Page 83 of Sexted By a Stranger
He stared straight at me, his gaze filled with bone-deep exhaustion, lingering fear, and a regret so profound it threatened to drown us both.
He sat hunched in the bedside chair, his tall frame curled over. His hands clasped mine where they lay on top of the blanket.
"Sheila…" he whispered hoarsely.
Mom carefully brought the straw to my lips, cool water soothing my parched throat. I drank greedily but couldn't tear my eyes away from Luca.
"Slow down, sweetheart." Mom glanced at him and added softly, "Luca's been watching over you all night. We couldn't get him to leave."
All night? My heart sank. My gaze instinctively swept over his body, finally settling on his left shoulder.
"Your wound—" I tried to pull my hand back.
He gripped it tighter, shaking his head. "I'm fine."
His eyes remained locked on my face, his Adam's apple bobbing as he struggled to contain his emotions.
"How—" his voice was rough, "how do you feel? Is there anywhere that hurts particularly badly?"
"I'm okay," I managed a weak smile to reassure him, though exhaustion made it pale. "Just… no energy. Are you hurt anywhere else?"
Fragments of memory from before I lost consciousness flooded back—ballroom lights, cold gun barrels, deafening gunshots.
The hand he held tightened involuntarily.
His knuckles immediately tensed, veins standing out on the back of his hand.
"Sheila." his voice trembled. "I almost-"
The rest was swallowed by a sob.
Luca bowed his head, pressing his forehead against our joined hands. Scalding tears dropped onto my hand, making me flinch.
I froze—Luca Bellomo was crying.
"Luca." I lifted my other hand to the back of his neck. "Stop. This wasn't on you. I'm the one who panicked."
He finally looked up.
Tear tracks crossed that handsome but exhausted face. He looked at me, vulnerable as a lost child.
Meeting his gaze, my own tears finally spilled over.
"I was going to..." I swallowed hard. "Your birthday. I wanted to tell you then. Wanted it to be special."
"Surprise," he repeated in a whisper. "And I let you—let our baby—" He choked up again, pressing kiss after kiss to the back of my hand.
"No." I squeezed his burning hand. "This was me. I shouldn't have doubted you. Shouldn't have thought about running. God, Luca, I should have known you'd keep us safe." I struggled to see his face clearly. "I was just... terrified. That the darkness you live with might claim our child too."
"I get it." He wiped the tears from my cheeks. "I didn't make you feel secure enough. Didn't tell you sooner—you and this baby are my whole world. No matter how deep the shadows get, I'll always be the wall between you and the dark."
His words were absolute, like sunlight cutting through the darkness in my heart.
A gentle knock came at the door.
Lennox entered, clearly relieved to see me awake, then respectfully murmured to Luca, "Boss, Williams and the OB are waiting outside. They need to do another thorough examination."
Luca nodded but showed no sign of releasing my hand.
