by Lucia Black
His jaw shifted minutely. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.” He had meant it, and that rattled Lorna to the core.
She laughed. Because she was uncomfortable, and because the tension in the room was unbearable, and because it really was funny when she thought about it. He thought he could change what two powerful bosses set into motion years ago. He didn’t have that kind of power.
“Have you told your father that you won’t let Giovanni marry me because your eighteen-year-old hard-on didn’t let go of the past? They don’t even know about us, do they?” He suddenly found the generic couch cushions very interesting. She scoffed. “That’s rich. You sneak into my apartment to do what exactly? Profess your undying love? Claim me as your own?” She let that sink in, then shook her head. “You haven’t told your brother. If you want to confess something, you should start there. But you’re still the same Alessandro and don’t have the balls to actually do anything about it.”
He crossed the room in two steps to crowd her against the wall. His intoxicating smell invaded her senses and broke down what little defense she had left. His hands skimmed her sides then dug into her hips, his face hovered inches from hers, just shy of a kiss, near enough to feel his hot breath over her lips as he pressed his forehead against hers.
“Does it make you feel like a big, strong man to push a woman against a wall and grope her?” Lorna challenged.
“You may have forgotten that summer, but I haven’t.” He squeezed the curve of her ass and spoke low against her ear. “The Lorna I knew could take down a man twice her size.” His thumbs pressed against her hip bones with bruising strength. “If I have you up against the wall, it’s because you’re letting me.”
The featherlight whisper of his lips brushing against the shell of her ear as he spoke set every one of her nerve endings buzzing. She clenched her teeth to keep from doing something she’d regret. Like giving in. She forced an excuse through her teeth. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
His laugh sent chills down her spine. “Too late, princess. You already did.”
There’s a tension in the air before a static shock, an apprehensive breath before the zap, a warning that comes too late to avoid the shock. Alessandro’s lips burned against Lorna’s before she could react. And then all she could do was lose herself in the electricity. It buzzed from her lips down through her whole body. To the tips of her fingers, which had tangled themselves in Alessandro’s shirt. To the tips of her toes, which pressed her up high enough to reach him. To the center of her soul where she knew she would never love another like this.
She licked into his mouth, and he smiled at her eagerness, battling for dominance, and pressing her further into the wall. His hands dragged up her body, following the curve of her waist and the swell of her breasts. He pressed himself into her as he held the column of her throat. She needed this. She knew she wanted him, but she hadn’t realized how much she needed him. How much she needed what was between them. He’d jolted her heart back to life after ten years. He sucked on her tongue and swallowed up her little moans. His lips traveled across her jaw to nip at her earlobe. Every bite at the sensitive skin of her neck sent lighting straight to her core. She’d forgotten how his mouth could make her feel like this, the electric sting of his teeth soothed by his soft tongue.
She undid one of his buttons, but he caught her hands and stepped away. “I thought you were going to marry my brother.” Lorna stared at him, too stunned to even pull her hands away from him. He had kissed her. He came here uninvited. He started this. He smiled. “This was just a reminder.” He kissed the back of her hand and let go, taking another step back.
“Are you . . . what the fuck?” She couldn’t think of anything more intelligent to say.
He seemed to be enjoying her flustered state. “Don’t worry, princess. I will take you.” He dragged his eyes meaningfully up and down her body. She felt exposed and vulnerable in his gaze, and she didn’t like it. “But after what you put me through, you’ll have to beg first.”
That was a threat. One he meant to hold to. That challenge, and the way he kissed her like he hadn’t breathed in ten years, had her uncomfortably aroused. “You must know that won’t happen. Ever.”
He stuck his hands in his pockets with a self-satisfied sigh. “Ever is a long time for someone who caved in less than twelve hours of landing in the same city as me.” He smirked at her realization that he was right. “I mean, I know I’m irresistible, but come on.”
She couldn’t deal with this right now. The longer he stayed, the worse everything got. She pointed a finger at him. “Stay away from me.”
He laughed. “Not a chance.”
She wrapped her arms around herself. “What changed?” she demanded. He looked at her vacantly, clearly not understanding the question. She rephrased. “I fucked you after I found out I was engaged to Giovanni. You were livid.” Livid didn’t even cut it. He’d been furious. She’d been terrified. “What changed?”
“You want to know what changed?” He closed the distance between them again, curling his hand around her neck, cupping her as he pressed his forehead to hers and growled, “Nothing.” And in one fluid motion, he let go and was gone, the door clicking shut behind him.
Lorna collapsed onto the couch. Her hands shook. She hated what he did to her, how he made her feel like a cheater, like a harlot. She’d barely done anything, but she wanted to. God, she wanted to. And she would have, without question. She couldn’t start her marriage out like this. She didn’t want to hurt Giovanni. She knew he didn’t ask for this either and he deserved a chance at least.
But Lorna wanted Alessandro, and that was a fact she couldn’t escape.
8
Alessandro
Sunday dinners were a sacred time for the Moretti family. They were a time to gather and catch up with each other and feel some sense of normalcy. Lorna didn’t really belong there distracting Alessandro every time her diamond bracelet caught the light. Even more aggravating, she sat in Tessa’s place on the other end of the table so he couldn’t even pay her back with lingering looks or ‘accidental’ nudges under the table.
She wore her pleasant ‘I’m in public’ mask, but he could tell she didn’t feel totally comfortable. There was a tension in her shoulders, a rigidity in her posture, a tightness in her jaw. He crossed his feet under his chair. Her reaction was satisfactory, but not excellent yet. He had let her stew for a week without seeing him. The smiles and handshakes she’d given his parents and brothers when they welcomed her for dinner didn’t extend to Alessandro. She’d given his twin, Antonio, a glowing smile that revealed her dimple, then grimaced when she had to greet Alessandro for proprieties’ sake.
He pushed potatoes around his plate, stealing glances at her and how she laughed politely at Giovanni’s bad jokes. Answering their mother’s questions about the dates they’d gone on that past week. They’d gone out twice. Another movie, and a hockey game. She actually liked sports, but she didn’t like being present at the live events. The crowds were crushing, the sounds overwhelming. It was loud, and no matter which sport it was, it wasn’t a short game. It must have killed her to struggle in silence, not saying how much she hated public gatherings like that. He wished he had been there to see it. Giovanni told him she wasn’t bad company, but they had no chemistry. He thought she was a strong, independent woman, the kind who didn’t need a man. Or want one.
Alessandro side-eyed Giovanni sitting next to him. He was right. She didn’t need a man. But she did want one. It took two to tango, and Giovanni couldn’t dance to save his life. Alessandro smiled at the memory of Giovanni struggling with the Electric Slide at their sister’s wedding. No. If anyone were going to dance with Lorna, it would be Alessandro. Besides, Giovanni was too enamored with Delilah to really consider anyone else. He didn’t think anyone knew. And that was okay. Alessandro had no intention of calling out his brother for it. He was absolutely wrapped around Delilah’s finger, and Alessandro saw the way they l
ooked at each other at the gym when they thought no one was watching.
Even with Lorna imposing herself on Sunday dinner, the table felt empty. Since marrying the president, Tessa had rarely joined them. Luca was out dealing with something for their father. The seat next to Tessa’s always sat empty in quiet remembrance of their sister, Luciana, Tessa’s twin. She’d died when she was eleven. Lorna hadn’t asked about the place setting at the empty chair. Maybe out of politeness, maybe Gio had told her ahead of time, or maybe because she was the center of attention for the entire Moretti family.
“So are things different in L.A?” Alessandro’s father was asking.
Lorna raised one shoulder in a good-natured shrug. “Not really, no. A little warmer.”
His mother and father laughed easily. “I’m sure you didn’t miss the snow,” his mother said.
“Your father said you were doing well out there.” His father folded his hands on the table. “Running everything by yourself.”
Lorna bowed her head. “Yes, sir.” Her tone sounded modest, but Alessandro knew Lorna. He knew she tended to downplay her own abilities. Not that she didn’t know she was good, oh she knew. She just had a strong sense of humility and didn’t brag out loud. She let her work brag for her. He’d seen that to be the case with her paintings and her music. And Jiu-Jitsu. Though she would never claim to be a master at anything, she was quite capable.
His father leaned back in his chair. “What exactly did that entail, I wonder . . .”
Lorna smiled graciously. “You know how it is, Mr. Moretti.”
He laughed and nodded his head. “I suppose I do.” A moment of silence settled comfortably over everyone except for Alessandro, who couldn’t choke down any of his steak, and Lorna, who stared at her plate as if she could start a fire with her eyes. Alessandro’s father chewed and swallowed. “I was recently contacted by two men out of the Los Angeles area. They were looking to do some business with us.” Lorna looked up, politely interested. “They didn’t seem like big fans of the Bianchis, I’m afraid.” He paused. “You in particular, my dear.”
Lorna’s face betrayed nothing as she asked, “Would you mind saying who?”
His father watched her for a reaction. “The Wheeler brothers.”
Alessandro liked seeing Lorna’s plump mouth curl into a smirk when it was aimed at him. He didn’t like it so much directed at Antonio who happened to be sitting across from her. She cleared her throat. “I assume they’ve come to you for financing, but I would advise against making any deals with them,” she said earnestly. “Unless, of course, they provide worthy collateral.”
His father nodded. “And why is that?”
“They’re bankrupt.” Alessandro raised his eyebrows. His father asked how she knew. She cut a little bite of steak and held it on her fork just a little away from her mouth. “I know because I’m the one who did it.” So nonchalant, so casual. She might have just announced that fish live in the ocean.
What Alessandro wouldn’t give to be Lorna’s fork in that moment, pressed between her smirking lips. She regretted nothing. Her ruthlessness was hot, just as hot as her unwavering confidence and aura of complete control. And it made his desire to see her broken and begging beneath him that much more desperate.
His mother tapped her fork on her plate. “No business talk at the table,” she reminded them. “Save it for the office.”
Lorna bowed her head meekly. “My apologies, Mrs. Moretti.”
“Call me Gianna, please.” She covered Lorna’s hand on the table. Lorna gave her a sweet smile, but Alessandro could tell how forced it was. He didn’t blame her. The families had known each other since forever, and Alessandro couldn’t imagine calling Mrs. Bianchi by her first name. It felt wrong. He imagined it would be the same for Lorna. His mother suddenly looked very excited. “Oh, have you decided on colors for the wedding from the samples I sent you?”
Lorna choked on her drink, but played it off. “No, not yet. I’ve been trying to get my bearings since coming back to New York.”
Alessandro stopped pushing potatoes around his plate and put one in his mouth. His mother nodded importantly. “That’s okay. I took the liberty of booking the venue some time ago, and I gave them three possibilities for the color schemes. Your invitations went out over a month ago, but I will need a decision on the cake.” She stopped to check with Lorna. “You’ll want something elegant and tasteful, yes?”
Lorna swallowed thickly, and Alessandro couldn’t stop looking at her neck and thinking how beautiful it would look covered in little pink bruises from his mouth. He licked his lips and Lorna stared at his mother, pointedly away from him. “Of course. Elegant.”
Giovanni didn’t look up from his plate. But like a kid at school who doesn’t know the answer and avoids looking at the teacher so they won’t call on him—the teacher inevitably called on him. “I told Giovanni to look at some music for the ceremony. Did you find anything?” their mother asked innocently.
“Um,” Giovanni floundered. Alessandro knew he absolutely did not look at any wedding music. He’d told him so. “Lorna plays piano, right? I, uh, was thinking maybe some Mozart?”
Alessandro nearly laughed out loud. Lorna didn’t like Mozart. She’d explained to him that his style was just too much. Too many bells and whistles. She didn’t enjoy it as much as other composers like Rachmaninov and Chopin. Alessandro couldn’t tell the difference, but it was important to Lorna, so he’d internalized the information. Her expression looked drawn. It would be adding insult to injury to play the one composer she didn’t like at the wedding she didn’t want to have in the first place. “Maybe we could find something for the violin?” Lorna suggested tightly. “I like violin.”
Alessandro’s mother clapped her hands together. “Of course, that would be perfect.” She looked so happy planning events like this. She’d been absolutely over the moon planning Tessa’s wedding. More stressed than he’d ever seen her, but also more energized and excited. “Have you given any thought to the final flower arrangements?”
Lorna looked like a deer caught in headlights. “Uh, no, I guess I hadn’t gotten that far in the wedding book you sent me . . .”
“Lorna, I know how difficult it can be to plan a wedding. I did plan Tessa’s wedding to the President, after all.” A humble brag, but she had every right to be proud. “I’d be happy to just make these decisions for you, if you’d like.”
Relief eased the tension in Lorna’s shoulders. “Yes. Yes please, Mrs. Moretti, that would be wonderful.”
She swatted Lorna on the shoulder. “Gianna,” she corrected.
“Gianna,” Lorna conceded with a forced smile. Alessandro could understand why she wouldn’t want to plan her own wedding. He wouldn’t want to either were he in her place. And she looked so delightfully uncomfortable right now. He wished he were sitting across from her so he could run his foot up the inside of her leg. She looked apologetically between his parents. “I’m more for business than weddings.”
“It’s honestly no trouble. I have all the connections I need. And I have already put a lot of this together, to be honest, preparing the vendors for the three options I set aside for everything. I knew it would come together quickly when you got back. It won’t be as large as Tessa’s, of course. But it will still be a beautiful ceremony and reception.” His mother was beaming.
“That sounds perfect,” his father agreed. “You two are in good hands.”
Giovanni lifted his head to smile at Lorna, but it was drenched in sadness and duty. She returned a smile in kind. They suited each other in that way. Duty before all else. But it would be a loveless marriage of convenience, and they both seemed to accept that. Alessandro couldn’t think of a worse fate. To come home every night to someone who didn’t love you, to pass the hours in passionless silence, to wake up next to a warm body, a person you knew you should love, but couldn’t. That sounded like hell. To know that if you loved them you could be happy, but that your heart belonged to anothe
r who you could never have.
And it very well could be a fate that belonged to him too.
“I almost forgot. Where do you want to have the registry?” his mother asked Giovanni. “That will need to be done immediately.”
It was Giovanni’s turn to look like a deer caught in headlights. “I, uh . . .” He scratched his shoulder. “Maybe somewhere like—”
A buzz from his pocket saved him. He pulled out his phone to turn it off, but saw the caller ID and answered immediately, pushing his chair back and moving to a corner of the room. He didn’t say who it was, but the light in his eyes when he saw the name gave Alessandro some idea.
Giovanni’s eyes went wide, and he left the room without so much as a glance toward his family. Moments later, they heard the front door.
“What on earth just happened?” his mother said, concern filling her tone and looking to their father.
“Someone found his stash of tentacle hentai and is blackmailing him,” Antonio deadpanned. His mother looked at him blankly, Lorna blinked rapidly, and Antonio laughed.
Alessandro’s phone chimed. Giovanni sent him a picture. He opened it and couldn’t temper his gut reaction. “Oh no,” he whispered. Tony’s gym, where Alessandro and his brothers spent afternoons together for as long as he could remember, was engulfed in flames.
9
Lorna
At least she didn’t have to talk about the wedding anymore. She couldn’t quite figure out what was going on since no one was speaking in complete sentences, but it was assuredly not wedding related.
Alessandro held up his phone with a picture of something Lorna didn’t recognize. But apparently Antonio and their father knew exactly what it was because they reacted immediately, and violently.
“Holy shit,” Antonio sprang to his feet.
“Is that—” Bruno Moretti looked between his twin sons.
