Page 19 of Stolen Seconds

Luca loomed over me, larger than I remembered. He stared down at my hand before he set those daunting caramel eyes on my face.

He took one step forward, and I dug the blade further, not enough to draw blood but enough to warn him off.

His pupils flared as he took another step, his chest nearly crushing into mine.

The pounding of my pulse rushed to my ears as my knife nicked him, blood trailing down the column of his tattooed throat.

He fucking cut himself.

I faltered from his unexpected action, but he didn’t notice, proceeding to walk toward me with purpose until he had me cornered, my back hitting the side of the house.

Under the moonlight, he looked like a nightmare come to life. Rough features, untamed hair that curled at the base of his neck and eyes that could trap someone in their depths.

His gaze flicked to my mouth, his expression one of pure savagery.

The winter air suddenly felt nice against my overheated skin as a layer of thick tension crushed me.

His hand moved toward his neck, his tattooed fingers tracing the cut, and painting them with his blood.

The faint flicker of a high coursed through me, ceasing that hollowness inside my chest and diminishing the residue of my earlier episode.

Not again.

I held my breath when that same bloody hand clutched my chin.

“What are-”

He pierced me with a vicious stare as he leisurely swept his thumb across my mouth, cutting me off.

His skin against mine elicited a sharp sensation as if he’d stung me.

My blade was still against his throat, but he seemed to be unfazed by that and the blood soaking through his white tee shirt.

A guttural sound ripped from his throat as he traced my lips, smearing his blood against them. “Made just for me.”

I had seen enough craziness in my time, but I had never encountered anyone like Luca. He was clearly a psychopath, driven by delusion.

I opened my mouth to tell him exactly that when he tsked, his thumb pressing harder against my lips. “Such a pretty mouth for a viperous tongue.” His face hardened, heat radiating off him in waves. “I hope this interaction was far more memorable,piccola ribelle.”

With that, he nudged under my chin and walked back into the house.

What just happened?

I swallowed, staring at the tip of my blade, stained with his blood.

Was this how we’d play the game? Him cornering me in dark places when no one was around.

No one had ever affected me the way Luca had. No one had ever been able to evoke a high with a mere touch and I didn’t know if it was fear or anger that sat bitterly in the pit of my stomach.

Maybe I was as psychotic as him because I hesitantly slid my tongue across my bottom lip, tasting the tang of metallic.

The rest of the night had passed in a blur. We’d gathered in the living area after dinner, sipping from mugs of hot chocolate.

Aurora suddenly squealed, standing in the center of the room. “I can’t keep it in anymore. I’m pregnant!”

My heart soared at the unexpected news. I knew how much she’d wanted this, especially after what she’d been through with her last pregnancy.

Cheers and congratulations erupted as everyone engulfed her in hugs and I was in awe at the way Roman watched her fiercely as if he’d remove anything or anyone that could tarnish her happiness.

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