I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. I was not used to being alone in bed. Although in the last three days since the quarrel Luke and I had barely spoken to each other and had not had sex, during the night we always found ourselves in each other’s arms. Of course, the moment we woke up, we drifted apart. I missed Luca’s closeness. I missed talking to him, I missed his kisses, his touch, his warm tongue between my legs. I sighed as I got wet. I would not give up.
In any case, how much longer would Luca be able to go without sex?
What if he wasn’t? What if he fucked Grace again? Presumably he was in England, but who knew if that was the truth. Or maybe he had found a new woman to fuck. My eyes found the clock. It was almost two o’clock in the morning. A huge weight settled on my chest. Had Luca given up on our marriage so easily?
Why not? He had gotten what he wanted. He had claimed my body. I was not the only person who could give him what he wanted.
An explosion resounded from downstairs, followed by deep voices. Romero was one of them; the other was Luca. I slipped out of bed and quickly ran out of the bedroom in my nightgown. I froze on the stairs. The lights were off but the moon and the surrounding skyscrapers provided enough light for me to see what was happening. Luca had Romero in a vise. I went down another step and Luca’s eyes flashed toward me, furious and wild. The monster was back. His arms were covered in blood.
Romero stopped struggling when he realized Luca was too strong.
“I would never betray the Familia,” Romero said in a choked voice, then coughed. “I am loyal. I would die for you. If I were a traitor, Aria would not be here, safe and sound. She would be in the hands of the Bratva.”
Luca loosened his grip and Romero fell to his knees, breathless. I descended the last few steps, ignoring Romero who was shaking his head. What was going on? Luca had never been so upset.
“Out now,” he growled at Romero. When Romero did not move, Luca grabbed him by the lapels and dragged him into the elevator. Before the doors closed, Romero’s worried gaze landed on me.
Luca entered a code in the panel next to the elevator that disabled it and prevented people from entering our apartment, then turned to me. Not only his arms but also his shirt were covered with blood. I did not see any bullet holes in his shirt or pants.
“Are you okay?” I said, but even my whispering seemed too loud in the silence.
I approached Luke slowly as his eyes followed my movements like a tiger would watch antelope. A strange flash of excitement pervaded me. Despite what I had witnessed, I knew Luca would not hurt me. When I had almost reached him, Luca came up to me and popped his lips against mine. I gasped and he stuck his tongue in my mouth. His hands ripped my nightgown, tearing it from my body. When it fluttered to the floor, he ripped the thin lace panties off me. His hungry gaze ran through me, then he yanked me toward him and bit my throat, then my nipple. I gasped in pain and excitement. I should have run as Luca had told me long ago, but this side of him actually aroused me, and my arousal spoke louder than my fear, even as Luca pushed me toward the couch and bent me over the backrest. His hand held my neck while his other hand slid between my folds. He slipped two fingers inside me and found me wet and sore. I released a harsh breath as my walls clenched tightly around his fingers. He pulled them out. I felt him open his belt and undo his pants, and I shivered with fear and excitement. Luca bit my butt, then my lower back and shoulder blade before thrusting his full length into me without warning.
I cried out, but Luca didn’t hesitate, pressed his chest against my back as he held me captive with an arm around my chest, and then began to pound me hard and fast. I bit my lip. It hurt but it also felt good. Each time he thrust inside me, he hit a deep spot inside me that sent sparks of pleasure through me. Luca lowered himself, his breath hot against my neck, and rubbed his fingers over my clit. I cried and gasped and whimpered. I could feel the tension rising. The sound of Luca’s pants and growls aroused me even more. His fingers twisted my nipple almost painfully and he bit the hollow of my neck, and stars exploded before my sight as I exploded. I screamed Luke’s name over and over as I trembled in the wake of my orgasm, but he did not slow down. He thrust into me hard and fast, his fingers on my clit relentless as his breathing became labored, and then I came again, shattered into a thousand tiny pieces of pleasure. My legs crumbled but Luca pinned me against the backrest with his body. With a growl, he grabbed my hips and fucked me even harder. Tomorrow I would be hurt and sore, but I couldn’t bring myself to worry. When he trembled against me and bit the other side of my throat, I remained inert on the couch. Too sated and exhausted to do anything when he entered me.
I thought it was over, but Luca lifted me off the backrest and lowered me to the floor. He spread my legs as wide as he could. I was hypersensitive and could come no more, but Luca’s eyes stared at me with their intensity. He grabbed my wrists and pushed my arms over my head, then rubbed two fingers along my folds, back and forth, before circling my opening and running them inch by inch. My eyes rolled back as he touched me tortuously slow. My walls tightened around his fingers and I heard sounds coming from the back of my throat that I did not recognize. He didn’t touch my clit, just finger-fucked me with an intense look on his face.
“Is that a fucking lie?” he asked roughly as he tightened his fingers inside me and made me gasp with pleasure. “Tell me Aria. Tell me you like it as much as I do.” The desperation in his voice surprised me.
He curled his fingers again and I whimpered. “Yes, Luca. I like this.
He flicked my clit with his thumb and I arched off the floor, but he pulled his thumb away despite my meowing protest and continued to touch me. “So you lied? Why?”
He was driving me crazy with need. I wanted him to touch my clit, I wanted him to touch me faster, I wanted him to fuck me. “Yes, I lied!” I wiggled in his grip, wanting to free my hands to reach for his cock. He was already getting hard and I wanted to convince him to stop my torture, but he was too strong and relentless.
“Why?” he growled. He paused with his fingers and I wanted to scream in frustration.
“I lied because I hate that I love you, because I hate that you can hurt me without even touching me with a finger, because I hate myself because I love you even though you will never love me.” Luca released my wrists, his gaze dark and questioning.
I did not want to speak. I reached for his erection and squeezed it hard. “Now fuck off.”
He grabbed my legs and pulled me toward him, my feet pressed against his shoulders, and then he slid into me with a hard thrust and I spun around him, my muscles tightening around his cock so hard he grunted. He fucked me even harder and I scratched my fingers on the wooden floor as I closed my eyes tightly. I was pulling away from the pleasure and excitement. My back rubbed against the hard floor, I was sore and my legs were stiff, but I came again when Luke did his release, and then I passed out.
*** My whole body ached. I groaned when I moved and realized that I was lying in our bed. Luca must have taken me upstairs last night. My eyes widened and I found Luca watching me with a strange look on his face.
“What did I do?” he asked in a harsh whisper.
I frowned, then lowered my gaze to myself. The blankets were pulled back, revealing the full length of my body and evidence of the previous night’s actions. There were finger-like bruises on my hips and wrists. My throat and shoulders were sore where Luke had marked me, and my inner thighs were red from friction. I looked like a mess. I sat up and winced from the sharp pain between my legs. Yet I could not find it in me to regret anything. I didn’t always want things to be this hard, but from time to time it was a nice change of pace.
“Aria, please tell me. Did I…?”
I scanned his eyes, trying to figure out what he was talking about. Self-hatred flashed across his face and then I realized what he was thinking. “You don’t remember?”
“I remember fragments. I remember holding you down.” His voice interrupted. He was not touching me. In fact, he perched on the edge of the bed as far away from me as possible. He looked exhausted and broken. “You didn’t hurt me.”
His eyes darted to the bruises. “Don’t lie to me.”
I knelt down and moved closer to him even as he stiffened. “You were a little rougher than usual but I wanted it. I liked it.”
Luca didn’t say anything but I could tell he didn’t believe me.
“No, really, Luca.” I kissed him on the cheek and lowered my voice. “I came at least four times. I don’t remember exactly everything. I passed out from sensory overload. Relief washed some of the darkness in Luca’s eyes, but I was surprised that he didn’t tease me about my comment.
“I don’t understand what has gotten into you. You even attacked Romero.
“My father is dead.”
I gasped. “What? How?”
“Last night. He was having dinner in a small restaurant in Brooklyn when a sniper put a bullet in his head.
“What about your stepmother?”
“She wasn’t there. She was with her lover. She was shot too, probably because Bratva thought she was his wife. Someone must have told them where to find him. Only very few people knew he had gone there. He was in disguise. No one could have recognized him. There must be a traitor among us.