Luca holds my hand tightly as we deviate from the candlelit path that connects the wedding and reception venues. He seems angry, but I’m uncertain why. Is it because I was distracted for a bit? He brought me here to network and shield him, but instead of that, I’ve been sipping wine and dancing, when I know how he feels about unprofessionalism — no matter how momentarily.
I gasp when my heels sink into the grass, and Luca looks back over his shoulder, his gaze dark as he lets go of my hand. “Struggling?” he asks, his voice soft despite the anger flashing through his eyes.
Before I even have a chance to reply, he leans in, startling me. He wraps one arm behind my back and the other behind my knees as he lifts me into his arms with ease. “Luca,” I murmur, my tone betraying my surprise. “What are you doing?”
He tightens his grip on me until he’s got my head resting against his shoulder, my lips brushing over his neck. Up close, his cologne is even more intoxicating than usual.
Luca’s body feels strong against mine, and it does something to me. I felt the same way when we danced together too. He affects me in a way no one else ever has. He makes me feel protected, irritated, and flustered, all at once.
The music fades away with every step he takes, until it’s barely audible in the distance. “Luca,” I whisper. “Where are you taking me?”
He smiles at me as he steps into a wooden gazebo illuminated by the full moon above us. “I saw this on the way here, and I wondered what it’d look like at night.”
He puts me down gently and I take a step back, dazed. It’s beautiful, and it’s almost like I stepped right into a dream. The wooden gazebo is lit with fairy lights, the moon and stars twinkling above us. “What are we doing here?” I ask, my heart racing.
Luca smiles humorlessly and steps closer, making me retreat, until my back hits one of the gazebo’s pillars. He places his arms on either side of me, caging me in. The way he looks at me makes my heart race, and tonight, more than ever, I wish I could read the thoughts he keeps behind lock and key.
“Have you finally lost your mind?” I ask, my voice soft. “Did I drive you insane at last?”
He smiles at me, yet his gaze exudes loneliness. Luca reaches for me, the tips of his fingers brushing over my temple tenderly. I inhale sharply and lean back against the pillar, my eyes on his. He looks dangerous tonight, his usually unreadable mask cracked.
His hand wraps around the back of my neck for a moment, before he pushes it up and into my hair, until he’s holding me the way he did on the dance floor. I inhale sharply when he steps closer to me, his body brushing against mine.
“Yes. I think you have.” He tightens his grip on my hair and tilts my face up toward his as he leans in. “You drive me truly, utterly, entirely, mad,” he whispers, his forehead pressed against mine.
Just a little closer, and his lips would be on mine. I shouldn’t want a taste of him, but I do. Perhaps it’s the wine, or the moonlight. Maybe it’s a little bit of both. All I know is that I want the one thing I should never crave. Him.
“Luca,” I whisper, my tone pleading.
He groans and grips my hair tightly as his lips come crashing down on mine with the same urgency I’m feeling. I moan against his lips and open up for him, needing more. Every thought fades away as my arms wrap around his neck, his body flush against mine.
“Fuck,” he murmurs against my lips, before wrapping his hands around my waist. “You taste as sweet as I always knew you would.” He lifts me up against the gazebo, and my legs wrap around his hips as my dress falls open at the slit by my thigh. “Sweet as sin.”
His touch is restless as his hands roam over my body. The way he moves his hips as he kisses me drives me insane. He’s hard for me, and the way he pushes up against me is positively sinful. It’s too much and not enough all at once.
I pull on his bowtie, and he moves away a little to let me yank it off. “Valentina,” he groans, before taking my lips all over again. I let his bowtie fall to the floor and brush my fingers over the buttons on his shirt, sending a few of them flying in an attempt to get closer to him.
“More,” I plead, my lips never leaving his. I don’t remember the last time I allowed myself to be ruled by desire, but nothing has ever felt more right. Perhaps this has always been inevitable.
His shirt comes undone, and I let it fall open, my hands roaming over his chest and abs. I always knew he was muscular, but seeing isn’t the same as touching. He feels incredible against my fingers, and the way he groans as my fingertips brush over the ridges of his abs makes me smile.
“Valentina,” he warns, his teeth nipping at my bottom lip. I groan and tilt my head in a silent bid for more, and he grants it, kissing me deeply and slowly.
His hand makes its way between us, and I gasp against his mouth when his fingers brush over the silk thong I’m wearing tonight. “Wet,” he groans as he teases me, his fingers stroking me through the fabric. “Your pussy is so fucking wet, baby. You’re soaking my fingers straight through this.” He pushes my panties aside, and a needy moan escapes my lips when he pushes a finger into me.
“Luca,” I moan, breathless.
He grunts and kisses me harder. “Yes,” he growls. “Just like that, baby. I want my name on your lips, just like that. No one but me.”
I roll my hips against him, and he repositions his arms, holding me up with one arm while using the other to tease me.
He pulls away a little to look at me, and heat rushes to my cheeks. I have no doubt I look like a complete mess. My lips feel swollen, and my hair must be all over the place, yet he looks at me like I’m the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. “Fuck,” he whispers, his fingers moving quicker, his touch more merciless than before.
I look away, suddenly feeling shy and wanting to escape his intense gaze, but he won’t let me. “Look at me,” he orders, his fingers pausing.
I obey, and he smiles in satisfaction, his gaze heated.
“You want to come for me, don’t you, Valentina?”
I nod and bite down on my lip.
“Then look at me, baby.” His thumb swipes over my clit, and my lips part as soft moans fill the air between us. “Good girl,” he whispers. “Don’t take your eyes off me, Valentina. You’re mine, baby. Your moans, your pleasure, your body. It’s all mine. Only mine.”
He smiles as I struggle to hold on and shakes his head. “Come for me, baby. I’m right here to catch you. Just let it happen.”
I can’t remember the last time a man was able to bring me such pleasure. It requires too much trust, and I don’t have a lot of it left to give. “Please,” I whisper.
His touch becomes rougher, and my moans turn more wanton. He makes me unable to recognize myself as he pushes me over the edge. “Luca,” I moan as my muscles tighten around his fingers, pleasure rushing through my body in a way it never has before.
He smirks, and then he leans in to kiss me, his touch gentler now. He kisses me so sweetly and leisurely that my heart can’t help but skip a beat. My hands run over his chest and up, until I’ve got my arms wrapped around his neck, the tips of my fingers at his nape. I pull him closer, desperate for more, but he pulls away, the smile melting off his face.
“The next time you want this, you come to me,” he tells me, his expression hardening. “Stay away from Joshua. He’s not for you.”
I blink in confusion as he lowers me to the floor and cages me in, his forearms on either side of my head. I look into his eyes, my racing heart beating in a different rhythm than before. “What are you… what are you talking about, Luca?”
He smiles humorlessly and brushes my hair out of my face, his gaze cold. “If you want to become some rich guy’s mistress, then do it in your own time. Do not use my network for personal gain, especially not at an event like this. It’s fucking embarrassing to see you flirt with him so blatantly, when you’re here representing me. Do I really need to remind you of the contract you signed? If I ever catch you behaving this way again, I’ll fire you. Not even my grandmother will be able to save you.”
My heart sinks, and I look away to hide the sudden pain his words inflict. It’s rare for Luca to render me speechless, yet that’s exactly what he’s done. Everything that happened between us just now… what was that? Did he touch me just because of Joshua?
Luca glares at me and closes the distance between us, his eyes on mine. “Tell me, Valentina. Are you tired of working? You’re just like all the women around me, huh? The very same ones you were supposed to shield me from today.”
I look up at him, my pain slowly morphing into anger. “Are you seriously calling me a gold digger? Because I danced with someone? You truly have lost your mind, haven’t you?”
“You call that dancing?” he snaps. “His hands were all over your body, and you seemed to be enjoying every second of it. He’s one of our biggest competitors, and you know it. Do you really think he approached you for a simple dance? Or did you know that’s not all he wanted? How far were you going to take it? How much would you have given him? Had it been Joshua that led you out here, would you have kissed him the way you kissed me?”
I stare at him, my heart sinking. I truly am nothing but a possession to him, a toy he doesn’t want to share. He has no real interest in me, other than wanting to prevent me from falling into anyone else’s hands.
“Is that why you touched me the way you did?” I ask, my voice soft. “Because you thought I’d walk out of the reception venue with Joshua instead? Because you thought he’d be able to seduce me, and I’d leak corporate secrets?”
We’ve worked together for years, and I’ve had countless opportunities to betray him, most of them lucrative to a point I’d never have to work another day in my life. Throughout it all, I remained loyal and stayed by his side, because even if he didn’t seem to like me, he seemed to respect my work and treated me fairly. I thought we’d developed a mutual level of understanding of each other, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Luca looks away, and his silence speaks volumes. He still truly doesn’t trust me. I run a hand through my hair and take a calming breath before pasting a smile onto my face.
“It looks like you misunderstood, Luca. I’m not sure what I could do or say to make you believe otherwise, but quite frankly, I’m tired of having to prove myself to you. I genuinely thought you knew me better than this.”
I push against his chest, and he takes a step away from me, his expression unreadable. “But you don’t, do you? Eight years, and you still don’t know me at all.”
I turn and walk away, my eyes filling with tears that I refuse to spill. How could I have thought that Luca Windsor wanted me, for even a single second? I should’ve known better.
