Chapter 17
17
AURORA POV
The bedroom door clicks shut behind me, and I let out a shaky breath. Our space feels safe—a sanctuary of soft lights and shared promises. But even here, I know there are shadows lurking just out of sight.
I move to the balcony, wrapping myself in a blanket against the night air. The stars above seem impossibly bright, mocking our earthbound troubles with their eternal dance.
“You shouldn’t be out here alone.”
I don’t turn at Luciano’s voice. “How bad is it?”
His arms wrap around me from behind, solid and warm. “Nothing we can’t handle.”
“Don’t.” I lean back against his chest. “Don’t protect me from the truth. Not anymore.”
He’s quiet for a long moment, his breath warm against my neck. “We received a message. Photos of you and Luca in the garden today.”
Ice slides down my spine. “Alessandro?”
“Maybe. Or someone working with him.” His arms tighten. “The past is never truly buried—that’s what the message said.”
“He’s dead.” But even as I say it, doubt creeps in. “We saw?—”
“We saw what he wanted us to see.” Luciano turns me to face him, his eyes intense in the starlight. “But I swear to you, Aurora. Whatever’s coming, whatever threat this is... I won’t let anyone hurt you or Luca. Not again.”
“I know.” I touch his face, feeling the tension in his jaw. “But you don’t have to carry this alone. Not anymore.”
His laugh is soft, almost broken. “When did you become so wise, Principessa ?”
“Probably around the time I took a bullet for love.” I try to smile, but his expression darkens.
“Don’t.” His hands frame my face. “Don’t joke about that. I can’t... the thought of losing you...”
I silence him with a kiss, pouring everything I can’t say into it. He responds instantly, months of fear and love and desperation crashing together. His hands slide into my hair as he deepens the kiss, backing me against the balcony rail.
“Inside,” he growls against my mouth. “Now.”
We stumble through the doors, need making us clumsy. Clothes fall like autumn leaves, each touch electric with promise and memory.
“ Ti amo ,” he whispers against my skin. “More than my next breath.”
“Show me.”
His smile turns predatory. “As you wish, Principessa .”
Moonlight spills through the windows, casting silver shadows across our sanctuary. The air feels charged, heavy with anticipation and the lingering scent of danger that never quite leaves us. Outside, guards patrol the grounds, their presence a reminder of the threats we face. But in here, with the soft glow of bedside lamps warming his skin and the whisper of silk sheets beneath us, we create our own world.
With a growl, Luciano claims my mouth, his tongue plunging deep as he devours me. I feel the heat radiating from his body, his skin burning with an inner fire that threatens to consume us both. My fingers trace the scar on his chest where the bullet Dom put in him left its mark.
These wounds we carry, visible and hidden, bind us together more surely than any vow. His eyes darken at my touch, understanding flowing between us without words. We’ve survived death, betrayal, and loss—each scar a testament to our strength, each touch a promise of healing. His hands are everywhere, caressing my skin, teasing my nipples, and tracing the curves of my hips.
“Let me see you,” he whispers, his voice rough with emotion. “All of you, Aurora. No more hiding.”
I know he means more than just my body. He wants the fear I still carry, the nightmares that wake me screaming his name, the moments when Alessandro’s ghost haunts my thoughts. I give him everything, letting my walls crumble beneath his gentle hands.
“Fuck, Aurora,” he mutters, his lips trailing down my neck, leaving a path of fire in their wake. “I’ve been waiting too long for this.”
He pulls back on his knees, his eyes locked on mine as he spreads my legs wide. I feel a shiver run down my spine as he leans in, his warm breath dancing across my clit. His tongue darts out, tracing my delicate folds of my pussy, and I gasp, my back arching off the bed.
“Luciano, oh God...” I moan, my hands tangling in his hair as he teases me, his tongue flicking back and forth, building a fire that threatens to consume me whole.
He’s a beast unleashed, his movements raw and primal as he eats me out like a man starving for his next meal. I feel his fingers probing my entrance, teasing me, tempting me, and I’m helpless to resist.
“ Ti amo, Principessa ,” he whispers, his voice husky with desire. “You’re so tight, so wet... I need to be inside you.”
With a swift motion, he rises to his feet, his cock jutting out from his body like a steel rod. I feel a surge of excitement as he positions himself between my legs, his eyes locked on mine.
“Are you ready for me, Aurora?” he asks, his voice low and urgent.
I nod, my heart racing with anticipation. He thrusts forward, his cock breaching my entrance, and I gasp, my body tensing around him.
“ Dio , you feel good,” he mutters, his eyes flashing with pleasure.
He withdraws, then thrusts forward again, his movements passionate and intense. I feel a surge of pleasure as he fills me, his cock pulsing inside me like a living thing.
Suddenly, he flips me onto my stomach, his hand coming down on my ass with a loud crack. I gasp, my body jolting with surprise, but Luciano just laughs, his cock growing harder with each passing moment.
“You like that, Principessa ?” he asks, his voice husky with desire. “You like it when I spank you?”
I nod, my face buried in the pillow, as he continues to spank me, each blow sending a surge of pleasure through my body. His cock is pulsing inside me, and I can feel myself building towards a climax.
But then, he withdraws, leaving me empty and aching. I turn to him, my eyes flashing with disappointment, but he just smiles, his eyes glinting with mischief.
“Not yet, Principessa ,” he says, his voice low and husky. “I want to eat you out again, to taste your sweet pussy and make you come.”
He drops to his knees, his tongue plunging deep into my pussy, and I gasp, my body tensing around him.
“Luciano, please...” I moan, my hands tangling in his hair. “Don’t stop... you’re the only one who can make it better.”
He looks up at me, his eyes flashing with anguish, and for a moment, I see the tender side of him, the side he only shows me.
“I’ll never stop, Principessa ,” he whispers, his voice husky with emotion. “I’ll never stop loving you, never stop wanting you.”
He positions himself between my legs, his eyes locked on mine.
“This time, we’ll come together,” he says, his voice low and husky.
We move together, our bodies locked in a primal dance, our movements raw and urgent.
I feel myself building towards a climax, my body tensing around him, and I know he’s close too. His cock is pulsing inside me, his movements growing more urgent with each passing moment.
And then, we’re there, our bodies locked in a moment of pure ecstasy. We come together, our cries mingling in the air as we ride the wave of climax.
For a moment, we’re frozen in time, our bodies locked together, our hearts beating as one. And then, we collapse, exhausted, our minds reeling with pleasure.
Luciano whispers, his voice husky with emotion, “I love you, Aurora.”
“I love you too, Luciano,” I reply, my voice barely above a whisper.
We lie there, our bodies entwined, our hearts beating as one, as the world around us fades away, leaving only the two of us, lost in a sea of pleasure and desire.
Later, wrapped in sheets and starlight, I trace the scar on his shoulder where Dominic’s bullet struck. “We’re quite a pair, aren’t we? Both marked by love and violence.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” He catches my hand, pressing a kiss to my palm. His voice grows softer, more vulnerable. “Sometimes I think this is a dream. That I’ll wake up and you’ll be gone, taken from me like?—“
“I’m here,” I interrupt, reaching for him. “I’m real. We survived, Luciano. We’re stronger together.”
He pulls me closer, his kiss gentle now, tinged with the fear we both carry but rarely voice. “You and Luca... you’re everything. My whole world.”
“Then I need you to let me know what’s going on. We need to be a team..” I prop myself up on an elbow, meeting his gaze. Promise me.”
“Aurora—”
“Promise me, Luciano.”
He studies me for a long moment, then sighs. “I promise. We’re on the same team.”
His phone chimes, shattering the moment. We both freeze, knowing before he even reaches for it. The screen illuminates his face, casting harsh shadows that remind me of hospital rooms and gunshots.
“Another photo?” I ask, though I already know the answer.
“They’re watching.” His jaw clenches. “Always watching.”
I curl closer, refusing to let fear win. “Let them watch. They’ve seen us survive impossible odds before.”
“This time is different.” He pulls me tighter against him. “This time, they’re targeting what matters most.”
“Luca?”
“Both of you.” His voice drops to a dangerous whisper. “They think they can use my love against me. They forget—love makes me more dangerous, not less.”
I press my lips to his chest, feeling his heart race beneath my touch. “Then we’ll be dangerous together.”
Because some bonds, once forged in fire and blood, become truly irrevocable. And ours? Ours is written in scars and starlight, in whispered promises and shared strength.
Let them come.
We’re ready.