Chapter 100
And she had decided she would be the bigger woman.
Or at least the braver one.
She opened the door with a smile.
Luca was at his desk. He was going through the club’s accounts, flipping through printed sheets. He was not technically in charge of the finances. The club was just a front. A laundering machine.
But he needed something to occupy his hands.
To distract him from the storm that was Veronica Scalese.
He glanced halfway up from the spreadsheets. His eyes barely registered the woman standing in the doorway.
“I told Dante to cancel my weeklies,” he said flatly. “You can leave p>
“Did someone order entertainment?” Vee drawled. She pushed the door open wider. Her eyes sparkled with amusement, the faintest smirk playing on her lips.
Luca’s head snapped back up at the sound of her voice, the shock of her presence catching him entirely off guard. The anger that had been coiling in his chest, the frustration from last night’s confessions, the gnawing impatience with her—it all evaporated instantly.
She was exquisite. Dangerous, untamed, and entirely, incomprehensibly captivating.
“I most certainly did not,” he said. “But I’m not complaining p>
Vee sauntered into the office, heels clicking softly against the floor, every sway a flirtation with gravity, with authority, with him. “Well, here I am,” she said. “What are you going to do with me?” It was a challenge. A dare. A hand thrown down between them.
“If this is you apologizing,” he said, leaning back slightly, trying to reclaim some of the control that slipped through his fingers, “you should mess up more often.” His eyes narrowed, cataloguing every detail. She had tried to mask the bruises with makeup, but the subtle purple and red traces on her neck, the faint line of where Inferi’s knife had grazed her skin, were still visible.
She walked up to him, the hem of her black fishnet dress grazing her thighs. He could see the outline of black underwear beneath the mesh. He sucked in a breath, letting his eyes trace the curve of her hips, the tilt of her shoulders, the mound of her cleavage.
“I said some things I shouldn’t have said,” she whispered. “And I would like to make up for them p>
“Like being ashamed of me?” Luca’s brow rose, a subtle taunt, a challenge hidden behind the calm exterior.
“That came out wrong,” she said quickly.
“So…you are p>
“I’m afraid of who I am turning into,” she admitted.
“Nothing has changed about me since last night, Vee,” he said. “I am still the devil. I am still a killer. Hell, it’s part of my job description p>
“I know,” she whispered.
“Do you, really, Vee?” The predator in him, the devil she feared, had softened for a fraction of a moment as he pulled her into his arms, settling her carefully onto his lap. Her body fit against his, warmth pressed to warmth. He was solid, and he let her lean into him. his mouth tracing the mark on her neck.
“Yes. I do,” she murmured, her hands pressing lightly against his chest. “I should appreciate that you want to protect me p>
“And is that what you are doing p>
“Actually she began, eyes glinting with mischief, fingers running down the broad plane of his chest. I came to see if I could entice you into fucking me p>
“You mean beg me to fuck you.” His blue eyes narrowed, the edges of his lips tilting into a dangerous smirk, a predator finally finding its prey fully willing.
“I will,” she whispered. Her fingers trailed down his torso again, testing his restraint, knowing full well he could engulf her in his storm in a heartbeat.
“Before you begin begging, there is someone I would like you to see,” he said suddenly. His hands lifted, helping her to her feet. He reached behind his chair, pulling his jacket free and draping it over her shoulders. “Wear this, or my men will have a coronary p>
The jacket engulfed her slightly, hiding just enough of the revealing dress to shield her. She looked up at him, the corners of her lips lifting into a sly smile.
Vee chuckled nervously. “Where are we going p>
“You’ll see.” Then, casually, he pulled open a drawer, and pulled out his gun. The sight made Vee stiffen instantly.
“Luca?” she called. Her pulse spiked. “What are you doing p>
“You need to see all of me and then decide if you still think you want to pursue this with me,” he said, the gun now holstered. His hand brushed hers lightly. “Come on p>
He led her out of the office, down a narrow corridor. At the end of the hall, he reached the familiar false wall. He pushed it open, revealing the steel door behind it.
He urged her forward. Vee’s breath hitched immediately as she crossed the threshold, instincts screaming at her to run, to escape before she saw what she was about to witness. But before she could move, his hand was on her arm. He held her in place, closing the steel door behind them, sealing them in together.
It was a bloody, violent tableau that made her stomach churn and her pulse spike. Two bodies lay crumpled on the floor, motionless, eyes staring blankly into nothingness—Inferi’s men. And hanging in the center of the room, suspended by his wrists tied to the ceiling, was Inferi himself. His feet hovered just inches above the ground.
His body was battered, swollen and bleeding, the red of his injuries stark against the pale skin. A gag stuffed in his mouth muffled any protest, turning him from a man of arrogance to a silent, vulnerable creature.
The smell of blood was strong, metallic, permeating the room. Her hands went to her mouth, but Luca’s steadying grip pressed her against him, rooting her to the moment with a dangerous intimacy.
“Luca, please she cried.
“You need to see who the devil really is. And decide if you want me that way,” he said. His gaze locked onto hers, icy blue eyes glittering with a dangerous clarity that left no room for misunderstanding. “Because this is who I am. You either accept it or reject it p>
(brought to you by Jennifer Willard)