My Mafia Target

The Thin Line Between Love and War

CHAPTER SIX

Juliette's POV

I should have pulled away.

Hell, I should have put a knife to his throat the second he pinned me against the wall.

But I didn't.

Instead, I let him kiss me like he had every right to-like I belonged to him.

And worse?

I kissed him back.

Now, standing in the heavy silence of the suite, my lips still tingling from the force of Luca's mouth on mine, I felt something I hadn't felt in years.

Shame.

Not because I let him touch me.

But because I wanted more.

Luca took a slow step back, his breathing just as ragged as mine. His fingers brushed his lips, as if he was trying to erase the feeling of me against him.

As if that would work.

I forced my expression into something cold, unbothered, despite the war raging inside me. "So, what now? You going to lock me in here and pretend that didn't happen?"

Luca's eyes darkened. "You think that was pretend?"

I swallowed hard, refusing to let him see how much his words affected me. "I think it was a mistake."

A smirk pulled at the corner of his lips. Infuriating. Dangerous. Sinfully tempting.

"You call it a mistake," he murmured, tilting his head. "I call it inevitable."

I scoffed, turning away from him. "You think you can control me like you do everyone else in this world, but I'm not one of your men, Luca. You can't just bend me to your will."

His voice dropped, silk over steel. "Can't I?"

I whirled back around, my pulse hammering in my throat. "No."

Luca's expression was unreadable. For a long, suffocating moment, he just watched me, his gaze dragging over my face, my lips, my throat.

Then he sighed, running a hand through his hair like he was trying to shake something off.

"Get dressed," he said, turning toward the door. "We have somewhere to be."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

His fingers tightened on the door handle. "I'm not keeping you locked in here, Juliette. But you're not free, either."

Something about the way he said it made the air shift, thick with something unspoken.

I hated that my stomach twisted at his words.

"You think I'll just follow you?" I challenged.

His smirk returned, sharper this time. "I think you'll come, because you want to know what happens next just as much as I do."

And with that, he left.

Leaving me alone with the one thing I couldn't afford to feel for him.

Curiosity.

Luca's POV

The taste of her was still on my lips.

I flexed my fingers, willing the sensation away, but it clung to me like a curse.

That kiss had been a mistake.

A mistake I wanted to make again.

Damn it.

I shouldn't have lost control like that. I had rules. Lines I didn't cross.

Juliette? She blurred those lines until I couldn't see them anymore.

I stepped into my office, where Matteo was already waiting, leaning against the desk with a knowing smirk.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," he said, arms crossed.

"Not a ghost," I muttered, pouring myself a drink. A storm.

Matteo's smirk widened. "So, what's the plan? You gonna keep playing cat and mouse, or are you finally going to admit you want to keep her?"

I scowled. "She's a problem, Matteo."

"Yeah?" He raised a brow. "Then why do you look like you want to bury yourself inside that problem and never come out?"

I exhaled sharply, gripping the glass so tightly I almost shattered it.

"I don't need your commentary," I said, tossing back the drink.

Matteo chuckled, pushing off the desk. "I'm just saying, man. You're slipping. And if you're not careful, she's gonna be the one holding the knife next time."

I met his gaze, my voice low. "Let her try."

Juliette's POV

The car ride was thick with tension, the silence between Luca and me filled with words neither of us dared to speak.

His hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles slightly white.

I should've been planning my next move-reminding myself that this man was my target, not someone I should be tangled up with.

But all I could think about was his touch.

The way his fingers had brushed against my skin in that club.

The way his kiss had felt like a warning.

Or maybe a promise.

The city lights blurred past us, golden streaks against the midnight sky.

"Where are we going?" I finally asked, my voice calm despite the storm raging inside me.

Luca's jaw clenched. "You'll see."

I hated when he did that-when he spoke in riddles like he enjoyed keeping me guessing.

But I hated even more that I wanted to understand him.

We pulled up to an exclusive club, the kind only men like Luca owned. Where power dripped from every corner, and money meant nothing compared to blood.

Luca stepped out first, coming around to open my door.

His hand extended toward me.

I should've ignored it.

But I didn't.

Because the moment my fingers touched his, something dark and electric shot through me.

His grip tightened-just for a second-before he let go.

The club was dimly lit, filled with the scent of whiskey and ambition. Every man in the room took notice of us as we walked in.

Not at me.

At him.

Luca had that effect-commanding the space without saying a word.

I barely noticed when we approached a secluded booth, where a man with salt-and-pepper hair and a cruel smirk leaned back, watching us like we were his next source of entertainment.

"Finally decided to show your face, Luca?" he drawled. "And you brought company. Interesting."

Luca slid into the seat beside me, his body angled slightly toward mine. A silent message.

Mine.

I stiffened, but I didn't move away.

"Juliette, meet Sergio Romano," Luca said smoothly. "He runs half the city's underground trade."

Sergio's eyes raked over me slowly. I hated the way he did it-like I was a prize on display.

"Beautiful," he mused. "I didn't know you had a weakness, Luca."

Luca's grip on the table tightened. "I don't."

Sergio's smirk widened. "Then I suppose you wouldn't mind if I stole her for a drink?"

Luca didn't answer, but the air around us shifted.

Deadly.

Possessive.

I decided to speak before he could. "I can get my own drink."

Luca's head snapped toward me, his dark eyes narrowing. He didn't like that.

But I didn't give him a chance to argue. I stood, walking toward the bar, needing space-needing air.

And that's when Sergio followed.

---

Luca's POV

I watched Juliette move through the crowd like a predator-controlled, confident, unaware of just how much she f*****g affected me.

But my eyes weren't on her.

They were on Sergio.

That bastard got up the moment she did, his smirk widening as he followed her toward the bar.

Rage curled low in my stomach.

Sergio was pushing me. Testing me.

And he had no idea how close he was to getting himself killed.

I saw it happen before I could move-Sergio reaching out, fingers wrapping around Juliette's wrist.

She tensed, her lips parting slightly.

And then he leaned in, whispering something in her ear.

That was it.

The moment his hand touched what was mine, the moment he dared to put his f*****g hands on her-I snapped.

I was out of my seat in seconds, crossing the club before Juliette could shove him away.

Sergio barely had time to react before my hand grabbed his throat and slammed him into the bar.

The entire room went silent.

"Touch her again, and I'll f*****g kill you." My voice was calm-too calm.

Sergio coughed, amusement flickering in his eyes despite the fact that my grip tightened. "So it's true," he rasped. "She is yours."

Juliette inhaled sharply beside me.

I didn't let go.

"You should've known better," I murmured.

And then I pulled my gun.

The sound of the safety clicking off sent a ripple of panic through the club.

Sergio's men drew their weapons.

My men did the same.

Juliette's pulse pounded against my fingers as I pushed her slightly behind me.

I didn't take my eyes off Sergio.

"You don't want to do this, Luca," he said, still smirking despite the barrel pressed against his skull.

I leaned in. "Then why am I enjoying it?"

He held my gaze, waiting to see if I'd pull the trigger.

And I would've.

I f*****g would've.

But Juliette's voice cut through the chaos.

"Luca," she whispered.

I didn't look at her.

But I felt her.

And just like that, the rage inside me twisted into something darker-something I wanted to take out on her.

I shoved Sergio away roughly, the gun still in my grip as I turned to Juliette.

"Let's go."

She hesitated, eyes flicking to the men still holding their weapons.

But she knew better than to argue.

So she followed.

---

The car ride back to my house was silent.

Tense.

Juliette sat beside me, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.

But she wasn't afraid.

She never was.

And maybe that's why I was losing my f*****g mind.

I clenched the steering wheel so tightly I thought it might snap.

"Say it," I finally growled.

She blinked. "Say what?"

"Say you understand."

Juliette tilted her head slightly. "Understand what?"

I exhaled sharply, jaw tightening as I swerved the car to the side of the road.

She gasped as I threw it in park, unbuckling my seatbelt in one sharp movement before I turned to her.

And then I pinned her against the seat.

"You belong to me," I said darkly, my hands framing her face, forcing her to meet my gaze. "No one else. Not him. Not any other man. Only me."

Her breath hitched, but she still had the audacity to challenge me.

"You don't own me, Luca," she whispered.

I smirked.

"Don't I?"

She sucked in a sharp breath as my lips brushed against hers-not a kiss.

A warning.

A f*****g claim.

And then I kissed her.

Hard.

Possessive.

Like I needed her to understand she was already mine.

And from the way she melted against me-her fingers tangling in my hair, her lips parting to let me deepen the kiss-

I knew she did.

But I wanted her to say it.

And I wasn't letting her go until she did.