Cara's pov
In hindsight, I knew that this was a terrible idea but I couldn't think properly through the angry roaring in my head.
His fingers were digging into my waist, my hips. His tongue was thrusted down my throat. I was becoming uncomfortable and wondered at what point Luca and Cadain will walk in on us.
Blondie went on with his sloppy kisses, not at all noticing my withdrawal. I was getting sick of it so I placed my hands to his chest to push him away, mentally preparing myself for the excuse I'd give him– I was drunk and dizzy and needed to rest.
I gave him a soft but firm push, a gasp leaving my mouth as he flew to the opened door. I stared at where he was now sprawled on the floor, my lashes fluttering in shock as I tried to pull my intoxicated thoughts together. I mulled over my chances of possessing superhuman strength.
There were none.
Pulling my eyes from blondie, I glared at the tall form of my stepbrother. Luca stepped closer to me, angry waves radiating off him. For the first time since I met him, I felt genuine fear, the look in his eyes chilled me, the heaving of his chest tightened mine to breathlessness.
"You," the word had never sounded so dangerous, so full of doom and destruction. Ice splinters spread through every vein of my body, freezing my blood flow. Yet, a defiant flush of heat pooled deep in my stomach.
Luca drew out his gun and my eyes widened in alarm.
"This," he snarled, his breathing harsh and labored as he adjusted his fingers around the grip. "-is what your stupidity caused." He finished and pulled the trigger.
Two shots resounded in the tiny room.
A scream tore out of me as bone-shattering fear ran through me. And when I quieted, a pained cry still pierced the stuffy space. It took me some time to realize that it came from blondie. My gaze slowly shifted to him and I put my hand over my mouth to stop from screaming again.
Blood gushed out of both his shins. Pooling around him in a small puddle. My eyes snapped back to Luca and the fury that flashed in them died a quick death.
The man before me wasn't my stepbrother, wasn't the infuriating man I was insanely attracted to. The man before me was a murderous mafia boss. The don of the Costra Nostra. I had forgotten that.
Blondie groaned in pain, trying to stop himself from bleeding out on the marble floors. I started towards him to help, guilt heavier than a boulder pressing down on me.
This is what your stupidity caused, Luca's words replayed in my head and my heart squeezed. I had done this to him.
"Move another step and he dies," Luca warned, his tone wrapped in a cold promise of death
I halted immediately.
I met his gaze, attempting at firm and unafraid but I was failing. "He'd die if nobody helps him." I shrieked.
Luca gave me a twisted smile, "and whose fault would that be?"
I tried not to let him get to me. He might not shoot me so brutally or hit me but he can get into my head and mess it up more than it already was.
If I don't help blondie, he'd bleed out in minutes, time was ticking. I sighed like a woman with no fight left in her. "Luca please, he needs help. I promise I'll do whatever you want after but please let me help him."
Luca regarded me and I knew I had sealed my fate to the devil from the dangerous glint in his stormy eyes. He returned his gun to his holster and I started for blondie but was pulled back, his firm grip on my upper arm.
I ground my teeth and flashed him a frustrated look, wondering what the hell was his problem now.
He ignored me and called out in Italian and two men came running.
"Make sure he lives." He ordered and they carried blondie out, leaving with the same urgency as they had come with.
I glared back to Luca, suspicion filling my gaze. "I hope you're serious about letting him live."
He stared down at me with a dark look that unsettled me. "I'm sure you heard the order I gave them."
I did but I didn't trust him not to let him bleed to death or worse, save him in order to torture him to death. With the easy way he had shot him, I was certain he was capable of doing even worse things and not bat an eyelid.
I was overwhelmed, I had almost gotten a man killed, witnessed the gory scene with my own two eyes and I wanted to get out of this nauseating room and away from Luca who was the major cause of the overwhelming feeling.
I tried to break free from his hold but he pulled me roughly to him.
"We are not done here cara mia." He drawled.
My heart thumped faster in my ribcage. "Yes we are." I squeaked out and I didn't think his eyes could grow any darker but they did.
"The fuck we are. We still have to deal with you."
A gulp tumbled down my throat and I scrambled for what to say. "I was drunk, okay? I just discovered I was going to be sold like a piece of meat to the highest bidder so I wasn't in my right mind."
"The hell you weren't," Luca ground out. "If I didn't convince Cadain and his men to return to the party, he wouldn't have walked in on his future wife swapping saliva with his own cousin."
I froze. Blondie was Cadain's cousin?
Luca watched the effects of the information on my face. "Yes micetta, he would have long been a dead man if your husband-to-be was the one who found the both of you." He said husband-to-be like it pained him to, the words coming out more strained than the rest.
I shook my head to declutter my thoughts. With a deep breath I spoke. "Fine, I'm sorry. What I did was dumb and reckless and I apologize."
Luca tipped my chin with his other hand, holding in place as he said, "It was dumb and reckless but you're not sorry in the least. You feel guilty about nearly killing that fucker and you're pissed your plan was foiled but no bambina, you're not sorry."
I watched as twisted amusement danced in his eyes and my blood boiled in my veins. What was he now? A mind reader?
With every strength I possessed, I pushed out of his hold and backed away until I got to the doorway.
"Yes, I'm not sorry. And if I find another way to foil your plans to sell me off, one that doesn't involve killing innocent men then I'll do it in a heartbeat."
As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I shouldn't have said that. Scary Luca was back and so was my fear.
I didn't think, I ran out the door.
Luca dashed after me, catching up with me in seconds. I yelled when my feet were swept off the ground and my body thrown over his shoulder. I bucked and demanded he put me down but a hard slap on my ass sucked my demands out of me.
"Scream again and find out what I'll do." He warned, his voice chilling my bones and heating my skin at the same time.
I realized with dread that he was carrying me away from the direction of the party and further into the private area of the mansion. An area I recognized with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"Luca," I rasped but he wasn't stopping.
He got to the door of his room and pushed into the space, dumping me unceremoniously when he got to the bed. I sat up in alarm, my eyes bulging with fear and something else. Something that was responsible for the hard pumping of my heart and the tickling sensation between my legs.
Luca watched me with a predatory gleam in his beautiful eyes, I couldn't breathe.
My throat was dry so I swallowed. "Why did you bring me here?" I asked, croaking out the words.
He slowly got on the bed and I instinctively scuttled back but he only drew closer. "You made a promise to me."
"What?" I squeaked, my mind hazy with a tantalizing mix of fear and anticipation.
He reached out and grabbed the back of my head and pulled me to him. A sharp gasp escaped from my lips as my heart thudded in my ears. He was too close, too close I could taste his breath on my lips. His masculine scent wrapped around me, making me giddy and light.
"You promised to do whatever I want."
I blinked at him before the memory of what I had said to save blondie hit me. Indignation rose within me. "You know I was referring to the marriage plans."
A slow smirk tugged his lips. "That's a lie, micetta."
It was. I hadn't given up on escaping marriage with Cadain and I wasn't going to.
I studied Luca's gorgeous face, his sexy lashes, the tiny mole beneath his eye, his straight nose I so wanted to bite, his high cheekbones and chiseled jaw and my heart sang at how beautiful he was.
My gaze dropped to his lips and I involuntarily bit mine as the urge to kiss him overwhelmed me. I missed his mouth, his tongue dancing with mine. I had gone weeks without his taste and now he was only a breath away from me, I couldn't fight off the temptation.
It was stronger than I was.
My eyes rose back to his, meeting an answering fire in them. The need between my legs grew hotter.
My voice was barely audible when I spoke. "What do you want me to do?" I asked, the desire in my gaze bared for him to see.
His nostrils flared and a strained smile spread across his face. "Wrong question." He said, his thumb came up to my lips and he grazed the flesh. "What do I want to do to you? Is the right one"
I let out a soft breath at his words, the knot in my stomach twisting even tighter. I leaned into his thumb, my eyes locking on his. "What do you want to do to me?"
"You have no fucking idea," was his answer before he locked his lips with mine.
I moaned into his month as soon as our lips meshed together and kissed him with an ardor I didn't know I possessed. I had missed his mouth on mine so much that I could cry in relief.
Luca's hand fisted into my hair, holding me in place, and kissing me back like a starved man who finally had his hands on food, his tongue making up for the weeks we had gone without. It was messy and cruel, our tongues making slurping noises as we devoured each other.
We fell back on the bed and kissed like it was our last time on earth, kissed like it was our only chance at survival.