Luca (I Love the Way You Lie #1) (8 page)

He lifted his hand, gesturing to sit beside him. I did. “Hey.” His sexy dimpled smile brightened the dark corner. All I could think about was
that
kiss. His lips—warmer and softer than I could have imagined. His breath—always minty…despite his smoking. My mouth watered.

“Hey.” His hand found mine, linking our fingers. The roughness of his thumb rubbed the top of my hand. We sat quietly; content to be together.

Breaking the silence, I asked, “Why do you come here?” I looked around in wonder. “I mean, instead of your room?”

“Why? Do you want to go to my room?” His voice was smooth, deep, and full of promise.
Good god
, I shivered. He chuckled, pulling me onto his lap. His voice made my stomach do funny things. I wanted to wrap myself up and bury myself deep in him. He turned my chin to face him and then leaned slowly and sweetly toward me, kissing the corner of my mouth. Thoughts were
no
longer mine.

I closed my eyes and let
him
steer us in the direction
he
chose. I let my resolve fade away and opened for him. Any determination about a relationship with him was gone. Right or wrong be damned. I wanted him and now. All I could feel was his hands on my waist and the erection that pulsed…begging to be relieved. With ease, he turned me to straddle him. His scent was rich and dark. I began to explore his muscled thighs with my fingers and hands before sliding them between his legs and over his cock. The denim barrier did nothing to hide its thickness. I didn’t have any real-life experience, but I knew I wanted it. No—needed it.

With a deep sigh, he broke the kiss. His eyes hooded as our gazes connected, his breathing even. Mine, not so much. I was panting.
How embarrassing
, I thought, shaking my head silently.

He grabbed the back of my neck. “Babe, when I take you. It won’t be on the floor of a stairwell. Well, not the
first
time anyway.” He licked the side of my face. “I want to take my time exploring every inch inside and out of this tight little body.” He traced my bottom lip with his finger.
So, this is seduction,
I thought. “What I really want to do is take you downstairs to my room, remove every stitch of your clothes, and spend the next few days learning you,” he said, leaning in to suck my bottom lip.

Heat flooded my body. Speech left my lips. Warmth filled my heart for the first time.

“But, I refuse to do it in
this
place. As much as it’s going to kill me.”

I raised an eyebrow. “When?” I asked.
Fucking
harlot,
I thought
.

He placed my hand over his heart. “Soon,” he pledged. After looking at his watch, he frowned. “Sorry to kiss and run, but I’ve got a one-on-one,” he said, helping me to my feet. “You busy later?” he asked, fingering a piece of hair that fell free.

“Nope, totally free.” I grinned.

He grabbed my chin, leaning in for one last drugging kiss. “See you soon.”

I wanted to give him something to chew on. “Wait! Truth?” I asked.

His dimpled smile was mesmerizing.
Shit
,
focus
. “Of course,” he answered, throwing back the same words I used earlier.

I looked around, mimicking his actions from earlier, and then moved close to his ear. “I have a small tracking device implanted in my abdomen. It’s saved my life on two occasions.” I nodded seriously.

His tone broke somewhere between sarcastic and awe. “I love the way you lie.”

“Who said I was lying?” I laughed, opening the door and leaving him in all his glory.
Yeah, I could do this,
I thought. I felt lighter than I had in…what—forever. And it felt awesome.

~~~

Just Jane had a horrible cold. The tissue glued to her nose and incessant blowing had me about to hurl. Barely being able to contain my elated emotions, I decided to share. Well, let me rephrase that…I was going to talk. She was going to listen. “I have some things I’d like to talk about today,” I blurted out.

She threw her glasses on her organized desk and had a seat. “I’m all ears.” Her smile was cordial.

“This may come off as a bit of a rant, but that’s not my intention. I just need help organizing all this…stuff.”

She nodded to proceed.

“Have you ever met someone that surprised you?” I rose from my chair, needing to pace. “Like, you meet this person, and they’re not how you pictured them to be. Which makes you fall harder.” I turned, making sure she understood.

She was nodding, as she jotted down notes on her yellow pad. I continued to pace back and forth.

I searched my mind for my next words before uttering them. I needed to be careful. How much can I trust Just Jane?
Now, I was being paranoid
. Not a good look. I decided to continue throwing caution to the wind. “He’s the most complex, deep, witty, scary, and emotionally unforgettable journey I’ve been on.” I turned and she continued her frenzied writing.

She looked up, addressing me. “When you say he…who?”

I swallowed. Saying it aloud made it real. I wanted real as in reality real. Not my fictional real. I wanted to scream it from the rooftops. However, the look on her face darkened my spirit. I had to get it out. I didn’t care. “Damon DeLuca.” I clasped my hands, needing something to do.

“I see.” Her eyebrow rose.

“And?” Was that all she was going to say?

She put her pen down. “You asked me to listen. I’m listening, Allison. Keep talking. This is a good start,” she said, putting her glasses back on. Huh.

Nerves getting the better of me, I started biting the inside of my cheek. “I know it’s
so
soon,” I said aloud, but more to myself. “But, he makes me feel…” A tear escaped my blurred eyes and I sat down. “Feel…cherished…beautiful”
Sob
. “Sexy…flirty…and being around him, it makes me want him more. And I’m scared, because I feel crazy. I don’t like feeling crazy,” I admitted, rubbing the remaining tears from my eyes. “I want normal—romance. Is that so much to ask for?” I gnawed my lip, waiting for her epic advice.

She canted her head and asked, “Why, Allison?”

“I want someone to love me, protect me, and help me forget,” I cried, grabbing a tissue she offered me.

“Help you forget what?” she asked, folding her hands across her desk. She wanted me to say it. I didn’t think I could. “This is a circle of trust. Trust me to help you, Allison. Take a step toward
your
future,” she pleaded as she sat back in her chair.

There was a pregnant pause before I spoke. “I hate myself for being sexually assaulted. I’m ashamed and embarrassed that I actually liked it. I’m
sickened
that I wa
s
actually happy he paid attention to me. And, I feel guilty for my enjoyment.” I took a deep breath, feeling marginally better that the words were…out of me. I didn’t care if the sobs got in the way. I continued to talk.
No more hurt. No more pain. No more…

“Those awful words aren’t going to hurt you anymore.” Her smile reached her eyes.

I couldn’t move. Painful thoughts were racing across my mind. But I needed to hear myself say them.

Just Jane kindly handed me a cup of water and I smiled warmly, thankful for the gesture.

“You’re the first person I told,” I added.

“I know.”

“So, what now?” I asked, not knowing where we went from here.

“Now, we work on getting you feeling better. My job is to listen, guide, recommend, and advise. No judgment.”

“What about Luca? Honestly, I’m surprised you aren’t advising me against him.” Honestly, I was. I thought she’d drone on about how bad he was for me. Or what a bad idea it was. At least at this time.

“And if I did, would you listen?” she asked, knowing full well what my answer would be.

“No.” My answer was clipped. I wouldn’t listen. He felt too good to me. Too handsome. Too sexy. Too appealing. Too tempting. He made me irritable and lustful yet turned me on in ways I couldn’t explain. My skin tingled just thinking about him. And I liked it.

“And I want to go to college.” I shot out, jumping ahead and off topic.

“How about we talk tomorrow? My suggestion is to digest what happened today. Let’s pick this up at…” She looked at her calendar. “Ten am work for you?”

“Like I have somewhere else to be.”

She nodded, penciling me in.

I stood, wiping the residual tears off my face. “See you tomorrow,” I said, leaving the room.

“Oh, Allison. We all handle significant trauma differently. There’s no right or wrong. It’s all about the forward journey. Stop punishing yourself. Allow yourself to feel…feelings are positive.”

I nodded. Just Jane actually made sense…

Today I was struggling…barely hanging on. My morbid impulse to set something on fire was constant. She was the salve I needed. However, Sven was providing the emotional trigger that created such arousal. At the moment, desire was proving to be my kryptonite. And
her
name is Allison. An unforeseen gift. However, I prayed she wouldn’t send me spiraling into a fiery pit of heartache.

I needed to reach out to my old man. Our relationship was tumultuous—intense. His expectations…were to be at
his
side of a lifetime of crime, murder, and corruption. Most parents protected their children—shielded them. My old man wanted me in the fold. And there’s the rub. I didn’t want that life. However, in recent days, I’ve recognized the similarities between us. His version of family was very different than most. His business practices echoed words of “I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse.” A double entendre. The ambiguity of it was far from funny. But, it still made me laugh. Immorality was his middle name. I wasn’t so far off. He had a doctorate in organized crime. Our earlier conversations were about schooling me on how organized crime was like running a legit business. Just a different approach.

Giovanni (Gino) Luca was as formidable as the black plague. He was both rich in wealth and fear. With various law-enforcement agencies on the payroll, he never looked over his shoulder. He laughed in the face of education. Being the head of a family gave him any degree he needed. He managed to operate and dominate legitimate and illegitimate business earning him revenues in the hundreds of millions. PowerPoint, Excel, and spreadsheets had nothing on him. Waving his gun around his boardroom was customary. Basically, he was a fucking badass. A sociopath, narcissistic with an amble dose of charisma was Gino Deluca. And I was born in his image. Both physically and mentally. We just chose different outlets and vices.

With my phone in hand, I had two calls to make…Archer and my old man. I’d request a sit down. The first of many, I suspect in La Cosa Nostra.

A couple of hours and two phone calls later, Archer walked in without knocking, sleeves pushed up, collar popped. He never procrastinated. “Where and when is this happening?”

“A week from tomorrow, nine am. They’re in Miami—business. And make sure you’re on time for fuck sake,” I threw over my shoulder, not bothering to turn around. Perched at my window, I searched for the solace I needed. All-consuming darkness was beginning to bleed across the sky, much akin to my inner turmoil.

“I know. I know. Be respectful at all times to Gino and Paul. Be quiet unless spoken to or asked a question. I got it. I used to sleep over at your house.” His tone was dismissive.

He didn’t get it at all. However, he’d be given a one-time pass because of me. We were only meeting with my old man and Paul. Big Paul gave
him
council. Was
his
right hand—enforcer. A sit down normally is with heads of a crew.
Made
members only. We weren’t
made
. Archer would never be a
made
man. He didn’t have the true lineage. Your family must be able to be traced back a few generations to the old country. My family can be traced for several generations. That was the feather in my father’s cap.

With a grim face, I turned to explain it to him. “I get that you’ve wanted
in
for a long time. You want the allure, danger, respect, and notably Hollywood’s version of this. You know every quotable line in
The Godfather
.” I shook my head sadly. “This isn’t
that,
dude. This is zero to one hundred. Real fucking life. You don’t get to walk away. And your parents? They’ll disown you, moron.” It was true. His parents hated my family. Despised our relationship. He thrived on that…relished it.
I guess we’re all shades of fucking crazy,
I thought.