Chapter 10
10
LUCIANO POV
I devour her mouth with mine, my control shattered beyond repair. Her lips part with a soft moan, and I taste the heady mix of passion and need. Her tongue dances with mine, each movement a silent plea for more.
She arches against me, her curves molding perfectly into my body as we stand in the dimly lit living room. My hands slide down her sides, memorizing every curve through the thin material of her dress. The soft sound she makes when I reach her hips nearly unravels me.
“God, Luciano,” she breathes, hands fisting in my hair. “Please.”
My restraint hangs by a thread. “Wait.” The word tears from my throat as I tug her hand. “Not here.”
The short walk to the bedroom feels endless. Each step is punctuated by stolen kisses and wandering hands. My suit jacket falls somewhere in the hallway, her nimble fingers already working on my tie.
When we finally cross the threshold, moonlight spills through the reinforced windows, casting her in silver light. A bedside lamp casts a warm golden glow across the sheets, creating shadows that dance across her skin.
I ease her back onto the bed, my body following hers like a shadow. The moonlight catches in her eyes, turning them molten with desire. For a moment, I just look at her—hair spread across my pillow, chest rising and falling with quick breaths, lips parted in anticipation.
“You’re beautiful,” I breathe against her neck, tasting the racing pulse beneath her skin. Her back arches slightly as my lips trace a path to that sensitive spot behind her ear, drawing a soft gasp from her throat.
Her fingers thread through my hair, tugging me closer as she arches against me. The movement sends fire through my veins, and my mouth captures hers in a fierce kiss that tastes of longing and demand.
Her hands slide down my chest, tracing the muscles of my abdomen before moving to the buttons of my shirt. Her fingers tremble slightly, but she holds my gaze as she works each button free.
I meet her gaze, the unspoken question hanging between us. Her lips, swollen from our kisses, part on a soft sigh as I ease her dress down her shoulders, baring her to the moonlight. My hands shake slightly as I reach behind her to free the zipper.
“Wait.” The word ghosts across my lips, her breath mingling with mine. Her fingers trail down my chest, and I feel her heart racing against mine.
I force myself to be still, though every muscle in my body aches to claim her. When her eyes meet mine, they’re dark with desire, but there’s something deeper there—a vulnerability that makes my chest tight.
“Tell me,” I breathe against her skin, my lips brushing her throat. “Tell me what you want, Aurora.”
Her fingers dig into my shoulders as she arches beneath me.
“You,” she whispers, the word breaking on a soft moan. “Everything. All of you.”
A curse tears from my throat at her boldness. “Aurora?—”
She catches my face between her hands, and the heat in her gaze steals my breath. “Don’t think,” she murmurs, pulling me down until our lips nearly touch. “Just feel.”
My control frays at her boldness. I worship her skin with lips and tongue, moving lower, her scent wrapping around me like a promise. The soft sound she makes when I reach the curve of her breast nearly unravels me, but I savor her like this, committing every touch, every sigh to memory.
I kiss the swells of her breasts, my thumbs grazing her peaked nipples. She’s so responsive, every soft sound urging me on. My hands slide down her sides, over the curve of her hips, and she shudders.
“Luciano, please.” Her hips tilt up, her need clear, but I want to give her more, take her to the brink of madness before I give her release.
“Shh.” I move lower, my mouth brushing across the curve of her stomach. “Let me enjoy every inch.”
Her body jolts when I kiss her navel, her hands gripping the sheets. Her breathing grows faster, shallower, each inhale a soft moan. Her legs part slightly, and I catch the first intoxicating scent of her arousal.
“God, Aurora,” I breathe, unable to hold back my admiration. “Beautiful.”
I press a soft kiss to the sensitive skin above her mons, my fingers gently parting her folds.
“ Merda ,” I curse, reality crashing in. “No condom.” The words taste bitter, my body screaming in protest at the thought of stopping.
“I’m on the pill.” Her soft voice is edged with impatience, her hips arching toward me. “Please, Luciano. Now.”
But as I press forward, something stops me, an unexpected barrier that makes me pause. Her breath catches, her eyes flying wide.
“Wait.” I pull back, realization dawning. “You’re?—“
Her hands grip my shoulders, halting my retreat. “Yes. I’m a virgin.” She bites her lip, her gaze challenging and uncertain. “Does that change your mind?”
My chest tightens painfully. Aurora, defiant, rebellious Aurora, had never...
“No.” I reach for her, wrapping my arms around her and drawing her close. “It doesn’t change anything. I’m honored. I’m overwhelmed that you would choose me for this.”
She relaxes against me, her hands fisting in my hair. “Then stop thinking,” she whispers, pulling my head down for a demanding kiss.
When she finally releases me, I trail soft kisses down her neck, tasting the delicate skin as I settle between her thighs. I part her gently, easing into her inch by inch, feeling her soft gasps against my mouth.
“Aurora,” I murmur against her sensitive skin, “tell me if I hurt you.”
“You don’t.” Her eyes search mine, her voice barely above a whisper. “Keep going.”
I move slowly, feeling each infinitesimal clench of her body around me. “You’re so tight,” I breathe, marveling at the sensation, the heat, the pleasure that threatens to overwhelm me.
She nods, her eyes closed, a soft moan escaping her lips as she adjusts to my size. I press forward, her arousal easing my path, filling her completely.
Aurora’s head falls back against the pillows, a soft cry escaping her throat, and I freeze, waiting for any sign of discomfort. But instead, she arches against me, her nails biting into my shoulders.
“More,” she demands, her eyes flashing open to meet mine. “Don’t stop.”
I start to move, slowly at first, but her hands urge me on, grasping my back, her legs tangling with mine.
“Luciano.” Her whisper is insistent. “Faster.”
I respond with a guttural growl, my body taking over as I thrust into her with a primal need that surpasses everything—control, restraint, and guilt. Each thrust becomes more urgent, more frantic, fueled by months of denied attraction and the exquisite feeling of being inside her.
“Harder,” she gasps, her head tossing on the pillows. “Luciano, please.”
The plea breaks something in me, and I give her what she’s asking for. My thrusts become rougher, more demanding. My hands grasp her hips, guiding, holding her as I claim her body with fierce possession. Our ragged breathing and the wet, intimate sounds of our passion fill the room.
“Luciano,” she cries out, her back arching as her climax overtakes her. Her inner muscles pulse around me, her soft core squeezing me in tight waves of pleasure. I keep moving, drawing out her release, my name a broken mantra on her lips.
When her shudders finally subside, I slow, cradling her against my chest.
“Aurora,” I breathe, savoring the feel of her heart pounding beneath my hand.
“I’m okay.” Her head turns slightly, her lips finding my neck for a soft, tender kiss that steals my breath. “Better than okay.”
The silence that follows is comfortable, heavy with unspoken emotions and the weight of what just happened between us. The sheets still carry our combined warmth, and Aurora’s jasmine perfume mingles with the heady scent of sex and sweat. Somewhere in the distance, a clock ticks away borrowed time.
The door crashes open with such force the hinges shriek in protest. The sharp tang of gunmetal fills the air before I even see them—Dominic, Enzo, and Marco, their shadows stretching across the bedroom floor like accusers.
“Dio santo.” The words taste like ash in my mouth. In the split second before hell breaks loose, I throw myself over Aurora, yanking the sheet up to cover her. The fabric is still warm from our passion, now a futile shield against the cold reality crashing in.
Dominic’s eyes move from me to his sister, and I watch the transformation happen—shock bleeding into understanding, understanding hardening into rage. The sound of his gun clearing leather seems impossibly loud in the sudden silence.
“Dom, no—” Enzo starts, but the crack of the gunshot drowns him out.
White-hot pain explodes in my shoulder, the copper smell of blood filling my nostrils. Aurora’s scream pierces through everything, the sound carrying all the horror I feel. Warm crimson seeps between my fingers as I press my hand against the wound, each heartbeat pushing out more life, more betrayal.
“Luciano!” Aurora launches herself toward me, but Marco catches her, the sheet I’d used to shield her now tangling around her thrashing limbs. Her scream turns feral, primal.
“Dom, what have you done? Let me go!”
Through the growing haze, I meet Dominic’s eyes. His gun remains trained on me, unwavering, but I see the hurt beneath his fury. The brother I’ve known since childhood looks at me like a stranger.
“You were my brother,” he says, his voice carrying all the winter’s chill. “And this is how you repay my trust?”
The last thing I register is Aurora fighting against Marco’s grip, tears streaming down her face as she reaches for me. Her skin glows golden in the lamplight, beautiful even in despair.
“Perdonami, principessa,” I whisper, the taste of copper flooding my mouth as darkness claims me.