Page 70 of Knights Game

She rises up on tiptoes and presses the softest of kisses on my lips.

“Thank you, Luca.” She places her hands on my cheeks, and I can see it in her expression how grateful she is, and I’d be lying if I didn’t feel something warm grow inside me. “I-I can’t ever repay you. No one—”

“You don’t need to.” I say shaking my head. Because she doesn’t. “Turn around, sunshine.” She does as instructed, and I grab the shampoo. Taking my time, I massage some into her hair, creating a lather of bubbles that fall onto her shoulders and the space between.

I touch her softly, tracing the red skin along her spine before going back to her hair.

“Why have you marked your beautiful skin?” My fingers work deftly and tilt her head back. Her eyes lock with mine and she shrugs.

“Sometimes, physical pain is easier to deal with than the chaos of my head.”

“So, you hurt yourself?”

She shrugs, and it pisses me off. “Layla.” I grip her chin and force those beautiful blues to meet my gaze. “Life is messy. You need to use that pain—you need to find that strength and power through it.”

“I’ve spent years powering through, Luca. I’m fucking tired,” she says, clearing her throat. “So, I mark my skin because at least feeling that physical pain takes me out of my own head for a minute. It gives me back control, even if it’s just for a second.” She tries to pull her face away, her body tensing with anger, but I hold her firm and bend so that I’m level with her.

“I see you, sunshine, I see the life you’ve been dealt.” I touch the jagged scar on her stomach. “Turn that pain into a spark, and let it fuel you. Yes, life has given you a shit hand, yes, your life is complicated right now, but opportunities are arising. Use them. Use me.”

“Like you’re using me?”

My jaw tenses, and I turn my attention back to her hair and rinse off the bubbles. I move onto the conditioner taking my time to massage her head.

“You’re a solution to a current problem, this is a win-win for both of us.” Taking the shower gel, I run it over her shoulders, her stomach, her pussy.

A whisper of a moan passes her lips, as my fingers trace her.

“So there's nothing else to it then?” I don’t reply and she sighs.

“What happened to you? How did you get into this life?”

I don’t answer that question because it’s a story that isn’t for sharing. My journey is not a kind one. Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to her. The difference is I let my pain fuel me, and maybe there is something else that’s familiar between us: the need to take control. She just does it in a more self-destructive way and, going forward, if I have to add her name to the list of people I have to protect her from, I’ll do it.

We’re quiet, our breathing heavy, as she moans while I continue to work her pussy and wash away her afternoon. My cock is rock hard, and I want to bury myself in her.

She rests her hand on my cheek, and I fucking lean into it, the softest of smiles tugs at her lips.

“Who would have thought Luca Knight could be so soft and gentle.” On tiptoes she places another soft kiss on my lips.

“It’s our little secret, sunshine, I’ll kill anyone to keep it safe.” Then I take her mouth in mine.

Fuck.

I’m in too deep.

25

Layla

This is not aside of Luca I’ve seen before. He winks at me, I’m still holding his face, and I can’t help it, I relax in his touch.

I’ve never admitted out loud that I hurt myself, not to anyone.

I worked out that scalding myself in a hot shower is easy to hide under the layers of clothes. As I’ve gotten older I do it less, but every so often, when it’s close to the anniversary and my head gets too busy, I do it to take control. To feel in control, if only for a second.

“Next time your head is busy, promise me something.”

“Hmmm.”

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