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The counter digs into her back as I press her against it, my hands roaming, claiming. She gasps into my mouth, her body arching toward mine, and it takes everything in me to pull back, to give her space to breathe.

Her chest rises and falls rapidly, her cheeks flushed.

“This is insane,” she says again, though her tone has shifted and her voice is throaty.

I cup her face. “It is.”

The plane dips slightly. The subtle dip of the plane barely registers. All I can feel is her—her heat, her rapid breaths, the way her body yields to mine even as her mind hesitates. Her hand grips mine, pulling me closer, and that small, desperate motion is all the permission I need.

“Insane?” I murmur, my lips brushing the curve of her jaw as my hands slide down her sides, feeling the delicate curves beneath the thin fabric of her dress. “Maybe. But it’s also inevitable.”

Her head tips back, exposing the smooth line of her neck, and I take full advantage, my mouth finding her pulse point. She shudders, her fingers clutching at my shoulders as my teeth graze her skin.

“Luca,” she whispers, her voice breaking. It’s not a plea—it’s surrender.

I trail kisses down to the hollow of her throat, my hands gripping her thighs and lifting her effortlessly onto the counter. Her legs part instinctively, wrapping around my waist, and I step between them, the hardness of the counter forgotten in the press of her body against mine.

“You feel this?” I ask, my voice rough as I grind against her, my arousal unmistakable. “You drive me fucking crazy, Valentina. Every look, every word, every second you breathe.”

She gasps, her hands fisting in my hair as I press her back slightly, giving myself more room to touch, to taste. My lips crash onto hers, and this time, there’s no hesitation. The kiss is raw, frantic, her nails scraping down my back through my shirt as I push the hem of her dress higher, exposing smooth, bare skin.

“God, you’re perfect,” I groan against her lips, my fingers tracing the curve of her thigh before sliding higher. Her gasp turns into a moan as my hand finds her, slick and hot, and I can’t stop the curse that escapes me. “You’re already dripping for me.”

She arches into my touch, her breath hitching as my fingers move against her, teasing, testing. “Luca?—”

“Say it,” I growl, pulling back just enough to meet her gaze. Her cheeks are flushed, her lips swollen, her eyes dark with need. “Say you’re mine.”

“I’m yours,” she whispers, her voice trembling but certain.

That’s all I need. I pull my hand away, earning a soft whimper of protest, but it turns into a gasp as I undo my belt, the sound of the leather slipping free loud in the intimate space. Herhands reach for me, fumbling with the buttons of my shirt, but I catch her wrists, pinning them gently against the counter above her head.

“Not yet,” I murmur, leaning down to press a kiss to her collarbone. “I want you to feel exactly how much you belong to me.”

Her eyes widen slightly, her lips parting as I free myself, the hard length of me pressing against her core. I guide myself to her, teasing her entrance, and she writhes beneath me, her hips tilting forward in a silent plea.

“Please,” she breathes, the word barely audible but laced with raw need.

With one slow, deliberate thrust, I’m inside her, and we both groan at the sensation. She’s tight, perfect, and the way she clenches around me makes my head spin. I pause for a moment, letting her adjust, savoring the way she feels, the way her legs tighten around me as if she never wants to let go.

“Look at me,” I command, my voice rough as I begin to move, each thrust slow and deliberate, dragging against every sensitive spot. Her gaze locks onto mine, her lips trembling as her hands flex beneath my grip. “Let me look at what’s mine.”

“Yes,” she cries, her voice breaking as I pick up the pace, the sound of our bodies colliding filling the cabin. “Luca, I?—”

“Come for me,” I growl, releasing her wrists to cup her face, my forehead pressing against hers as I drive into her harder, deeper. “Let me feel you.”

Her body tenses beneath me, her nails digging into my arms as her climax hits her, her cries muffled by my mouth as I kiss her through it. She clenches around me, the tight, pulsing heat pulling me over the edge. With a guttural groan, I thrust one last time, spilling into her, my body trembling as I bury myself to the hilt.

For a moment, the world stands still. The hum of the plane fades, the tension dissolves, leaving only the sound of our ragged breaths and the warmth of her body against mine. I lean forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead, my hands cradling her face as her eyes flutter open.

“Thank you for letting me take my family home,” I murmur.

“I love you,” she whispers, her arms wrapping around my neck as she pulls me closer.

28

LUCA

Valentina’s touch, her whispered moans, the way her nails dig into my back—all of it lingers even as the wheels hit the tarmac. She’s fallen asleep now, our son curled up against her, his small hand clutching the fabric of her dress as if sensing the weight of the world around him.