Taking advantage of my dazed, unraveling state, he pulled aside the last thin barrier between us.
"Let's try real riding," he said.
My heart lurched into chaos. The heat that had been building inside me all afternoon was now coiled tight and ready, and I gripped Luca's shoulders, breathing in short, ragged pulls.
The one thing giving me pause was the fear of Gerald finding out. I had no income of my own. Every comfort I enjoyed, every privilege of my current life, rested entirely on him. If he ever discovered this, everything I had worked for over the years would be gone in an instant.
I was terrified, and I wanted this. Both at once. Luca held my waist, his palms growing hotter by the second. He pressed his forehead to mine, sweat-damp, his warm breath spilling against my ear as he as
