. I held my breath as he started forward.
He stopped a foot from me and held out his hand. “Can I have this dance?”
I nodded, placing my hand in his. His fingers locked between mine as he guided us across the room and onto the dance floor. In one fluid motion, his arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me tightly to him.
I rested my cheek against his chest. “I thought you didn’t dance.”
He ran his nose through my hair as a small laugh reverberated in his chest. “I didn’t. At least not until you.”
I pulled back and looked up at him. “Why me?”
“I finally found someone I want to hold the rest of my life,” he said.
His words shocked me. They collided with any doubt I had about how he had felt regarding us. His hand left mine and found my chin. After pulling it up, he brushed his lips against mine.
I stepped back, coming to my senses. He’d pushed me away at one of the most vulnerable times in my life. How did I know he would stay this time?
“Leigh… what is it?”
He reached for me, and I recoiled.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think it was a good idea for you to come here.”
I ran. I shoved bodies out of my way. They were blurs, figures that hindered my escape. At the lobby, I slowed and bent forward to catch my breath. Without turning around, I knew he was there. A shift in the air occurred the way it always did when he was around. “Go back to Destin,” I said without turning.
His footsteps echoed on the marble tile as he closed the gap between us. “I can’t do that.”
I twirled around, coming face to face with him. “Why not? It wasn’t so hard to leave me the first time.” My voice rose, earning stares from others around us. Tears welled up. I blinked, and they ran freely down until dripping to the floor below. Rage filled me. I wanted to hurt him like he had done me. I fisted my hands and pounded against his chest. “You left me. Why?”
He grasped my wrists, and before I knew it, I was in his arms shaking. He pushed me back into a hallway shrouded by darkness.
“I was a fucking idiot, Leigh. The whole time I was helping you get rid of your fears to become a stronger person, I never stopped to think I had my own demons to face. One, being able to let myself fall in love with someone.” He pulled back, trailing his hand down my face. “But I did, and it scared the shit out of me. I can’t run away from it anymore. I don’t want to. I came to tell you I’ve fallen in love with you.”
All my defenses went down. The militia that was prepared to go to war and battle to keep my heart safe threw in the white flag. Hell, they were all standing there clapping for his speech.
“Lu—” I started, but he obliterated the space between us, and his mouth consumed mine.
My legs almost gave away as he deepened the kiss, coaxing my lips apart with his. His tongue flicked against mine, teasing it playfully. I moaned against his mouth.
He growled, pinning me against the wall with his hips. “You were mine the second I met you.” His kiss dropped to my chin and tapered off down to my neck. “Does that scare you?”
Warm lips traced my collarbone. Words. I needed to speak words. He was making it hard to remember how to speak.
“Absolutely,” I breathed, arching my back.
“Are you ready to face this fear, Leigh?”
“Fearlessly.”
“We’ll see about that.” He drew away from me. Instantly, my body felt chilled in the absence of his heat. His eyes burned into me as he took my hand and led me to the elevator. Once the doors slid closed, our kiss resumed as if it had never been broken. My chest heaved as he pressed against me. I wanted him more than anything.
When the doors finally slid open, I was breathless and almost on the verge of exploding. My hands slid from his shoulders to his neck as he reached under my thighs and jerked me up. My legs wrapped around him as he carried me into the hallway. For a moment, he fumbled with a door and then kicked it the rest of the way open. My back hit the wall, and a second later, my hands were pinned to my sides.
His mouth explored my heaving chest, running his tongue through the crease of my cleavage. His fingers twisted around the straps of my dress and slowly pulled down. He placed feather-light kisses over my bare skin.
“Ohhhhh,” I breathed.
He came back up and ran a finger over my tender bottom lip.
I shuddered.
“Are you okay with this? Are we moving too fast?” he asked.
I blinked, trying to rationalize what was happening. It was the last thing I expected to happen tonight. Him. Here. With me. I was in love with this man.
Every moment spent with him.
Every touch.
Every laugh.
Everything we had been through together.
“I want this.”
A small smile graced his lips before he captured my mouth in a hurried kiss. My feet left the ground as he wrapped me up in his arms. We fell back onto the bed. My fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt but finally managed to push it from his body. My tongue ran across his neck.
A guttural growl escaped from his throat as the thick line of muscles along his midsection tensed.
I trailed my fingers lower and unhooked his pants. Then I pushed them down and wrapped my hand around his length.
His mouth dropped open with a moan. He leaned over, touching his forehead to mine. I tightened my grip, moving it painfully slow. His body bucked. A second later, he slammed into me and rocked back.
In that moment, I knew nothing else mattered but us. Luca was my world now.
* * *
I woke up to the sun streaming across the tangled sheets. My legs were wrapped through his. For a second, I had no idea where my body stopped and his began. My eyes wandered up to his face, which was half-buried in the feather pillow. I pushed his hair away, tucking it behind his ear.
“Mmm…” Without opening his eyes, he smiled, putting an arm around my lower back and pulling me closer to his naked body. “This is how every morning should be. Waking up with you beside me.”
I squeezed my eyes together wondering how that was even going to be possible. He couldn’t stay here forever. In the light, everything became clearer. He would have to go back, leaving me here without him. I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to muster up the courage to ask.
“You don’t live here, Luca. You have a business to run back in Destin. Your life is there with your family and friends. How are you planning on this happening every morning?”
His eyes crinkled in the corners as he opened them. “You always like this in the mornings?”
“Like what?”
“So intuitive about life. The first thing I think about is sleeping for about five more minutes.” He ran a hand along my spine, leaving goose bumps in its wake.
“You haven’t stopped to think about it?” I asked.
“Yes. If you don’t want to move to Destin, then I’ll move here. I’m fine with whatever as long as you’re with me. Now don’t worry about anything.” He closed his eyes again.
“You know there’s one more thing we’ve got to do before that happens.”
His brows pulled inward. “What?”
“You have one last fear to conquer. Small spaces, remember?”
“With you, I have no more fears,” he answered with a smile.
About the Author
&
nbsp; R.S. Broadhead is the author of the Realms of Darkness Series, the Reaper Series, and the Urban Legends Series. When she's not hard at work writing you can find her ghost hunting, taking a nap, or surfing the web for creepy stories for inspiration on her next novel. R.S. writes New Adult Paranormal and Supernatural Thrillers.
She lives in Alabama with her husband and two daughters. She loves to chat with readers!
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Also by R.S. Broadhead
Realms of Darkness Series
Unveiled
Reckoning
Torment
The Reaper Series
Defiance
The Urban Legends Series
Chosen
Fearlessly Yours Page 20
