Page 39 of Ruthless Passion

"I look forward to working with you, Miss Hansen. Tell Luca, I said hello." Vito chuckles as he walks away back to wherever he came from.

Two security guards from the entrance of Luca Brisco arrive at my side.

"Miss Hansen, please allow us to bring you back to the studio." The larger of the two says to me with a voice so deep it sounds like he can control the weather with a simple command. I wonder if he acts. He'd make a great extra as a zombie henchman to the siren.

I think it's time to focus on getting this movie made instead of everything else. Yet, that's so much easier said than done as I walk into the lobby of the studio where Luca is waiting patiently with Jett, who doesn't appear to have any idea of what's happening.

"Are you okay?" Luca asks, cupping the side of my face with a sigh of relief.

"I'm okay. Thanks for sending them."

"What happened, Mom? You get lost or something? Did you get my phone?" Jett asks, wide eyes and making me forget that's the reason I went to the car.

"Um, Jett, let's give your Mom some time to cool off from the heat out there," Luca suggests, to which Jett shrugs and runs back onto the news anchor set. He turns to me as we watch him through the large window behind the reception desk. "What happened?"

"Vito Dacosta, because if you don't work with Dacosta, it'll cost ya." I repeat the words with disgust and a roll of my eyes.

"Fuck. Maybe it's best if we forget these projects until I can deal with him," Luca sighs.

My heart rate skyrockets. "Wait. I need the checks, not to mention the production crew who could probably use the work, too. What if, instead of giving me a rental, you use that money to hire extra security? I don't mind a bodyguard until shooting wraps."

He groans. "I'd rather you be with me and a bodyguard. Vito isn't a movie producer."

"I got that much from the way he tried to intimidate me into working on his movie."

"It's porn, Jo. He starts by offering someone a role. They get called out to his strip club, Trips. First, he'll pay you to dance or work the bar. Then he offers you a small role that gets you behind his fucking curtain. Once you're on his set, he's liable to talk you into anything and out of everything you're wearing."

"Ew, really? Him? He's so, so, yuck."

Luca offers me a timid smile. "You'd be surprised by what people do when they need the money."

There's something there, something more than the agreement Vito mentioned, but I don't push Luca.

"What should we do?" I ask him. "Duke is going to keep showing up to my house unless I get a restraining order or something. Even then, if I'm not around, Collin's liable to get into a fight with him and he's in enough trouble."

"This might sound a bit crazy, Jo, but what if you let me put you and Jett up in a hotel?" he asks.

"That's way too much. I'm still calculating how much I'll need to deduct out of my check for car repairs."

Luca touches me gently at the elbow, making sure our eyes connect. He makes me feel like we're the only people in the room as he pulls me into an embrace. His hands wrap around my lower back. "You're too strong for your own good. Can you let me help you, please?"

"I don't understand why you're doing so much. No one is this nice for the fuck of it," I blurt out. An insecurity I didn't realize I had. Why don't I deserve someone as handsome and wealthy as Luca helping me, helping Jett?

"Everyone out," Luca calls. The people behind the desk scatter while the security guards step outside to ensure no one walks into the entryway.

Before I can ask him what he's doing, one hand presses flat against my back, holding me still against him as he lowers his face to mine. Luca kisses me. His lips, tongue, mouth capture my attention and my passion. Swirling his tongue around mine is a familiar feeling that turns my lust into an intense yearning.

I want to feel every inch of him moving in and out of me again, but I settle for this kiss. A reminder of how attracted we are to each other. There's something incredibly disarming about how safe Luca makes me feel in his arms.

I moan as our kiss deepens. The urgency in our connection heightens right before we force ourselves to pull apart at the sound of small feet scurrying in our direction.

"Did he see us?" I ask with a glance over my shoulder at the large window has me in a panic as Jett pushes the large door open to stand in the lobby.

Luca takes a deep breath, clears his throat, winking as he steps away from me.

"Where did everybody go?" Jett asks.

"I needed to talk to your Mom for a minute, Jett," Luca answers him.

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