Chapter 102
Luca arrived home later that night with a barely contained energy thrumming beneath his skin. It was subtle, but anyone who knew him would see it in the looseness of his shoulders, in the faint curve at the edge of his mouth, in the way his stride carried purpose.
One thing still lingered at the back of his mind. Marco’s words earlier. Valentina had requested a meeting. Vee’s sister. Why? Whatever she wanted would not be trivial. But the thought dimmed quickly beneath the heat rising in his chest. That could wait.
Because tonight, his obsession had chosen him.
“Holy Mary, you are done with dinner already?” Nonnina called as she stepped back into the dining room, wiping her hands on a dish towel.
“Yup. It was delicious,” Luca replied, finishing the last of his juice in a single swallow. “Has Veronica been informed I am back home p>
“Of course,” Nonnina said. “You want me to get her p>
“No. I’ll go myself.” He rose smoothly from the table, leaned down to press a kiss to Nonnina’s cheek. Then he turned, already moving toward the rear wing of the estate.
He reached her door. He had mentally prepared for this. He would walk in, claim her, take what she had offered. That was the plan.
He pushed the door open.
And everything inside him snapped.
She was still wearing the same black dress from earlier.
And she was on her knees.
Waiting.
Her hands rested lightly on her thighs. Her chin was lifted, eyes locked onto him with unwavering intensity.
She had taken his command and transformed it into power of her own.
He stepped fully into the room and shut the door behind him. His eyes roamed over her slowly, unashamedly, memorizing every detail.
He had expected submission.
What he found was surrendered sovereignty.
“I’ve been waiting for you p>
Luca stepped closer. “Pick a safe word p>
Her brows knit slightly. “I don’t understand p>
His gaze remained locked on her. “One word that means you want me to immediately stop whatever it is I will most definitely be doing to you p>
“Crimson,” she said after a breath.
A corner of his mouth lifted. “Nice choice p>
He stepped closer still, towering over her. “Now tell me what you want, Bambola p>
Her throat tightened. “I want you to make me yours,” she said.
His lips curved into an arrogant smile. “You are already mine. Try again p>
She swallowed and lifted her eyes to his fully. “I want you… to fuck me p>
He looked down at her, the muscle in his jaw tightening slightly. “How desperately p>
Her breath hitched. “Very much p>
His gaze sharpened. “You are not trying hard enough p>
He took a deliberate step back, testing her, widening the distance just enough to make her feel it. The threat of him walking away sliced through her composure.
“Please!” Vee blurted. She shifted forward instinctively on her knees. “Please, Luca. I want you. I want it all with you. Just you. I want to experience everything with you. The darkness. The fire. Please… don’t walk away from me p>
“Do you understand what you are begging for?” he asked quietly. “You will be bound to me. The only way out is if I let you go or death p>
Vee locked eyes with him. “The only way out is death,” she clarified. “It works both ways, doesn’t it?” She looked resolute. Fierce in her devotion.
Luca crouched down in front of her, bringing himself eye level so she could see him clearly. So she could see that he was not posturing.
“Think about this,” he said quietly. “I’ll give you the world. I’ll protect you with my life.” His jaw tightened slightly. “But you cannot leave me p>
He was confessing the shape of his devotion. It was territorial, absolute and dangerous.
“You cannot leave me,” Vee echoed back immediately, her chin lifting.
His brow furrowed. “You suck at this!” He rose abruptly to his feet, frustration slicing through his composure.
“If it applies to me, it applies to you!” she snapped, rising onto her knees slightly.
“It already applies to me!” he shouted. “It has applied to me from the very first moment I set my eyes on you! It has… I’m obsessed with you p>
“Why can’t you just say you love me?” she demanded.
He looked at her like she had missed the point entirely. “Because what I feel for you,” he said, “it goes way beyond love. It’s too little a word to compare p>
He stepped closer, towering over her again. “What I feel is consuming. It is violent p>
“Luca…Please take me. Please p>
He bent down without another word, slid one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back, and lifted her effortlessly.
She could feel his strength, the steady rhythm of his breathing, the tension coiled in every muscle. His gaze traveled slowly down her body as he moved.
He stepped out of the apartment and back toward the mansion.
He climbed the staircase, her body secure against him.
He pushed open the door to his bedroom with his shoulder and stepped inside.
He lowered her carefully onto her feet in the center of the room, but he did not step away. His hands remained on her waist, fingers firm.
He kissed her first, hard.
When he stepped away and turned to the dresser, where he had already prepared his array of toys. Vee’s breath hitched behind him.
He was back in front of her in an instant, fingers brushing her waist. “It’s not too late to stop, Bambola p>
She shook her head, chest rising and falling faster now. “I’m ready p>
He studied her face for a second longer, searching for hesitation, for doubt. He found neither.
“Good,” he murmured.
The blindfold came first. He moved behind her slowly. When the cloth slid over her eyes, her world dissolved into darkness.
“I want to see you,” she protested softly.
His lips brushed the shell of her ear. “Not tonight. Tonight, all I want you to do is feel. Okay p>
She swallowed. “Okay p>
(Going to bed, decided to post in advance celebrating 100 power stones. Yay! On to the next: 200 power stones)