Heir In The Shadows

EPISODE 27

Still At Luciano's Office

Jax looked up from the magazine he was pretending to read, his eyes catching Luciano’s for a moment before shifting back to the glossy pages. His voice came low, casual, but there was a deliberate weight to it.

“I didn’t come here just to interrupt your work, you know. I… actually wanted to take you out for an early dinner.”

Luciano’s pen froze mid-stroke. The hard line of his mouth softened instantly, and something like joy lit his face.

“You want to take me out?” He leaned back in his chair, almost amused but more than that, touched. “That’s not something I expected to hear today.”

Jax smirked faintly. “Well, consider it your lucky day. Don’t make me regret asking.”

Luciano chuckled, shaking his head. “Regret? Never. Jax, you could have walked in here and demanded my entire evening and I would have handed it over without question.” His voice dropped, warm and earnest. “Dinner sounds perfect.”

He pushed the last of his papers aside. “Give me five minutes to finish up a few touches.”

“Take your time,” Jax said, leaning back, his posture all nonchalance though his chest was warm from Luciano’s unguarded smile.

When Luciano finally rose, they walked out together. But then, without hesitation, Luciano reached down and took Jax’s hand. Not just a fleeting touch—he entwined their fingers firmly, like it was his right.

Jax froze for a heartbeat, his eyes darting to Luciano with a sharp, incredulous look. “What the hell are you doing?” he muttered under his breath.

Luciano’s lips curved, unbothered. “Claiming what’s mine.”

Jax scoffed but didn’t pull away. His silence was louder than anything he could’ve said.

The employees noticed, of course. Gasps, whispers, darting glances. Their boss—the cold, untouchable Luciano—walking hand in hand with someone, and not just anyone, but this striking stranger who carried himself like he owned the room.

By the time they arrived at the restaurant, Jax had already booked a private room. The soft lighting, the quiet hum of music, the way the waitstaff lingered politely before retreating—it all painted an intimacy that neither of them commented on, but both felt.

As their meals were served, they slipped into easy conversation. Small things at first—business, a comment on the wine, Jax teasing Luciano for being picky about how his steak was done.

Luciano shook his head with a grin. “You don’t understand. When you’ve eaten food made by chefs across half the world, you develop standards.”

Jax arched a brow. “Standards or arrogance?”

“Both,” Luciano answered smoothly, earning the smallest laugh from Jax—a sound that made his chest ache with want.

When the plates were cleared, only their wine remained. Luciano dismissed the waitstaff with a glance, leaving them in silence.

Jax raised a brow. “That was subtle.”

“I don’t want an audience for this,” Luciano admitted. His fingers toyed with the stem of his glass, then he reached across the table, his hand settling over Jax’s.

The contact was steady, grounding, almost too intimate. Jax stilled, eyes flicking from Luciano’s hand to his face.

Luciano’s voice was low, raw. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep this inside, Jax. Every time you walk into a room, it feels like you’re pulling the ground out from under me. I… want you. Not just here, not just tonight—I want you in my life, close to me, where I don’t have to wonder if you’ll slip away.”

Jax tilted his head slightly, studying him. “You’re saying you can’t control yourself around me?”

“Yes,” Luciano admitted without hesitation. His grip on Jax’s hand tightened. “I am dying to make you mine. I’m asking you, Jax… will you be my lover?”

For a moment, the room went quiet. Jax let the words hang, savoring the way Luciano’s usually composed mask cracked with vulnerability.

Finally, a small smile tugged at his lips. “You make it sound like I had a choice in the matter.”

Luciano blinked, caught off guard. “What do you mean?”

Jax leaned back slightly, eyes gleaming. “From the way you’ve been looking at me… from the way you hold on like you’d never let go. You’ve already decided I’m yours. So really, all that’s left is for me to admit it.”

He exhaled slowly, the corner of his mouth curving up. “And yes. I’ll be your lover.”

Luciano’s eyes widened, stunned. He had braced himself for hesitation, for resistance, for Jax’s defenses. But instead, Jax gave him yes—simple, sure, and without games.

“Jax…” His voice broke slightly, raw with emotion. He stood suddenly, unable to sit still, pulling Jax into his arms. “Thank you. You don’t know what this means to me.”

And then, unable to hold back another second, Luciano tilted Jax’s face up and kissed him.

It wasn’t tentative—it was hungry, desperate, full of years of longing and the fire of finally having what he wanted.

Jax stiffened for only a moment before melting into it, his hand curling against Luciano’s shirt, grounding himself in the man’s heat.

When they broke apart, both were breathless. Luciano pressed his forehead to Jax’s, whispering against his lips, “I swear, I’ll never let you go.”

And for the first time, Jax didn’t fight the promise.

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By the time they returned to Jax's estate, neither of them could keep their hands to themselves. The moment the front door shut, Jax had Luciano pressed against it, their lips colliding in a kiss that was equal parts hunger and desperation. Luciano clutched at Jax’s shoulders, pulling him closer as if he could fuse them together, his breath stolen with every brush of Jax’s mouth.

They stumbled through the hall, lips never parting, Luciano half laughing, half moaning into the kiss as Jax’s hands gripped his waist firmly. Every step was blind, driven by instinct and want.

Jax swept Luciano up into his arms. Luciano gave a sharp inhale, startled, but quickly looped his arms around Jax’s neck, gazing down at him with something wild in his eyes.

“You’ll spoil me if you keep carrying me like this,” Luciano murmured, voice low, teasing but trembling with anticipation.

Jax smirked, his lips brushing Luciano’s jaw as he strode purposefully to the bedroom. “Good. I want you spoiled. I want you ruined for anyone else but me.”

The bedroom door slammed open under Jax’s boot, and he lowered Luciano onto the bed with a care that contradicted the heat blazing in his gaze. Luciano fell back against the sheets, his chest rising and falling rapidly, eyes fixed on Jax as if daring him to stop.

Jax didn’t.

He climbed over him, their mouths colliding again, harder this time, their kiss a battle of dominance and surrender. Clothes were torn away piece by piece, left in careless trails across the floor. Each discarded layer only revealed more of what Jax wanted to claim, his hands mapping every inch of Luciano’s body with reverence and hunger.

When Jax finally pulled back enough to take him in—spread across the sheets, lips swollen from kisses, eyes burning—he stilled, struck by the sight. His voice came rough, unsteady.

“God, you’re beautiful…”

Luciano’s lips parted, something in his chest tightening at the rawness in Jax’s tone. “Then don’t stop. Don’t ever stop looking at me like that.”

And Jax didn’t. He worshipped him with hands and mouth, every kiss down his throat and chest a vow burned into his skin. He wanted Luciano to remember, to never forget that this night belonged to them alone.

The world outside ceased to exist. Only their heat, their breathless cries, the rhythm of bodies moving together. It was fire—wild, consuming—but beneath it all, there was tenderness, an unspoken promise woven through every touch: You are mine, and I am yours.

Luciano clung to him, nails digging into Jax’s back as he gasped his name like a prayer. Jax answered with a kiss that stole what little air they had left.

By the time the night gave way to silence, the sheets were tangled, their clothes forgotten, and Jax had made certain of one thing—Luciano would never forget their first night together.

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