Page 34 of Married With Malice

In some dim truth-telling quadrant of my brain, I fully realize what this means. It’s something that I already knew but always refused to admit.

I want him. I want him BAD.

Purely physical. Nothing more. He’s still the same Luca who lies with a smile, ruined my prom, and persuaded my college boyfriend to dump me over lattes. I’ll never trust him. He breaks hearts like they’re soup crackers.

This doesn’t change the fact that my heart is racing, my breathing is shaky and the throbbing between my legs is so powerful it aches.

Plus I’m stuck with Luca, at least for a while.

While I’m preoccupied with my own turbulent thoughts, Luca has discovered the string holding my bikini top together.

“Look at that.” He clucks his tongue. “You’ve got this tied way too tight. It’s not healthy.”

“What?” I’m too lightheaded to understand what he’s getting at.

Luca doesn’t wait for me to catch up. His fingers are already deftly working the knot loose. “There. Much better.”

The string falls away and instinctively my arms fly up to cover my breasts. It’s been ages since anyone without an MD after their name has seen me naked. My lifetime sexual partners can be counted on one hand even after losing a couple of fingers. Intimacy has never come easy to me.

“You arestunning, Annalisa.” Luca lets out a low whistle. “But I’m sure you’ve heard that a million times.”

“Stop it,” I say through gritted teeth. My arms are still awkwardly crossed over my chest. “You don’t need to pile on artificial compliments.”

“Would the compliments sound more sincere if I admit that I’ve been dying to fuck you since high school?”

That’s news to me. It’s also probably a lie. Things are spinning out of control far too rapidly. I’m starting to feel like I’m on a carnival ride.

“From what I remember, Luca, you were dying to fuck everything with tits in high school.”

“Ouch.” He chuckles. “Wish I’d known you were waiting for your turn.”

“Hardly. I was never part of your fan club.”

“Come on, Anni. I couldn’t help being popular.”

“I wouldn’t call it popularity.”

“What would you call it?”

“You fool people. You get off on it.”

His grin widens and he clearly enjoys this answer. “Maybe that’s something we have in common.”

“Translate. I’m not in the mood to decipher cryptic commentary.”

“What I mean is that you’re not a callous badass. Not even close. You just pretend to be.” Luca drops the aloe and wraps his mighty arms around me, caging me in. His green eyes light up with a new intensity in the mirror. His breath strokes my neck and his voice drops to a husky whisper. “I can teach you.”

“Huh?” I should have come up with a better comeback. In my defense, I’m awfully flustered by the frame of muscle I’m currently trapped in.

He nuzzles my neck. “Let me teach you how to relax and just take what you want. Can you imagine how good that will feel?”

Knowing Luca, this is a game. Any second he’ll drop his arms and crack up with laughter over how easy it was to get me all worked up.

Yet I can’t force myself to shove him off first. I don’t hate the feeling of being held in his arms, even if he is just pushing my buttons.

Besides, it’s very clear that I’m not the only one having a reaction. I can feel him, rock hard and insistent, pressing against my lower back.

“What do you think, Anni?” he says.

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