Page 24 of The Hidden Heir

"Yes, of course."

"And tell your staff to keep away from the back alley until it's cleared."

She nods once with a worried look and leaves me alone with Luca in the pink fitting room. The color is oddly soothing for my eyes after what I just witnessed, but it does nothing to comfort the growing agitation in the pit of my stomach—especially since Luca refuses to let me go.

His fingers dig into my skin. And he looks at me in a rather confusing way. I'm not sure if he wants to kill me or fuck me.

"We need to talk, you and I," Luca says.

The calmness of his voice scares me the most.

He does, however, give me a few minutes to recover. My breath, my heart rate, they all return to normal as I sit down. Luca paces the room quietly, occasionally stealing glances at me. He's angry, and I don't blame him.

"It was worth a shot," I say after an excruciatingly long and uncomfortable silence.

"I couldn't give a fuck what shot this was worth," Luca replies. "You almost got two of my men killed, Valentina, and yourself kidnapped."

"How was I supposed to know those guys would be waiting for me out there?"

Luca stops pacing, then slowly turns around to face me.

The air seems to ripple all around his powerful frame. That's the energy of a man who will stop at nothing to keep me by his side, whether I like it or not. I've seen how deadly he can be now. I understand what he is capable of, even though I'm pretty sure what just happened in that alley merely scratched the surface.

My pulse quickens as he comes closer.

"Valentina, Mancuso will do everything in his power to get his hands on you," Luca says. "Legally, he is helpless. He'll be even more helpless from Sunday onward, once we're married. Which leaves him with a few bloody options. He's been following us from the moment he learned of your return. Me, Victor, my men."

"I gather that now," I mumble. "And I don't think this will ever be over, which is why you really would be better off if you'd just let me and Michael go. We can disappear. For real, this time. I can move out of Chicago, I can move out of state; it's not a problem."

"You still don't get it," he scoffs.

Before I can answer, Luca grabs me by the back of the neck, his fingers firm in their grip. His touch sends shivers trickling down my spine, and I feel my nipples hardening, struggling against my cotton bralette.

His smoldering gaze has me locked in. Paralyzed with fear and desire.

"I won't let you go, Valentina—ever."

He seals that statement with a furious kiss. His lips apply pressure, his tongue says everything his words cannot convey. It's possession in its most brutal form. Hungry, devious, determined. I fail to resist, my body already simmering, my resolve falling apart, bit by bit.

I moan softly against his lips, letting him in.

Luca runs his fingers through my hair with his other hand, then grabs and yanks my head back. I hiss, the subtle sting spreading through my scalp. It turns me all the way on, and maybe I should feel some shame about it, but I don't. I'm aroused beyond any sense of control.

"Admit it," he whispers. "You don't want to get away from me either."

"I want nothing to do with the Camorra," I manage.

It's all I'm able to say as he kisses me again. Harder. Hungrier. It shatters the last of my defenses as he closes in and forces me to lean back against the sofa's backrest. His hand moves downward and grabs my breast through the sweatshirt. I tremble in his hold, liquid heat pooling between my legs.

"I'll consider that an admission," Luca replies and pulls away.

He leaves me wanting more. That's his modus operandi. I see it clearly now. He teases and sets me on fire, then leaves me hanging, yearning, burning up, until I beg for release. Of all the monsters I've met, he is the most appealing and the most dangerous, it seems.

Because I am willing to forsake myself until he claims me.

"Don't do that again," Luca warns me. "Eddie knows what's at stake. He won't hesitate to resort to harsher measures in order to keep you safe."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, still reeling from his devastating kisses, as I cross my arms and legs in a desperate effort to regain my composure.