Page 71 of Stolen Seconds

There was no point in lying when the proof was staring at me in the face. It only made me wonder why Luca came to me instead of informing the others.

“What are you going to do about it?”

Luca turned and caught my eyes, the look on his face feral. “What I should’ve done months ago.”

He undid the final set of ropes, the curtains hiding us from the outside world.

I swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in my throat. Without thought, I took a step back, shaking my head at him slowly.

It wasn’t hard to figure out what the dangerous gleam in his eyes meant.

He tracked my movements, leisurely sweeping his gaze over me before chuckling darkly, rubbing his jaw with a tatted hand.

My heart raced, the anticipation of his next move leaving me panting.

Like a predator he walked toward me, causing me to take another step back until I was pressed against the gazebo’s border, sweat forming at the base of my neck.

“What happened,piccola ribelle? Not so brazen anymore?”

The push and pull between us had become potent. Each step he took in my direction increased the intensity of my unwarranted desire.

“Come closer and I’ll rectify that.”

“Are you going to hurt me, Irina?” His bottom lip curled between his teeth and the darkness in his eyes rooted me in place. “Although, I never minded mixing pain with pleasure.”

I’d been too lost in his heated trance that I hadn’t even noticed him invade my space, swiping my blade from the leather jacket I stole from him.

“The question is, do you?” he rasped out, swinging the knife between his fingers, admiring the weapon like a psychopath. “Guess, we’ll find out.”

His intention was clear as he flicked his gaze to me again before he curled a fist around my shirt.

“Wait—”

He was skilled, words dying in my throat as he cut myshirt down the middle rapidly, the sound tearing along with my sanity.

The night breeze hit my exposed chest, eliciting goosebumps along my body.

Luca hummed in satisfaction as he used the blade to part one side of the fabric, baring me to his gaze. He ran the sharp end of it against my skin, the sensation causing me to hiss.

The brute smirked, his presence overwhelming me.

I feared that if I gave into this, I’d never recover. It was bad enough I’d already lost this game between us and fell for his charm. I actuallylikedthe man.

But I wasn’t really putting up a fight to escape him, was I?

Rolling my shoulders back, I let the jacket fall from my body, my intent clear.

His gaze snapped to mine, his nose flaring from contained wantonness. I could see it written on his face, that control he was trying to keep intact, but I wanted him raw and untamed.

“Not so brazen anymore?” I teased, arching a brow in challenge.

His tongue slid against his bottom lip as he shook his head, his eyes piercing into me. If it weren’t for my attentive gaze to his every move, I would’ve missed it.

“How will you have me then, Irina?” he asked, his voice a deep caress to my every nerve.

With a shaky exhale, I whispered, “Naked.”

When Luca reached for the back of his shirt with one hand and pulled it off, I nearly fell to my knees at his physique. I’d seen him shirtless before, but it didn’t takeaway from how breathtaking he was. There was beauty in his every scar.

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