Page 74 of Sinful Mafia Prince

“Hmm.” Luca went to let go, but Dom snatched his hand back.

“Don’t be smug.”

Luca turned back to face the water, unable to mask his smile. “Sorry.”

“No you’re not.”

“You’re right, I’m not, but it felt weird to just say nothing.”

Dom scoffed. “Of course it did.”

He stroked his thumb along the back of Luca’s hand, the silence between them heavy as they each acknowledged the inevitable.

Their time together was coming to an end. Moments like this would be no more. And after they left this shoreline, this house, who knew where they would end up?

“We really should go inside.” Dom turned to leave, but Luca pulled him to a stop.

“Not yet.”

“Luca—”

“Dom. Not yet.” Luca looked up at the man he’d once thought of as the devil, but now all he saw was the handsome, joking man who’d spent the afternoon stomping grapes with him. “I’ve fallen for you too.”

Dom glanced down at their hands then shook his head. “You don’t have to—”

“Say that?” Luca chuckled. “I know. You kidnapped me and threatened my life. Trust me, I wouldn’t be saying it if I didn’t mean it… If I didn’t feel it.”

“You don’t know what you feel. You were forced into all of this. Forced to be with me.”

Luca frowned. “I wasn’tforcedto be with you. That was my choice. You never once made me do anything sexual that I didn’t want to do.”

Dom’s mouth opened then quickly shut again. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh.”

“Right.” Dom took in a deep breath then finally released Luca’s hand. “You were forced into proximity with me at every turn. I’m all you’ve known ever since you got here. It makes sense that you’d…develop feeling for me.”

“Romanticfeelings?” Luca’s eyes widened. “I hate to break it to you, but it doesn’t make sense to me at all that I’d want to be with you after some of the shit you’ve put me through. In all honesty, I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”

“Why? There’s no point. This, what we have—or had—it’s over now. It has to be. So there’s no use in trying to wrap your head around anything.”

Luca’s chest tightened at the finality of Dom’s words, and he took a step toward Dom, hoping to convince him otherwise, but Dom took a step back.

“I think it’s best if we just go back inside now.”

Luca bit down on his lower lip, not wanting to give in to the raw emotions choking him up inside. “Best for you or best for me?”

“Best for everyone. Don’t make it any harder than it has to be.”

Dom turned and walked back to the stairs that led up to the main house. As Luca stood there and watched the night swallow him up, he wondered how in the world he’d gone and fallen in love with the devil himself.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

IT HAD BEEN a fitful night of sleep. Dom guessed he’d gotten maybe a couple of hours of shuteye in there somewhere, but there was too much weighing on his mind.

Thinking about the way Luca had tried to fight for him in a way he didn’t deserve made something in his chest twist. He’d never encountered someone so whollygood. It didn’t make sense for Luca to give two shits about Dom, and yet he’d stood up to Vincenzo even knowing who he was and what the man could do.

It can never happen,Dom reminded himself.

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