Chapter 25 "Scared of Love "
The balcony air was cool, the sea whispering secrets below, but Luca’s body was fire against Elena’s back.
His arms caged her gently against the rail, lips brushing the shell of her ear.
“Ready for the punishment, baby?” he murmured, voice low and velvet-rough, sending shivers down her spine.
His fingers found her nipple through the thin cotton of his t-shirt she wore, pinching the already tender peak soft at first, then sharper.
“Ahhh-Luca…” Elena gasped, arching instinctively, pleasure and pain mingling. “Don’t… it’s already sore.”
“Sorry,” he whispered instantly, remorse softening his tone.
He pressed a tender kiss to her shoulder blade, lips lingering, breath warm against her skin.
“I’ve got you.”
In one effortless motion, he scooped her into his arms, cradling her like something infinitely precious.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, arms around his neck, forehead pressed to his as he carried her back to bed.
The mattress dipped under their weight as he laid her down, hovering above her, eyes dark with love and lingering fear.
“Don’t ever leave me alone in bed,” he said, voice raw, vulnerable in a way only she ever heard.
“I wake up reaching for you… and if you’re not there…”
He didn’t finish.
He didn’t need to.
Elena cupped his face, thumbs stroking his scar.
“I’m here,” she whispered. “Always.”
He kissed her then slow, deep, tasting salt from her earlier tears and the sweetness that was only hers.
His hands slid under the hem of the t-shirt, pushing it up inch by inch, lips following the path collarbone, the curve of her breast, the soft underside.
He peeled the shirt over her head, tossing it aside, leaving her bare beneath him in the moonlight.
Luca stood just long enough to drop the towel from his hips.
He was already hard, thick and ready, but his eyes never left hers love, need, adoration.
He lowered himself over her again, skin to skin, heart to heart.
One hand cradled her head, the other guided himself to her entrance.
She was wet, warm, ready always ready for him.
With one slow, deliberate thrust, he sank into her deep, complete, until they both moaned.
“Ahhh… Luca…” Elena breathed, back arching, legs wrapping his waist to pull him closer.
He stilled, buried to the hilt, forehead pressed to hers.
“Feel me,” he whispered, voice trembling with emotion. “Feel how much I love you. How much I need you.”
She nodded, tears of overwhelming love pricking her eyes.
“I feel it,” she whispered. “Every day. Every night.”
Then he moved.
Slow.
Deep.
Soul-baring.
Every thrust a promise.
Every roll of his hips a vow.
He made love to her like she was the only light in his dark world gentle when she needed gentle, deeper when she gasped his name, hands never stopping their worship: stroking her hair, her breasts, her thighs, holding her like she might vanish if he let go.
Elena met him stroke for stroke, hands roaming his back, nails tracing the ridges of muscle and scar, pulling him closer, deeper, home.
She kissed him through every thrust lips, jaw, the scar on his eyebrow, tasting salt and love and them.
“I love you,” she whispered against his mouth, voice breaking with the weight of it.
“So much it scares me.”
Luca’s rhythm faltered for a heartbeat.
He buried his face in her neck, thrusting deeper, holding her tighter.
“I’m scared too,” he confessed, voice raw. “Every day without you would be hell. But loving you? That’s the only heaven I know.”
They came together quiet, shattering, a wave that crashed slow and endless.
Elena’s back arched, a soft cry spilling from her lips as she clenched around him.
Luca followed with her name on his tongue, spilling inside her, arms crushing her close as if he could fuse their souls.
After, he didn’t pull out.
Just rolled them to their sides, still joined, legs tangled, her head on his chest.
His hand stroked her hair, her back, slow, endless circles.
“Tomorrow you fly, butterfly,” he whispered into the dark.
“But tonight… stay inside me a little longer.”
Elena smiled against his skin, pressing a kiss over his heart.
“Always.”
And wrapped in each other,with the sea singing below and the stars watching above,they drifted into the kind of sleep that only comes when two souls have found their perfect match.
The sun had already climbed high enough to pour golden rivers through the half-open curtains when Elena’s eyes fluttered open.
The room was warm with morning light, the sea breeze carrying the faint scent of salt and lemon blossoms.
She felt the steady rise and fall of Luca’s chest beneath her cheek, his heartbeat a calm drum against her ear.
Then she saw him.
Luca sat propped against the headboard, one arm around her, the other holding a forgotten cup of coffee that had gone cold.
He was watching her had been for a while, eyes soft, adoring, the scar on his face catching the light like a silver thread.
There was no darkness in his gaze this morning.
Only love.
Only wonder.
“Good morning, wifey,” he murmured, voice low and warm, lips curving into that half-smile that always made her stomach flip.
Elena blinked, still half-lost in sleep.
“Good morning, husband,” she whispered back, stretching like a cat.
Then she glanced at the clock on the nightstand.
7:30 a.m.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
“What what the fuck, 7:30?!”
She bolted upright, blanket falling away, panic flooding her voice.
“I’m not even ready! I haven’t packed! The bus leaves at nine why didn’t you wake me up?!”
She scrambled off the bed, bare feet slapping marble, heading for the bathroom in a frantic dash.
Luca was behind her in an instant, long strides eating the distance.
“Calm down, butterfly,” he said, voice steady, soothing, catching her just inside the bathroom door.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her back against his chest, chin resting on her head.
She struggled for half a second, then melted into him.
“But ” she started, voice trembling with leftover panic.
Luca pressed a finger to her lips, gentle but firm.
“Shh.”
He kissed her forehead, slow, lingering.
“I’ve done your packing. Everything you need clothes, shoes, sunscreen, that ridiculous butterfly hat you loved. It’s all in the bag by the door.”
His voice was soft, full of quiet pride.
“Just take a shower and get ready, okay? I’ll bring breakfast.”
Elena turned in his arms, eyes wide, tears of relief pricking.
“Thank you,” she mumbled, voice small, hugging him tight, face buried in his chest.
He held her like that for a long moment, arms strong and safe, breathing her in.
Then he kissed the top of her head.
“Go. Be my brave girl.”
She nodded, stepping into the shower with a shaky smile.
Luca watched her for a second, heart aching with love and fear, then went to bring her breakfast
because today, his butterfly was finally going to fly.
And he would be waiting, always, to catch her when she came home.
Elena emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later, a whirlwind of fresh energy.
Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, face glowing from the quick shower, wearing light hiking pants, a soft white crop top, and the cute new sneakers she’d ordered.
A small backpack hung on one shoulder packed by Lucas, down to the last detail sunscreen, water bottle, her favorite snacks, even a tiny first-aid kit “just in case.”
Luca waited by the bedroom door, arms crossed, trying to look calm.
He wasn’t.
His eyes betrayed him storm-gray, restless, scanning her like she might vanish if he blinked.
He was terrified to let her go, every instinct screaming to lock the gates and keep her in his fortress forever.
But her excitement?
The way her eyes sparkled when she talked about the trip?
He couldn’t steal that light.
Not from her.
Not after everything she’d survived.
He drove her himself no driver today.
The black Maybach cut through the winding coastal roads, sea glittering on one side, cliffs on the other.
His hand never left her thigh, thumb tracing slow circles, grounding himself as much as her.
At the college gates, students milled with backpacks and laughter.
Luca parked, killed the engine, and turned to her.
“Be safe, ha?” His voice was low, serious.
“Viktor will be with you shadowing, not hovering. Don’t disobey him in your stubbornness, okay? I’m sending him only because I trust him with my life… and with yours. Be my good butterfly.”
Elena’s heart squeezed.
She leaned across the console, arms wrapping around his neck..
“Hmmm… I love you,” she whispered, eyes shining.
Their lips met passionate, deep, a kiss that tasted of fear and forever.
He poured everything into it love, worry, pride, promise.
When they broke apart, foreheads pressed together, breathing ragged.
He kissed her forehead one last time, lingering.
“Go fly, farfalla.”
She smiled radiant, brave and stepped out.
Luca watched until she disappeared into the crowd, Viktor’s tall figure already materializing a discreet distance behind her.
He didn’t drive away for a long time.
To be continued
Spoiler
“Boss… Mam fell. From the cliff trail. High drop. We’re searching… but she’s… she’s missing.”