Chapter 284 28

Chapter 284 28
Reyna POV

I barely shut the door behind me before I hear his voice.

"You weren't going to tell me?"

I freeze. Luca's already in my room, leaning against the wall like he owns it, arms crossed, eyes sharp. He looks furious in that quiet way that's worse than yelling.

My throat tightens. "Tell you what?"

His jaw ticks. "Don't play dumb with me, Reyna. I know."

I swallow hard, my stomach flipping. "Know what?"

"About the marriage," he spits, stepping forward. "Alessandro Romano. That's who your parents picked, isn't it?"

My pulse trips over itself. "How do you-"

"I have ears everywhere," he cuts me off, voice harsh. "But I wanted to hear it from you."

I shake my head, heat rising in my chest. "It's not like I asked for this, Luca. I didn't agree with it, they're the ones pushing it."

"That doesn't matter," he snaps, his hand slicing through the air. "Romano is not just some rich businessman, Reyna. He's worse than Francesca. If you think for a second I'm letting them hand you over to him-"

"Letting them?" My voice cracks sharp against his. "You don't get to decide who I marry. You don't get to decide my life."

His eyes flare and he takes another step until he's right in front of me, close enough I can feel the heat of him. "The hell I don't. Not when it comes to Romano. Not when it comes to you."

I open my mouth to fire back, but the way he says it stops me cold. Not just anger, something else is there, raw and unguarded.

"Why do you care so much?" I whisper.

He exhales hard, dragging his hands through his hair, then grabs my face before I can step back. His grip is rough but his touch is steady, his eyes burning into mine. "Because I can't stand the thought of you with him. Because I-" He cuts himself off, jaw clenched, then finally says it. "Because I'm in love with you, Reyna."

The words slam into me, leaving me breathless.

The room tilts. My breath catches because I don't know if I heard him right, but the look in his eyes tells me I did.

"You... you don't mean that," I manage, my voice barely there.

His thumb brushes my jaw, steady even though his voice shakes with frustration. "I mean every damn word. I should've said it sooner, but I thought if I kept it buried maybe it would go away. It didn't. It only got worse, Reyna. Every second you're near me, every time you look at me like you hate me and still don't walk awa....I can't-" He cuts himself off, his chest rising hard against mine.

My pulse is all over the place. My hands are pressed against his chest, meaning to push him back, but I don't. "You don't get to say this now, Luca, not after everything. Not after Francesca."

His face twists, but he doesn't let go. "I told you, I didn't know about the kidnappings. I swear on my life, I'd never have let anything happen to Ana or Bianca. You think I could stand here and look you in the eye if I had?"

I want to argue, but the words choke in my throat. His breath is hot against my cheek, his hands still holding me like he's terrified I'll vanish.

"Say something," he growls, softer this time, almost begging.

I shake my head, but my body betrays me. When his mouth lowers, when the heat of his lips brushes mine, I don't move away. I let it happen.

The kiss is hard, desperate, like every fight we've had broke down into this moment. My fingers curl into his shirt, dragging him closer. He makes a sound in his throat, low and rough, and his hands slide down my sides, pulling me tight against him.

I can't think, I can't breathe. All I know is the way he tastes, the way my body reacts like it's been waiting for this all along.

His mouth moves down my jaw, to my neck, and I tilt my head back without meaning to. My skin burns where he touches, where his lips linger, and my knees weaken under me.

We stumble back toward the bed, his body pressing me down into the mattress, his weight is heavy and solid over me. My heart is racing, my hands are everywhere, crawling across his shoulders, down his back, his hair, pulling him closer because I can't get enough.

His hand slips under my shirt and I gasp, arching against him. For one wild second I want it, I want him, more than I've wanted anything.

Then reality slams into me. Francesca. Alessandro. Dante. All of it.

"Wait," I gasp, shoving at his chest. My lips are swollen, my voice shaky. "Luca, I can't-"

He freezes, breath ragged, his forehead pressed to mine. "Don't do this," he mutters, his voice low, desperate.

"I can't," I whisper, forcing myself to push him off. "Not like this. Not now."

The air between us crackles, heavy and unfinished. He pulls back slowly, his jaw clenched tight, his chest heaving as he drags a hand down his face.

Before either of us can speak, my phone buzzes against the nightstand. The sharp sound cuts through the silence.

I reach for it with trembling hands. The screen lights up, and my blood runs cold.

It's not a private message. It's a headline.

"Heiress Reyna Castellano Engaged to her best friend husband Billionaire rival Alessandro Romano in Vegas."

There's a picture of me, leaving a restaurant with Ana yesterday, cropped to make it look like I'm with him.

My stomach twists so hard I can't breathe. Luca leans over my shoulder, his voice dark and dangerous.

"He just declared war."