Ruined by Desire

The First Kiss

The first time Luca kissed her, Monaco was asleep.

The city was quiet beneath the balcony outside Sienna’s apartment, lights gently reflecting across the water while distant music drifted faintly through the warm night air. It was nearly one in the morning and Luca Moretti was standing in her kitchen drinking espresso like he didn’t have a driver waiting downstairs and several billion-dollar responsibilities tomorrow morning.

“You know normal people go home eventually. I know you have plenty of properties you could go to,” Sienna informed him from across the counter.

Luca looked entirely unbothered.

“I’m Italian. Espresso after midnight is medically necessary.”

“That’s not true.”

“You can’t prove that.”

Sienna rolled her eyes, trying very hard not to smile again. The rooftop conversation three nights ago had changed something between them. The teasing was still there. The flirting too. But now there was something softer underneath it all. Something quieter and infinitely more dangerous.

Luca touched her more now. Nothing dramatic. Just little things like his hand against the small of her back guiding her through crowds, steady and possessive, fingers brushing hers when passing

her coffee, knees touching beneath tables like he couldn’t quite help himself anymore.

“You’re staring,” Luca said calmly.

Sienna blinked. “You literally brought a personal espresso machine to my apartment.”

“It’s portable.”

“That sentence alone makes me want to fight you.”

Luca laughed softly, leaning back against the kitchen counter with infuriating ease. He’d abandoned his suit jacket hours ago, rolled his sleeves to his forearms again, which honestly should be illegal at this point, removed his tie and undone his top two buttons. Sienna knew that Luca understood exactly what he looked like when he did that.

“You’re thinking loudly again,” he murmured.

“I’m judging your lifestyle.”

“And?”

“You’re basically a billionaire collecting luxury appliances.”

“That feels pointed.”

“It’s meant to.”

His grin widened slowly. That smile was becoming genuinely dangerous to her emotional stability. Sienna moved toward the balcony doors before her brain betrayed her further. The night air outside wrapped around her immediately, cooler now compared to the warmth of the apartment. Behind her, she heard Luca follow.

“You disappear a lot when conversations become real,” he observed quietly.

Sienna leaned both forearms against the balcony railing.

“You make everything real.”

For once, Luca didn’t answer immediately and the silence between them settled softly instead of awkwardly now. Monaco was distractingly beautiful beyond her balcony but not nearly as distracting as Luca standing beside her.

“You’ve been quiet tonight,” he said after a moment.

“You say that like it’s unusual.”

“You’re quieter than normal.”

“You make this very difficult.”

Luca turned slightly toward her then.

“I don’t want difficult.”

“No?”

“No.” His voice gentled. “I want honest.”

Sienna looked away toward the ocean again because looking at him suddenly felt dangerous.

“You know what the problem is?” she asked quietly.

“What?”

“I don’t know how to do this casually anymore.”

The confession slipped out before she could stop it and Luca moved closer. Not enough to touch her. Just enough that she could feel his warmth beside her in the cool night air.

“Sienna.”

The way he said her name now felt intimate all by itself.

“This was supposed to stay simple.” she said out into the night.

“I know.”

“But it’s not simple anymore.”

“No,” Luca admitted quietly. “It isn’t.”

Sienna finally looked up at him fully then and immediately regretted it because Luca was already watching her with that same devastating expression again.

“You look at me like you’re trying to memorize me,” she whispered.

“I am.”

That did something terrible to her heartbeat. Luca stepped closer slowly this time until there was barely any space left between them on the balcony.

Sienna could feel the warmth radiating from his body now. Smell his cologne. See the exact shade of brown in his eyes beneath the apartment lights behind her.

His gaze flicked briefly toward her fluttering pulse in her throat before returning to her eyes again and the movement alone nearly destroyed her ability to think coherently.

“You’re nervous,” he said softly.

“You make me nervous.”

“Good,” he murmured.

“That’s a terrible response.”

“I’m having a terrible amount of feelings lately.”

Sienna laughed before she could stop herself. The breeze lifted strands of hair across her face and this time when Luca reached toward her, she didn’t freeze. His fingers brushed gently along her cheek, sliding the loose strands carefully behind her ear. The touch lingered.

The air between them shifted instantly into something heavier and it was impossible to ignore anymore.

“Sienna,” he said steadily.

She knew exactly what was about to happen and she knew she probably should stop it. Instead, her eyes dropped briefly toward his mouth. His hand slid slowly from her hair to the side of her neck with his fingers curled into the hair at the nape of her neck. Warm and careful like he was giving her time to change her mind.

But Sienna was so tired of running.

“You’re staring again,” she whispered shakily.

“You’re beautiful,” he said simply. “I can’t help it.”

Then his forehead rested lightly against hers and the world seemed to go painfully still. Just Luca breathing softly against her skin while Monaco glittered beneath them.

“Sienna,” he murmured again, quieter this time, “tell me to stop.”

Her fingers curled instinctively into the front of his shirt and Luca’s restraint visibly snapped.

He kissed her carefully at first. Like she was something fragile he didn’t want to break. The softness of it almost hurt.

Warm lips against hers. Slow. Tentative. A question instead of a demand. Sienna melted immediately. Every thought disappeared the second she kissed him back.

Luca made a quiet sound against her mouth like relief and suddenly his hand tightened gently at her waist, pulling her closer against him.

The kiss deepened naturally after that, no longer hesitant. Sienna felt dizzy from the kiss, from him and from the way Luca kissed like he meant it. Like he’d been wanting this for far too long.

Her hands slid upward instinctively against his chest and onto his shoulders and Luca kissed her deeper in response, his thumb

brushing softly against the side of her neck while the city lights blurred somewhere behind her closed

eyes.

When they finally pulled apart, both of them were breathing unevenly. Neither moved away.

Luca rested his forehead lightly against hers again, eyes still closed for one dangerous second before he

looked at her. He looked wrecked, not smug or triumphant. Just completely affected by her.

“Well,” Luca said softly, voice rougher now, “that was dangerously addictive.”

A startled laugh escaped her instantly and Luca smiled against her mouth before kissing her once more - shorter this time. Tender enough to make her chest ache.

“You’re laughing,” he murmured.

“You kissed me.”

“You kissed me back.”

“That feels like something you’re very happy about.”

“I’m trying incredibly hard to stay calm about it actually.”

Sienna smiled helplessly and linked her hands behind his neck while looking at him.

“You know,” he said quietly, thumb brushing once across her cheek, “I think I’ve been yours for a while

now.”

The words hit harder than the kiss had. This wasn’t casual or temporary anymore.

And worst of all?

She wasn’t sure she wanted it to be.