CHAPTER EIGHT
625 Words
IRIS
I should have said no.
When Luca told me I’d be moving into his private quarters “for protection,” I should have fought harder. But his tone left no room for argument, and the truth was…I didn’t feel safe anywhere else. Not after hearing Elena’s name whispered like a curse.
Now, here I was, surrounded by the dark scent of him, by the weight of a room that belonged entirely to him. To us.
I had just finished folding the last of my clothes when the sound of water stopped. The bathroom door opened, and steam spilled into the room.
Then he appeared.
Luca.
Half-naked, skin golden and damp, tattoos dripping in ink and water. A towel slung low on his hips. His hair wet, dark strands falling into his eyes. My pulse stuttered, then raced as if it knew what was coming before I did.
He didn’t move at first. Just watched me, sharp eyes taking me apart piece by piece. “Comfortable?” he asked, his voice rough, low, dangerous.
I couldn’t answer. My lips parted, my throat dry. My eyes betrayed me, tracing every inch of him. His smirk told me he’d noticed.
“Say it, dolcezza bambina,” he murmured.
“I… I shouldn’t be here.”
He moved. Two strides, and he was in front of me, towering, heat radiating off him. His finger tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes.
“You are exactly where you should be.”
I broke. My body moved before my mind caught up. My hands gripped his shoulders, and I pulled him down. I placed my lips on his but he took over.
The kiss was wild. Desperate. His mouth devoured mine, claiming me in a way that left no space for doubt. I whimpered against him, and he groaned low in response, a sound that made my knees weak.
His hands were everywhere. At my waist, dragging me closer. Up my back, anchoring me. His palms splayed against my hips, possessive, demanding.
I pressed against him, feeling the solid heat of his chest, the rough trail of water droplets cooling on his skin. My fingers dug into his muscles, sliding up to tangle in his damp hair.
He pulled me tighter, until the towel at his hips brushed my thigh, until I felt it ,his hard on it's huge and stirred something within me
My gasp broke the kiss, and his mouth immediately found my neck.
“Luca…” I whispered, but it came out like a plea.
His teeth grazed my skin, his tongue soothing the sting. “Dolcezza,” he growled against my throat. His lips trailed fire from my jaw to the hollow of my collarbone. Each kiss was a brand, marking me.
My hands slipped lower, over his chest, down the ridges of muscle and ink, until I reached the edge of the towel. He caught my wrist, his grip firm but not cruel, pulling my hand back to his chest.
“Not yet,” he rasped, his lips brushing mine again. “But soon.”
He kissed me again, harder this time, his tongue stroking mine in a rhythm that left me dizzy. I melted against him, my body betraying me completely, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst.
When he finally pulled back, his forehead pressed to mine, both of us breathing raggedly, his hands still tight on my waist as if he couldn’t let go.
I know you are not ready,,he whispered, voice raw.
I trembled in his arms, lips swollen, neck burning with his kisses. My body was screaming to go for it, but my mind whispered danger.
And the most terrifying part was…I didn’t care.
- Writer
