I rested my forehead against his shoulder. “So can I call Gianna and tell her to buy plane tickets?”
Luca chuckled. “Sure, but remember our deal.” His phone buzzed on the nightstand. He picked it up.
“For fuck’s sake, Matteo, what now?”
I pulled back. Luca got up and began pacing the bedroom, completely naked. “We’ve got his back. I won’t let another fucking restaurant go to the Russians. Yeah. Yeah. I’ll be ready in thirty minutes.”
He flung his phone on the nightstand.
“I’ll have to talk to the owner of a restaurant chain.”
“Okay,” I said, trying to hide my disappointment.
“Call your sister and tell her she can come. And I’ll be back in time for dinner, okay? I have a few take-out menus in the kitchen. Order whatever you want.” He leaned down and kissed me. “Let Romero take you to a museum or something like that.”
Fifteen minutes later, he was gone, and I was left with my doubts. How could I have agreed to his deal? Because I loved the pleasure he gave me. Why not enjoy it? Maybe I would have to live without love, but that didn’t mean I would have to be miserable.
Gianna was ecstatic when I called her to tell her she could visit. I didn’t tell her about the deal. I couldn’t talk about something like that on the phone, or ever. I knew she wouldn’t approve of me giving in to Luca so quickly.
***
As promised, Luca was home early. I was incredibly nervous. I’d chosen a beautiful yellow dress and set the table on the roof terrace. Surprise flashed across Luca’s face when he found me outside.
“I thought we could eat here?”
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in for lingering kiss. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. “I ordered Indian food.”
“I’m hungry for only one thing.”
I shivered. “Let’s eat.” What would Luca do if I told him the deal was off? I took a seat. Luca watched me with intensity. Eventually he sank down on the chair across from me. There was a gentle breeze that caressed my skin and tugged at my hair.
“You look fucking sexy.”
I started eating. “Romero took me to the Metropolitan today. It was amazing.”
“Good,” Luca said with a hint of amusement. Could he see how nervous I was?
“What about the restaurant owner? Did you convince him that the Familia will protect him from the Russians?”
“Of course. He’s been under our protection for more than a decade. There’s no reason to change that now.”
“Sure,” I said distractedly, taking a gulp of the white wine.
Luca put down his fork. “Aria?”
“Hm?” I nudged a piece of cauliflower on my plate, not meeting Luca’s gaze.
“Aria.” His voice sent a chill down my back and I peered up at him. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his strong chest. “You are scared.”
“I’m not.” He narrowed his eyes. “Maybe a bit, but mostly I’m nervous.”
He got up from the chair and came around the table. “Come on.” He held out his hand. After a brief moment of hesitation, I took it and let me pull him to my feet. “Let’s get into the Jacuzzi, okay? That’ll relax you.”
I doubted being in a hot tub with him in only swimwear would make me less nervous. I didn’t know what to expect and that terrified me.
“Why don’t you grab your bikini and I’ll set up the Jacuzzi?”
I nodded and went back inside. I picked my favorite white box bikini with pink dots. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, then stared at myself in the bathroom mirror. I wasn’t sure why this made me so nervous. This morning Luca’s touch had set my skin aflame. He’d promised not to do anything I didn’t want.
I took a deep breath and walked into the bedroom. Luca was waiting for me in black shorts; they did nothing to hide his strong body. All muscles and strength. His eyes traveled over me, then he slipped a hand over my hip. “You are perfect,” he said in a low voice. With a gentle nudge, he led me out of the bedroom, down the stairs and onto the roof terrace.
I shivered in my bikini. The breeze had picked up and it was definitely too cold to stand outside in nothing but a bikini. Luca lifted me into his arms. I gasped in surprise, my hand coming up against the tattoo over his heart.
My own heart was galloping in my chest. I buried my face in the crook of Luca’s neck, trying to relax. Luca’s grip on me tightened as he stepped into the Jacuzzi and slowly lowered us into the hot bubbling water. I sat on his lap, my face still hidden against his skin. Luca rubbed his hand up and down my spine. “There’s no reason for you to be scared.”
“Says the man who crushed a man’s throat with his bare hands,” I meant to say it teasingly but my voice came out shaky.
“That’s got nothing to do with us, Aria. That’s business.”
“I know. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“What’s really the problem?”
“I’m nervous because I feel vulnerable, like I’m at your mercy because of the deal.”
“Aria, forget about the deal. Why don’t you try to relax and enjoy this?” He nudged my chin up until our lips were almost touching and our eyes were locked.
“Promise you won’t force me to do something I don’t want to do.” I lowered my gaze to his chest.
“Promise me that you won’t hurt me.”
“Why would I hurt you?” Luca asked. “I told you I won’t sleep with you unless you want me to.”
“So you will hurt me when we sleep together?”
Luca’s lips twisted into a wry smile. “Not on purpose, no, but I don’t think there’s a way around it.”
He kissed the spot below my ear. “But tonight I want to make you writhe in pleasure. Trust me.”
I wanted to, but trust was a dangerous thing in our world. Part of me wanted to hold onto the flicker of hate I’d felt when I’d caught him with Grace. But another bigger part wanted to pretend we hadn’t been forced into this union, wanted to pretend that we could love each other.
Luca’s tongue trailed over my throat. He stopped over my pounding pulse and sucked my skin into his mouth. I shivered from the sensation. His body was hot and hard against mine and I loved sitting in his lap; though it wasn’t exactly comfortable. There wasn’t much softness about Luca’s body, only firm muscle. He shifted, pressing his erection against my butt as his lips claimed my mouth. The kiss sent small lightning bolts through my body but I needed this to be more than physical. I wanted to know more about the man I’d spend the rest of my life with.
I pulled back, getting a growl from Luca in response. His fingers on my waist tightened, his gray eyes questioning as they settled on my face. I kissed his cheek and slung my arms around his neck. “Can we talk for a bit?”
It was obvious from Luca’s expression that talking was the last thing on his mind, but he leaned against the wall of the Jacuzzi. “What do you want to talk about?”
One of his hands slid lower and began caressing my butt. I didn’t allow it to distract me from my goal, even if it was very distracting. The hungry look in Luca’s eyes didn’t help either.
“What happened to your mother?” I knew she’d died when Luca had been a young boy but Umberto hadn’t said much more, either because he didn’t know or because he thought I shouldn’t know.
Luca’s body turned rigid, eyes hard. “She died.” He turned his face away, jaw flexing. “That’s not the kind of thing I want to talk about tonight.”
His rebuke stung. I wanted to get closer to him, wanted to get to know more sides of him, but it was clear he wouldn’t let me. I nodded.
Luca removed his hand from my butt and slowly trailed it over my hip, then lower until he reached my inner thigh. He slipped under my bikini bottoms, rubbing his finger along my folds. I should have pushed him away, but instead I opened my legs a bit wider. Luca nuzzled my neck, then drew back.