Chapter 79 TIRING HER ALL NIGHT
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AUTHOR’S POV
The night was still, wrapped in the quiet hum of their steady breaths. The flickering candlelight cast soft shadows on the walls, painting their intertwined bodies in a golden glow.
The sheets were tangled, barely covering them, and the air carried the lingering warmth of their passion. Yet, in this moment, it wasn’t hunger or desperation that filled Luciano’s chest—it was something far deeper, something heavier.
Adeline laid curled up, her bare back facing him, the duvet draped loosely around her waist, leaving the smooth expanse of her spine exposed to his gaze.
She looked fragile like this, peaceful yet untouchably distant, her breath slow and steady, her body barely moving except for the slight rise and fall of her shoulders.
Luciano propped himself up on one elbow, his dark eyes drinking in every detail—the way her hair spilled over the pillow, a few strands brushing against her cheek, the curve of her shoulder, the delicate dip of her lower back.
His gaze lingered on the faint marks he had left on her skin, the proof that she had been his just hours ago, and something primal stirred inside him.
His fingers twitched with the need to touch her, to remind himself that she was real, that she was here with him.
Slowly, he reached out, his fingertips barely grazing her spine, tracing a slow, featherlight path from the base of her neck down to the small of her back.
The reaction was immediate.
Adeline shivered slightly, a soft sigh slipping past her lips as her body instinctively reacted to his touch.
She shifted, her muscles tensing for a brief moment before melting again into the mattress. Luciano smirked, watching the way her skin responded to him even in her sleep, the way her body knew him, trusted him.
His fingers continued their slow exploration, trailing along the curve of her waist, then back up, his touch gentle yet possessive.
His mind swirled with thoughts, memories of the way she had clung to him earlier, the way her body had responded to his every movement.
The way she had whispered his name with nothing but raw emotion laced in her voice.
He let out a slow breath, running a hand through his dark hair.
Damn her.
Damn the way she made him feel.
Luciano was used to control, to always being the one in charge, yet here he was, utterly consumed by her, by the mere sight of her lying beside him.
And he couldn’t stop himself—he needed her closer.
With a slow, deliberate motion, he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. She stirred, shifting slightly, but she didn’t resist. Instead, she let out a soft hum, her body naturally molding against his as if she had belonged there all along.
Luciano closed his eyes for a brief moment, breathing her in. She smelled like vanilla and something uniquely hers, something addictive.
His lips brushed against her shoulder, barely a whisper of a kiss, before he buried his face in the crook of her neck.
His hand splayed across her stomach, his fingers tracing absentminded patterns on her warm skin. She was so soft, so impossibly delicate beneath his touch, and yet, she was the only person who had ever made him feel completely undone.
But he wanted more.
Carefully, he coaxed her onto her back, his hands gentle yet firm, and even in her half-asleep state, she let him. She shifted lazily, her lashes fluttering slightly, her lips parting just a little as she settled against the pillows.
Luciano stilled, his breath hitching slightly as his gaze roamed over her.
She was breathtaking.
Her cheeks were flushed with sleep, her hair a tousled mess against the pillow. The sheets barely covered her, slipping dangerously low on her body, teasing him, testing his restraint.
His jaw clenched as he fought the urge to take her again, to wake her up in the most sinful way possible.
But instead, he did something he rarely ever did.
He simply watched her.
Watched the way her chest rose and fell, the way her fingers twitched slightly against the sheets, as if even in sleep, she was reaching for him.
A muscle in his jaw ticked.
Damn her.
Damn the way she had crawled under his skin, the way she had made a home inside his mind, his soul.
He ran a hand down her thigh, his palm smoothing over her soft skin before hooking her leg over his, tangling them together.
His fingers traced slow circles along the inside of her thigh, his touch lazy, teasing, possessive.
Adeline let out a soft, breathy sound, her body responding even in sleep.
Luciano smirked against her temple, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Even in your dreams, you need me.”
She sighed again, curling into him instinctively, her fingers brushing against his chest in her sleep.
Luciano exhaled slowly, his grip tightening around her as he pulled her impossibly closer. He wasn’t sure how long he lay there, just holding her, just touching her, just memorizing every inch of her body.
All he knew was that he didn’t want to let go.
Not now.
Not ever.
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The night wrapped around them like a cocoon, the dim glow of the candles flickering against the walls, casting golden shadows over their tangled bodies.
The air was thick, heavy with warmth and the lingering remnants of their shared passion. The silk sheets barely covered them, slipping lower with every subtle movement, the cool night air a stark contrast to the heat radiating between them.
Luciano laid beside Adeline, his arm draped over her waist, his fingers moving in lazy, absentminded strokes along her stomach.
His touch was featherlight, teasing, tracing small, aimless circles that sent ripples of sensation coursing through her half-asleep body.
He wasn’t in a hurry.
He was savoring her—every soft breath she took, every slight tremor in her muscles as she lay there, vulnerable, tangled up in him.
Then, it happened.
A small, breathy moan.
Barely a sound, but enough. Enough to make his dark eyes glint with mischief. Enough to make his fingers slow, lingering just a second longer against her skin before they resumed their slow, torturous strokes.
Adeline stirred slightly, shifting under his touch, her body subconsciously reacting to him before her mind could catch up.
Another quiet moan slipped from her parted lips, her breath hitching as her lashes fluttered slightly, still caught between the haze of sleep and wakefulness.
Luciano smirked, watching her, waiting. His hand traveled lower, grazing the dip of her waist, his fingertips pressing just enough to make her sigh softly.
He loved this.
The way she responded to him so naturally, even without meaning to.
The way her body always welcomed him, even in her sleep.
His fingers continued their slow, languid exploration, tracing the curve of her hip, then slipping up along the bare expanse of her stomach again, teasing the edges of her ribs.
Then, she moaned.
A little louder this time. A little needier.
Luciano chuckled, low and deep, the sound rumbling against her skin. He leaned in, pressing a slow, lingering kiss against the back of her neck, his lips barely ghosting over her skin.
“So sensitive,” he murmured, his voice thick with amusement and something darker, something possessive.
“Even in your sleep, you crave me, don’t you?”
Adeline stirred again, shifting slightly, her brows furrowing as she slowly began to wake.
Her breathing was uneven now, her body trembling ever so slightly as her mind finally started catching up to what was happening.
Luciano smirked against her skin, his lips trailing lower, grazing the soft curve of her shoulder. His fingers never stopped moving, gliding slowly, teasingly, until—
A sharp inhale.
Adeline’s eyes fluttered open, still heavy with sleep, dazed and unfocused.
She gasped softly, her breath coming in shallow, uneven puffs as she tried to understand what was happening, her body still tingling from the aftershocks of her dreams.
“L-Luciano…” she whispered, her voice breathy, thick with sleep.
His smirk deepened.
“Good morning, princess,” he murmured, even though the night was still far from over.
Adeline shivered, her body reacting to the warmth of his breath against her ear, the deep timbre of his voice sending a slow, burning heat through her veins.
Her fingers twitched against the sheets, gripping them instinctively as his hand traveled lower again, slow, deliberate, torturous.
“You… woke me up,” she managed, her voice barely a whisper.
Luciano hummed, tilting his head as if contemplating her words.
“Mmm. Did I?” His fingers trailed along her inner thigh, just barely grazing, making her shiver.
She whimpered softly, her body arching ever so slightly.
“You did…”
Luciano chuckled, his voice smooth, unrepentant.
“Then I suppose I should apologize.” His lips brushed against her shoulder, his breath warm against her skin.
Adeline’s breath hitched as his fingers flexed against her waist, pulling her even closer, her bare back flush against his chest.
“But…” Luciano continued, his voice dipping into something far more sinful, far more dangerous,
“I won’t.”
A shiver ran down her spine.
Her fingers tightened in the sheets as another moan slipped past her lips, completely involuntary, completely helpless against the way he was touching her, the way he was unraveling her.
Luciano’s lips curved against her skin, his satisfaction evident.
“You look so pretty like this,” he murmured, his voice dripping with amusement.
“All warm and flushed from sleep… trembling just from my touch.”
Adeline squeezed her eyes shut, her breath coming in soft, uneven pants.
“You’re evil,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
Luciano let out a dark, satisfied chuckle.
“Maybe,” he admitted, his lips trailing down to the crook of her neck, where he pressed a slow, deliberate kiss.
“But you love it.”
Adeline’s breath hitched again, her pulse fluttering beneath his lips. She didn’t answer. She couldn’t.
Her mind was too fogged, too lost in the sensation of him, the way his hands knew every inch of her body, the way he seemed to own every reaction she gave.
Luciano smirked against her skin.
“Now,” he whispered, his voice thick with promise,
“be a good girl and let me tire you out again.”
And this time, she didn’t fight him.