Page 24 of Protecting Charity

Our knees hit the cool floor as we collapsed together. His muscular, tattooed chest damp with perspiration pressed into my sensitive skin, causing me to shiver with the aftershocks of pleasure.

“I’m yours,” I whispered earnestly, so only I could hear, and I meant it.

I’d learned to love the chains they bound me in, and I didn’t mean the belt at my wrists. My hot cheek melded with the cool wood floor as the reflections of my life glimmered before me. I trusted them wholeheartedly. I knew they would do right by me—they wanted to and had tried.

Luca was a complicated one to get through to, but it was the way Arturo raised him that made him nearly stone-like. It was how he coped with the death and destruction that swarmed his life, but there were moments like this where his devotion broke through. It fascinated me to see the different ways that a family brought up in the same world would handle situations entirely differently.

My breathing steadied as we sat in silence, bringing our hearts back to a regular rhythm. We finally broke that invisible barrier between us that prevented us from taking this step. Where would we go from here? Did this change anything between us?

Luca moved first and unbound my hands, slowly massaging my arms to coax the blood back into my fingers.

“I know,” he whispered in my ear as he dragged me from my fallen position. I blushed painfully, knowing he heard what was supposed to be a silent confession.

He wrapped his arms around my chest and bit the soft flesh beside the mark Max created today, adding to the claim. I tugged his hair, causing him to growl against me, and it made me laugh. He released me, and I tumbled forward, weak from the crash of elation, landing on my hands, my hair hanging over my face and pooling on the floor before me.

“You’re a deviant.”

I turned and watched him slip his boxer briefs into place. A wicked smile touched my lips and refused to leave. “You like it.”

A grin tweaked at the corner of his lips. “Perhaps.”

I raked my eyes up and down his powerful tattooed chest.

He held out his hand, offering me help, and I accepted. Pulling with little effort, I hopped to my feet with jelly for knees.

“Let’s go. We have a big day tomorrow.”

“Dress shopping.” I scoffed. “You had to ruin this moment by reminding me of the horror we must endure, didn’t you?”

“It’ll be fine. We’ll make it quick and painless.”

“Torture has never been quick and painless, Luca.” I frowned and shut the bathroom door behind me so I could clean up.

I quickly showered in water that hadn’t yet warmed, then blow-dried my hair until I felt assured it wouldn’t be a wild mess in the morning. Stepping out of the bathroom, I paused. Luca was on my bed again but, this time, fast asleep.

I couldn’t help but gawk at him like a creeper, observing him sleeping. Never have I ever seen him with a blank expression on his face. He lived a harsh life, probably one he never would have chosen had he not been born into it, but he rose to the occasion nonetheless and dominated at the top with ease.

It was what I admired about him. He never let the choices his family made for him affect his vision of life. He reigned as if it was his destiny, and no one could tell him otherwise.

I pulled back the sheets with care, trying not to wake him, and climbed inside. He stirred, moving to his back, before settling into a deep sleep. My chest panged with the peace and calm he radiated. I absorbed the feeling and logged it to memory. Who knows the next time I’d ever see him this way.

Fluffing my pillow, I tucked my hands beneath it and closed my eyes.

Chapter 11

Max

“What do you think they are doing?”

I shrugged and grabbed the game controller. “Hopefully fucking whatever issue they have with one another out.” I tossed one to him and plopped my feet on the coffee table.

“That’s never going to happen. Their passion and anger lay too deep under the surface for there to not be an issue.”

“You’re right. Besides, it’s a little too quiet for so much hostility between them. I expected shattering glass, more screaming, and someone coming out of that room by now bleeding to death.”

He chuckled because he thought I was joking, but we both knew how they were—strong-willed and dangerous, and that wasn’t a good combination. If they ever turned on each other, it would be like an atomic bomb going off in the middle of New York City—no one would be safe.

I checked my ammo and weapons on the screen, then rounded the corner to empty my clip into his character. He flipped his controller out of his hand, pouting, and pointed to his dead body. “Come on, man, I wasn’t even ready yet. That didn’t count.”

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