Page 29 of Tormented Hearts

Luca’s eyes soften, and for a moment, the tension in his body eases. He leans in, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, the heat between them simmering beneath the surface.

"I won’t let anyone take you from me," Luca whispers against her lips, his voice a quiet vow.

The air was still thick with the remnants of the confrontation, the anger and violence that had simmered so close to the surface. Phoenix’s heart was still racing, adrenaline coursing through her veins, but as she looks at Luca, she sees something in his eyes that makes her breath catch.

He was watching her, his gaze dark and intense, as if he could see right through her. The anger that had hardened his features moments before had faded, replaced by something else—something deeper, more dangerous. It was a look she had seen before, but it never failed to send a shiver down her spine, a mix of fear and something she was too afraid to name.

Luca’s hand tightens around his glass, his eyes never leaving hers. “Sing for me.”

The words a command, soft and low, but they hold a weight that makes Phoenix’s heart skip a beat. She hesitates, her mind racing, but there is something in his gaze that pulls her in, something that makes her want to forget everything, to lose herself in the music and the way he was looking at her.

Phoenix takes a deep breath, her eyes never leaving Luca’s as she moves to the small stage at the corner of the club. The band, sensing the change in atmosphere, adjust their instruments, the soft, sultry notes of a slow blues melody filling the air.

She wraps her fingers around the microphone, her pulse fluttering as she meets Luca’s gaze. For a moment, everything else fades away—the fear, the tension, the uncertainty. It was just her and Luca, the music, and the unspoken words between them.

Phoenix’s voice is soft at first, the words slipping from her lips like a whispered confession, each note wrapping around Luca like a spell. Her eyes stay locked on his, drawing him in, the lyrics a siren’s call in the dimly lit room.

“Close your eyes, let the darkness take you, let the night erase the pain... ”

Luca’s grip on his glass tightens, his body tense as he watches her, his eyes darkening with every word, every note. Phoenix’s voice is sultry, smoky, filled with a raw, aching emotion that seems to cut through the air, pulling him in, holding him captive. He feels the tension in his chest easing, the anger that had burned so hot just moments before fading into something else—something dangerous and consuming.

“I’ll be your shelter, I’ll be your fire, just let go, give in to the desire... ”

Phoenix’s voice dipped lower, her eyes never leaving his, and Luca feels his heart pound in response, his body tightening with a need that is almost painful. She is pulling him in, her voice weaving around him, the melody a soft, seductive promise. There is a defiance in her gaze, a challenge, as if she is daring him to look away, to break the spell she is casting.

But he couldn’t.

He is caught, trapped in the web of her voice, the heat in her eyes. The room around them seems to disappear, leaving only the music, the words, and the electric tension that crackles between them. Luca’s breath comes harder, his grip on the glass so tight he thought it might shatter, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her.

Phoenix’s voice grows stronger, the melody building, her body swaying slightly as she sings, her movements fluid and graceful, each one drawing him in deeper.

“I’ll be your poison, your sweetest sin, take my hand, let the night begin...”

Luca felt the words like a physical touch, her voice sliding over his skin, slipping under his defences, making him forget everything but the way she made him feel. There is nothing in the world but her voice, her eyes, the way she is looking at him, as if she could see every dark, twisted part of him and still want him.

He wanted her. Needed her.

As the last notes of the song fade, the room falls into a heavy, charged silence. Phoenix’s breath comes in soft, shallow gasps, her eyes locked on Luca’s, the intensity of the moment hanging between them like a physical thing. She had never felt like this, never felt so exposed, so vulnerable. But there is somethingthrilling about it too, something that makes her heart race with a different kind of fear.

Luca stands slowly, his gaze never leaving hers as he moves toward her, his movements deliberate, controlled. The room seems to hold its breath, the band watching with wide eyes as he crosses the small distance between them, his presence dominating the space, suffocating in its intensity.

Phoenix’s heart pounding as he stops in front of her, his eyes dark and burning with something she couldn’t name. He was so close, his scent filling her senses, his body radiating heat and power.

“That was beautiful, bella,” Luca murmurs, his voice low, a dangerous edge threading through the words. “You’re beautiful.”

Phoenix’s breath catches in her throat, her body trembling with a mix of fear and something far more dangerous as she looks up at him. “Luca, I—”

He cuts her off, his hand sliding around her waist, pulling her against him. The contact sends a shock of heat through her, her heart hammering as she feels the hard, unyielding strength of his body against hers. His other hand comes up, fingers brushing lightly against her cheek, his touch gentle, almost reverent.

“I don’t think you realize what you do to me, Phoenix,” Luca whispers, his lips so close to hers she could feel the warmth of his breath. “How much I want you. How much I need you.”

Phoenix’s heart aches at the raw intensity in his voice, at the darkness in his eyes. She can see the struggle there, the battle between the man he is and the man he wants to be for her. But it doesn’t change what he is—a dangerous, possessive force that threatens to consume her whole.

“Luca, please,” she whispers, her voice trembling as she places her hands on his chest, trying to put some distance between them. “Everyone is watching,” she says softly.

But Luca’s grip tightens, his eyes darkening with a fierce, possessive hunger. “You’re mine, Phoenix,” he growls, his voice low and commanding. “Let them look.”

Before she can say another word, his lips are on hers, hard and demanding, stealing her breath, her thoughts, everything. The kiss is like a storm, wild and uncontrollable, sweeping her away, pulling her under. She tries to resist, tries to push him away, but her body betrays her, melting into his touch, into the heat of his kiss.

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