Page 85 of Ruthless King
“We’re leaving.”
Those two words douse the building flames racing up and down my center. “What?”
His hand wraps around my wrist, and he jerks me away from the vanity.
“Ow, Luca, you’re hurting me.”
He loosens his hold but continues to drag me out of the bathroom.
“What is the matter with you?” I screech as he nearly rips the door off its hinges.
“Dante …,” he hisses. I freeze and back into the upholstered wall. “He cornered me again. I just want to get you out of here, okay?”
My head dips slowly. Seeing him today was worse than a punch in the gut. One look at thatbastardo, and I was back in the penthouse with my ass in the air and my face buried in the cushion. If Luca hadn’t arrived when he did …. A chill skirts up my spine, and my shoulders tremble.
“He wanted to apologize to you. I guess he did his homework and found out the truth about your father and our situation.”
Every muscle in my body goes rigid.Apologize.My father.Our situation. So many parts of that reply have my fancy dinner making its way back up my throat.
“He swears he never would have gone through with it.” Luca shakes his head. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Stellina.” He pulls me into his arms, and his musky scent envelopes me. Just like that, the fear dissipates, and the dark memories recede to the murky corners where they belong.
“Let’s get out of here,” I whisper into his shirt.
* * *
A warm breath tickles the shell of my ear, and my lids flutter open. Silky sheets cocoon me in luxury, but nothing makes me feel more treasured than the muscled, steel band across my waist or the thick thigh entangled between my legs. I inhale softly, afraid to breathe too hard and ruin this perfect moment.
It’s only been a day since Luca’s official declaration and already I could imagine a lifetime like this.
Which is stupid and so dangerous.
Nothing in my life that was ever worth it stuck around. Not my mom, not Vinny … Luca would only be the last of a string of people who abandoned me. It’s inevitable.
I stare out into the sprawling city below as the first rays of sunshine bathe Manhattan in all its glory. So many possibilities …. Here, sitting like kings atop this grand city, it’s easy to imagine what life could be like. But hope is dangerous, and I must remember to guard my heart.
Too late, a dark voice invades my thoughts.
I run my fingers across Luca’s forearm, drawing a trail through his dark hair. Tiny freckles speckle his skin and I trace patterns across the spots like a child’s connect-the-dots. It’s soothing and helps me force the growing anxiety down.
Cazzo, Stella, just enjoy the moment for once.
But the digital clock on Luca’s nightstand catches my eye, and the flashing date only exacerbates the impending doom. Only three days left until the end of the month. What would happen then?
Luca stirs behind me and something hard and very familiar presses against my backside. “Mmm, good morning, princess.” He nuzzles into my neck, and a wave of goosebumps ripples down my arm.
“It is a good morning.” If I’m being honest with myself, I’d have to admit that the nights I’ve spent in bed with the mob boss have been the best sleep I’ve had in years.
“I can make it a better one.” He slips under the covers and settles between my legs. I’m bare beneath his t-shirt as is he.
When he brought me home last night, we’d had sex for hours and he never took that damned shirt off. It was starting to bug me. He hovers over me, a wicked grin on those perfect lips. I wrap my hand around the back of his neck and jerk his mouth to mine.
I suck on his lower lip, so addicted to his sweet taste. As our tongues entangle in an already familiar dance, his hand skates beneath my—his shirt and finds my breast. Kneading it softly, my back arches at his touch.
Dio, just when I think this man cannot possibly coax another orgasm out of me, he has me soaked, ready and wriggling for his cock.
Luca lines himself up at my entrance and teases, running his head up and down my slick heat. “Mmm, princess… we need to get you on the pill. I want to feel your bare pussy taking all of me in.”
A delicious shiver races up my spine. “I am actually on the pill.”
