Page 19 of Ruined

I arched a brow. “Didn’t look like regret when you left my house with the biggest erection I’ve ever seen.”

Luca’s smirk vanished. “You’re so desperate to hear yourself talk, you’re making shit up.”

“That wasn’t yourgunmaking a tent in your jeans, sweetheart.”

Luca’s nostrils flared. “Keep talking like that, and you’ll find out how fast I can put a bullet through your kneecap.”

“Touchy subject, huh?”

“What youthinkyou saw doesn’t mean a damn thing.”

“Then why are you trying so hard to convince yourself it didn’t happen?”

He looked me up and down, his lip curled. “You walk around like you’re God’s gift to the world, when you’re nothing but an arrogant prick.”

“That has nothing to do with how your cock behaves around me.”

He stepped closer, snarling. “What makes you think I didn’t fake it to shut you up?”

My mouth twitched. “Oh, sweetheart. You were shaking like I handed you salvation.”

“I went to your place tokillyou.”

“Instead you ended up tied to a chair, with my mouth on your neck. Clearly, you’re having a very difficult time processing that.”

Luca’s jaw ticked. “You think everyone wants you. The whole world revolves around your inflated ego.”

“Not the whole world, just you.”

Luca’s glare could’ve melted steel. “Push me again, and one of us is going to regret it.”

I tilted my head, watching him fall apart. God, he was soeasyto rile up. He kept threatening me, but he obviously didn’t want to hurt me. How long was his self-denial going to last? Was he waiting for me to make the first move?

My hand grazed his tie, straightening it.

Luca grabbed my wrist. His fingers dug into skin as his eyes danced over my face. I’d seen plenty of broken men, and Luca wasn’t one of them. He had no idea how strong he was.

Hefascinatedme.

Why didLucaget under my skin? He wasn’t soft. He wasn’t accommodating. Hell, he wasn’t even nice, but watching him fight againstmewas addicting.

Maybe I liked the challenge.

“You can let go of me now, Luca,” I murmured. “Unless you like holding onto me.”

His nostrils flared like he’d remembered who he was supposed to be—stone-cold, untouchable, and completely straight. He stepped back, letting go of me like I’d burned him.

I smiled. “We need to see Vinn.”

Luca ran a hand through his hair, forcing a tight breath out of his nose. Then he shook his hand out, as though shakingmeoff.

We made our way through the casino floor toward the back rooms.

His shoulders tightened. “Why’s Vinn here?”

Good question. “I’m not sure.”

Vinn Costa wasn’t the type to show up at the casino unless something was wrong. He preferred poker nights at his cousin’s house. Now he sat at a game table with a group of men. He wore a black hoodie and Nikes with a backwards Bruins cap like he was headed to the park with his kids.

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