Page 20 of Depths of Obsession
What I want to do is pull her to me, hold her tight, and kiss her until neither of us can breathe, until we’re lost in each other. My hand slides down to rest on her waist, fingers pressing gently, feeling the curve of her torso beneath the fabric. The warmth of her body seeps into my hand, and it’s driving me insane. I want more. I want all of her. But if I start now, I know I won’t be able to stop. The hunger is too strong, and I’m barely holding it back.
Pippa looks up at me then, her eyes meeting mine, and there’s something there—something raw and vulnerable that makes my chest ache. I see the uncertainty, the desire, and it takes everything in me not to close the small gap between us. My heart pounds, my breath is shallow, and for a moment, the world narrows to just us, just this moment. The tension stretches, pulling us closer, and she leans in, just slightly, her lips parting in anticipation.
But I can’t. Not yet. I pull back, my thumb brushing one last time over her neck before letting go, a small smile playing on my lips. Her eyes widen, her breath catches, and confusion and frustration replace the longing I’d witnessed a second ago.Not yet, Pippa, but one day soon.I know I’m not supposed to have her, but I also know there’s nothing in this world that’s going to stop me. Our destiny is written in my blood.
“Good to know,” she says, her voice laced with defiance, her chin tilting slightly upward. “You don’t have to worry about that with me. I want to be gone as soon as possible.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, leaving a hollow ache in my chest. What did I expect? She’s miserable, trapped in a situation she never wanted, and I’m not her first choice of protector. Well, tough shit. She’s stuck with me, whether she likes it or not.
I clench my jaw, swallowing down the bitterness that wants to rise. “Get some sleep,” I growl, turning on my heel and stalking out of the room.
The living room is dark, lit only by the faint glow from the monitors. Rocco sits in front of them, his posture tense, eyes fixed on the screens. He glances up as I enter, his expression grim, and nods. “Everything’s clear for now,” he says, his voice barely rises above a whisper. “But we need to talk about what’s next.”
I nod, rubbing a hand over my face, trying to push back the exhaustion settling into my bones. I feel like I’ve aged a hundred years in the last few hours. “Yeah. I’ve got a plan,” I say, my voice tight. “But it’s going to mean Pippa stays close. Very close.”
Rocco raises an eyebrow, curiosity flickering in his eyes. “How close?”
“Gazzago is going to go to Danillo, and he’ll put pressure on Renzo,” I explain, my words clipped with frustration. “Renzo doesn’t want to fuck up his deal with the Afghans, and if Danillo pushes, Renzo might be forced to agree to move up the wedding. He needs Gazzago, and Gazzago knows it. Pippa needs to stay out of Gazzago’s reach. We might have to keep moving her around until the deal is done and by moving her, I mean around the world. We might have to hit different countries. Is your passport in order?”
Rocco stares at me, his mouth falling open slightly. “Are you fucking serious?”
I smile grimly, a bitter edge to the curve of my lips. “It’s the only way to stop Gazzago, short of getting that damn necklace. And honestly, I’m not feeling too optimistic about our chances on that front.”
“But flying her around?” Rocco’s eyebrows shoot up, his disbelief evident. “You think Gazzago will be that crazy to get her?”
“Yeah, I do.” I let out a long breath, the weight of the plan settling over me like a heavy shroud. “It wouldn’t be my first choice, but I’m not letting Gazzago have her. And Renzo—he’s too caught up in expanding his empire to see what it’s costing Pippa. I can’t let her down I will not sacrifice Pippa.” Not like I did with Vittoria, I add silently.
Rocco leans back in his chair, his gaze sharp. “You know what the tarot reader said. If you get with Pippa it may kill you. And seeing you two ablaze for each other… Luca, it’s only a matter of time.”
He’s not wrong but I cannot let Pippa be used by Gazzago and her father. I can’t. “I’m hard to kill, remember?”
Rocco stares at me. “What about the curse?”
The air hisses out of my lungs. I hadn’t forgotten about the curse exactly. More just put it to the back of my brain. “It’s not relevant.”
“Not relevant? Bullshit. Nothing that is created in the magickal realm is ever ‘not relevant.’ You know you have to be careful. You can’t just spend a lot of time with a woman.”
I glare at him. “I’m aware. But it says marriage, not spend time with. All three of us have to be married for the curse to even begin to come true.”
Rocco cocks an eyebrow. “What exactly does the curse say? I’ve only ever heard rumors.”
I sigh. We’ve never talked about the curse before, but I’m not surprised he knows about it. It’s quite famous in the magickal realm and with Rocco and his family being strong mages, they would know. “I just found out the full wording myself not too long ago. It says when the sons three marry and the moon is red, the sisters three will bring about the dead, and the clan of Valdici will be no more.”
Rocco’s eyebrows go up. “Do you have any clue who the three sisters might be? Or do you know anything about a red moon?”
I shake my head. “We’ve never been able to figure any of it out. Of course, my father probably knows more than he’s saying. I’ve never bothered to look into it. Renzo is the one who told me the exact wording. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nico knows more about it than he’s saying. As the youngest, I’ve always left it up to them to figure out.” I shrug. “So, I can’t get married but even if I do get married some day, Nico is still single. He will just have to stay that way.”
Rocco asks, “Why do you care so much? I know you want her—hell, everyone knows that—but this is risky for all kinds of reasons. It seems extreme for someone you’re just lusting over. Someone foretold to bring you down. No one in the magick realm would ever fuck around with fate like you’re doing now.”
I blow out a long breath and sink into the chair next to him. Rocco and I have been friends for about ten years. We met in a bar fight, and we’ve had each other’s backs ever since. He’s a good guy—an excellent mage when he wants to be—but I’ve never shared much of my past with him. The past is the past, or so I tell myself.
But Rocco isn’t wrong—this is extreme, even for me.
“A long time ago, I made a very big mistake and someone who was very important to me, a young girl named Vittoria who needed my help, died. I can’t make that same mistake again.”
“Shit,” Rocco grunts, his voice filled with genuine sorrow. “I’m sorry, Luca.”
“Yeah.” I stare at the monitors, not really seeing them. “I made a promise to myself then. I wouldn’t let anyone else I care about die because I didn’t help them when I could have. I won’t let that happen to Pippa. Renzo doesn’t see it but marrying Gazzago will destroy her. She’ll never be the same.”
