BOUND BY VOWS

Chapter 5

The Breaking Point

Alessia wasn’t afraid of Luca.

Not anymore.

She had danced too close to the flames now.

Felt the heat.

And instead of burning… she had learned how to wield the storm.

The next day, Luca didn’t approach her.

He didn’t have to.

His presence was everywhere.

Along the way, his men watched her a little too closely.

In the way her father eyed her with suspicion, as if he sensed something shifting.

Along the way she could still feel the ghost of his touch against her skin.

She should have been unnerved.

Instead, she was thrilled.

She had cracked something open in him last night.

Now, it was time to shatter it completely.

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Night fell, and Alessia knew exactly where to find him.

Luca DeLuca was a creature of habit.

She found him in his private study alone, leaning against his desk, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

He didn’t look surprised to see her.

But the way his grip tightened around the glass told her everything she needed to know.

She had gotten under his skin.

Good.

She stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

Silence stretched between them.

Then Luca exhaled a slow breath and set his glass down.

“You really don’t know when to quit, do you?” he murmured.

Alessia smiled, stepping closer. “And yet, you keep letting me play.”

His jaw tightened.

She reached for the knife in her thigh—the same one he had given her—and placed it on his desk.

“Consider this my surrender,” she whispered.

Luca’s eyes darkened.

But when he reached for her, she was quicker.

She moved first, pushing him back against the desk, pressing herself into him just enough to feel the tension in his body.

His breath hitched.

Then, his hands gripped her waist, fingers digging in just enough to tell her he was this close to losing control.

“I should punish you for last night,” he murmured, his lips brushing against her jaw.

Her pulse pounded.

“Then do it,” she challenged.

Luca growled low in his throat and flipped them, pinning her against the desk.

Her heart slammed against her ribs as his mouth ghosted over hers, his breath hot, teasing, wanting.

But just as he leaned in—just as he was about to claim her—Alessia smirked.

And pulled away.

Luca’s grip tightened.

Alessia stepped back, letting the distance stretch between them.

His eyes were wild. Hungry.

She had him right where she wanted him.

With a slow, taunting smile, she leaned close and whispered, “Not yet, tesoro.”

Then she turned and walked away, leaving him standing there—hard, breathless, and furious.

She didn’t need to look back to know he was watching her.

Burning for her.

Wanting her.

And for now…

That was exactly where she wanted him.