Page 62 of Free Fall

The night before had been weird. Luca had done as promised, found himself a spot at the front of the stage, and watched me with piercing eyes. I’d almost faltered with my moves, changed my routine so I was always facing him — really made him work for his calm demeanor.

The entire time, I expected him to shove his way into the dressing rooms or even leap on the damn stage and cover me up, but he did none of those things. He observed, waited for me after and walked me home, seeing me through the front door with a kiss to my head and a goodnight pat on the ass.

It was unnerving. I kept waiting for more. But he stuck to his promises.

“Miss Summers!” the shopkeeper next door called out as I reached the studio. My hands landed on the glass door as I turned to greet her, nudging it open. But it didn’t budge. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

“How come?” I asked, stepping back from the entrance to figure out what was obstructing it. Someone had pinned a note to the door on the inside, and I narrowed my eyes.

That fucker.

Thirty Three

Luca

“Mr.Diaz,there’sanirate woman in the reception area shouting for you,” Franco, my assistant, said, and I could hear him wincing through the phone. He was a stern man, small but mighty, and hearing him even a bit rattled had my attention piqued. Zelda’s voice came through the speaker, demanding to know where I was, and I grinned. Had taken her less time than I guessed to come for me here.

“Send her to the second floor studio,” I replied, not letting him answer before hanging up.

Stood in the vast room, hands crossed over my chest, I surveyed the view from the wide windows. I’d been investigating the construction workers’ final touches when the call came through, and it was nothing but fate. I wasn’t giving up, this was one of my many plans to get Zelda’s attention.

The studio she worked in was under financial stress, so as part of my new construction portfolio in this town, I’d bought it. It was under temporary closure to refurbish, meaning there was nowhere for the classes to run in the meantime.

Zelda was coming to yell at me about it, and my gut squeezed in anticipation. Her children’s classes had moved here, to a smaller building in the same complex, a short-term relocation with my name plastered all over it. All the parents had consented when it was clear the lessons would be free until it was all sorted. I’d even built a fucking daycare by the offices, ready for anything.

And Zelda was coming, I could sense her getting closer, the heat thrumming through my veins as I waited for her to yell or fight or fall at my feet. This was one of the three large studios we had upstairs, constructed with acrobatics and aerial skills in mind. I hired an expert to get all the mechanics correct, and an interior designer to make it look amazing. And it did. Even though it wasn’t finished yet, the vibe was what I wanted. Sexy but artistic. Like the way Zelda moved.

In the three weeks since she rode my fingers in the car and I bled my heart for her, I’d been what can only be described as a pest. She would not be getting away from me again. Body or mind.

“Luca,” she said from the doorway, stepping into the room. “What the hell is this?” The fury in her voice was tempered with curiosity.

I didn’t turn to look at her, only watched out the window as rain poured from the sky.

“Imagine my surprise today when I arrived at work to find the building closed,Diaz Constructionon the footer of a note on the door explaining why,” Zelda started, her tone stern. “You saved it as a surprise for me? When I phoned my boss, she thought I knew. Gave me this address. And that weaselly little guy downstairs told me you owned both the buildings now? Why?” She moved closer, her steps even and calm. “Tell me why.”

“Come here,” I demanded, my cock thickening when she obeyed. Once a puppet…

“Tell me what this place is, Luca,” she implored, her tone still far too steady. She reminded me of myself, trying to tuck everything away lest we explode.

“I built it for you.” I heard her jerk in surprise as I spoke, but I ignored it for now. “I don’t have another big fucking speech in me, Zel. But I built it for you. That shit you can do with your body? The way you move through the air on those ribbons? I want more of it.”

“Luca…” she breathed, and for the first time, it didn’t have a tinge of coldness. “You can’t gift me a personalized building and tell me to get over it.”

“And why the fuck not? We’ve never been conventional.”

She laughed, ran her hands over her face and moved away, walking to the center of the room where a long ribbon was brushing against the floor. I turned to watch her as she tugged it, eyed it up and down. It was attached to beams in the ceiling, the best I could find.

“This is amazing,” she muttered. “But it won’t be mine.” Her gaze reached my own. She looked different. Her hair was shorter, tucked behind her ears as she stared at me. Something about her glowed.

“Let it be yours and let me fuck you in those ribbons to christen it.” I tilted my head while I spoke, smiling when she burst into laughter.

“God, that was quite the experience last time…” she mused, grinning back at me. The times we’d shared in the past, the things I wanted from her now, were the same. Just out in the open now. I didn’t want to hide her, or have her hide from me. We needed to step into the light together and accept our mistakes on the chin.

I’d given Ali all she asked for, Henry too. Though Ali and I had already been in the process of divorcing when she found out about Zelda, she’d slapped me across the face and hauled ass, moving out that night. The twins and I had only seen her a handful of times since she’d used the money from me to swan off to Florida, living her best life amongst the retirees.

This mature edge to Zelda was welcome, the few extra years serving her well. She was more assured, sturdy. True adulthood had slammed her in the face way too young — though older than me and her parents — and she’d handled it beautifully. We’d fucked up, endlessly, but not Zelda. She was impeccable.

And her perfect face was watching me in expectation. Her expression a twist of concern and humor, like she was going to let me in, as though she was ready.

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