Page 47 of A Game of Ruck
But now she’s saying it.
Out loud.
And the look in her eyes?
That’s not pretend.
That’s not maybe.
That’syes.
I lean in, my lips brushing her ear.“Say that again.”
Her breath catches.“I want you, Luca.I want this to happen.Us.”
That’s all I need.
Without another word, I lead her off the dance floor.
Past the gawking relatives.
Past the music and the judgment and the ghosts of every moment she’s ever been made to feel like she’s not enough.
Sheis.
More than enough.
And now she’s mine.
We reach the elevator, and I press the button like it’s gonna make the damn thing go any faster.
My other hand never leaves her waist.
When the doors slide shut behind us, I turn to her, heart hammering in my chest.
“You sure?”
Her nod is shaky but determined.“Yeah.”
“You change your mind, you tell me, and we stop.Got it?”
She looks up at me—eyes wide, lips parted, cheeks flushed—and whispers, “Got it.”
When the doors open, I grab her hand and lead her down the hallway.
We don’t speak.
We don’t need to.
The tension between us says everything.
I open the door to our suite, step inside, and turn to her.
This is it.
No more fake.
No more pretending.
