Chapter Thirty-One-Maria
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE-MARIA
I t’s been a couple of weeks since I moved into Luc’s home, and it’s been, it’s been magic .
Every day Luc shows me another facet of himself, and when I put it with all the rest of the things I know about him, I can’t imagine how this brilliant, beautiful, amazing man isn’t taken already.
Well, he is taken now.
This one is mine, ladies.
Sorry, not sorry.
I haven’t been back to work at the Den, and at first, I didn’t really notice. I mean, when a girl is being wined and dined by one of the most powerful men in the city, it’s pretty hard to pay attention to anything else.
And I don’t get it.
He has me already.
Body, heart, and soul.
Every day, I tell him I love him.
He doesn’t say it back. And that’s okay.
Love shouldn’t be greedy.
That’s what I tell my desperate heart every time I start to doubt whether he ever will.
Every night, I show him how I feel with my body. I submit to his will. I give him everything. And I let him teach me how to love him.
I think I satisfy him. I mean, I hope I do.
The way he can’t seem to stop touching me and kissing me. The sounds he makes when he sinks into my wet heat.
All this tells me he cares. That he’s in this thing, too.
It hits me right then.
For the first time in my life, I’m happy.
Genuinely happy.
And it is all because of him.
I pinch myself as I ride in the elevator with Giselle.
Yeah, sometimes I do feel like it’s all a dream. But then I open my eyes and I see his handsome face, his metal piercings sparkling in the sun, that steel gaze zeroed in on me, and I feel alive.
I must be awake. Because even with all the books I’ve been reading, courtesy of our magnificent home library, I just don’t think I could dream up a man like him.
Everything he feels is written all over his face. Knowing that warms me.
Luc might be careful with his words, but that look he gives me, you know the one.
The one that makes jet fighters zoom around inside my stomach.
The one that makes my heart beat double time.
And my pussy clench with need.
Yeah, that look.
Well, that look says he is really into me. And that’s good enough.
He’s perfect.
He’s mine.
Luc is everything I have ever wanted and so much more.
I don’t need the words. I just need him.
“Hey, how is your mother? Have you seen her lately?” Giselle asks.
“Oh, Mami’s hospital bed was just delivered. She just got out a couple of days ago. Her neighbor is staying with her for a few days until her strength returns. Honestly, I think there is something going on there. Oh, and Luc hired a cleaning service, too. But I visited her every day at the hospital with him.”
Sisi looks surprised, but I’m not. No matter what he is doing or how busy he is, I know he’s always there for me.
Except for now, of course. I can’t say I love him being away from home. But he texts me every couple of hours to check in. And that settles my anxious nerves.
Mami is at her best around noon. I hate to bother her when she is resting, so that is the time we usually go to visit.
The doctor’s prognosis is highly favorable. They are talking full recovery, and I am just beside myself with joy.
Joe is usually there, and I am starting to wonder if there is maybe something more to their friendship.
I mean, I hope there is.
He is such a good man, and Mami deserves to be happy.
Anna is on bedrest, and I’ve been visiting her with Giselle a lot. She’s so brave and I admire the relationship she has with Nico.
How a sweet woman like her wound up with a scary dude like him, I will never know. But I guess Nico has his good points.
He’s been a good boss, and now that I am living with Luc, he attempts to be more approachable. I think he’s even smiled at me once or twice.
It’s kind of scary. But for Anna’s sake, I keep that to myself.
And I get it. I did kind of look desperate for a while there, but I was desperate.
I’m so glad Luc has forgiven me for that.
I miss him.
He understands why I set my cap at the king of the Vipers. I’m embarrassed by it, but it is what it is.
I can own my mistakes.
Still, I hope Luc knows there was never anything there.
No feelings.
No attraction.
I just wanted to see my mother, to be able to come home without hiding or being afraid.
As it turns out, I don’t need the king for that.
I need the council. I need Luc. He’s the one man task force dedicated to increasing the power, money, and holdings of the Vipers and Viper Enterprises.
But really, I don’t care about what he does. He could be a pauper and I would still love him.
I just need Luc. And I’ll take him in any way, shape, or form.
Giselle sighs, and I turn my head to look at her.
I know she has this thing with Angel.
I mean, I don’t know what it is exactly, but it is something. And I wonder if she is okay.
“You finally working tonight?” she asks as the elevator doors open.
I shake my head. I haven’t discussed this with the girls yet. I’m not really sure if it’s their business, to be honest.
“Nah. Actually, I am going to have a lot more free time now that the guys are away.”
“Oh, why’s that?” she asks as the armed guard looks at our IDs, as if he doesn’t know who we are, and lets us in.
“Well, apparently, I am not allowed to work anymore. Especially not while Luc is out of town,” I tell her.
“What? Maria, that is ridiculous!”
She is outraged. But all I want to do is smile.
“Really, it’s not like that. He’s just being protective and supportive. Truth is, I want to go back to school,” I tell her, then motion for her to zip our lips.
We already agreed Anna didn’t need any stress during her last month of pregnancy.
So, no talking about my problems.
And yeah, I do have problems, despite being deliriously happy, living with the man of my dreams.
Mami was released from the hospital the day before he left for Boston with Nico and Angel.
Luc was in an emergency meeting with Nico when she called me with the news, and I needed to go.
I didn’t want to interrupt. But I can’t go without telling him.
I think about that day for the last few seconds of the elevator ride.
A few days ago
Mami just called, and I am so happy. She is getting out!
I text Luc.
Me
I am so sorry to interrupt, Luc, Mami is being released. I’m going to grab a ride share and pick her up.
Luc
No. I’m assigning half a dozen armed bodyguards to accompany you. They will take you to pick your mother up.
Me
6? Don’t you think that’s overkill?
I wait, but he doesn’t reply. And a second later, a driver knocks on the door and there are two SUVs with armed guards.
Turned out, it wasn’t overkill.
Mami thought it was hilarious, having all those big muscle men escorting us around.
But when we get her home, there is an unexpected visitor on the porch, and I’m glad those guys are with us.
And that they have guns.
I recognize the miserable jerk immediately. Even though the years have not been kind, it is pretty hard to mistake him for anyone else.
Matteo Sanchez is standing on my mother’s porch there in all his greasy-haired glory.
I remain in the car. Yes, I’m supposed to follow her inside, but the second I see him I freeze.
“Stay here, mija ,” Mami says.
The driver gets out to escort her and Mami just plays it off like nothing is amiss.
Right on cue, Joe, the neighbor who’s been helping her, walks over from where he is weeding his yard.
I can’t hear anything they say, but Joe is clever.
He has his phone in his hand.
I think he is recording. But no.
Smart guy.
Joe calls Luc, and he leaves the line open for him to hear everything that goes on between Matteo and my mother.
I don’t know that yet.
Not until I arrive at the Den. I’m supposed to meet Luc inside.
But when we pull into the back, I see him outside, waiting for me.
He looks mad as hell.
I shouldn’t get turned on by that. But seeing Luc in a temper is a sight to behold.
His piercings glitter like his eyes, and he looks like something from out of this world.
Dark gray pants cling to his hips and thighs, and I imagine the serpentine tattoo that winds around his body, ending with his long, thick, jewelry covered cock.
I swear I swoon at the thought.
He looks like something out of that Gerard Butler movie. The ancient warrior one.
300.
That’s what it’s called. The one about the Spartans.
He dazzles me.
Beneath his clothes, I know he looks even better.
Tattooed and dripping metal. I picture the Spartans in that film. Then I picture the sexy as fuck bad guy.
Xerxes.
In the movie, Xerxes is dripping gold, and Luc is like the counter version.
His metal is silver-colored titanium.
My pussy aches for him and I can’t stop my mind from picturing him.
All that tanned skin covering his long, muscled up body. His ink is superb and the way he compliments it with sexy as fuck piercings.
Shit.
Luc is a dream. An erotic, hypnotic dream of a man.
And he is all mine.
My mouth is watering for him.
“Hey—” I start, but he’s already moving towards me.
He doesn’t give me a chance to speak, he just grabs me to him in a tight hug.
His body is so hard and warm from standing in the summer afternoon heat. But he’s vibrating with emotion.
I’m confused. And a little worried. I hum deep in my throat, clinging to him, trying to soothe him.
I breathe him in, loving the spicy scent of his body wash.
He pulls back and cups my cheeks, claiming my mouth in one of his deliciously possessive kisses.
Then, he tells me what happened.
After he’s finished telling me the veiled threats Matteo made to my mother about me, Luc tells me something else.
He tells me he has to leave for a little while and my heart stutters inside my chest.
“Listen to me,” he begins.
“I told Nico about your connection to Sanchez.”
I freeze.
Oh, my God.
What must the king of the Vipers think about that?
“D-does he want me to leave town?”
“What? No! You are not going anywhere, Baby Girl,” he says, and I expel a sharp breath.
I don’t know why I panic. I guess I just figure Nico might not believe I have nothing to do with the Sanchez brothers or their sudden interest in fucking with the Vipers.
“Listen, Maria, you are mine. Hear me? You are staying with me. Now look, I am sorry, but I have to go away for a few days on business with the guys,” he says.
“Where? For how long?” I ask, and I grip his shirt in my hands.
I don’t even realize I am doing it until I feel his hands closing over mine. He kisses my head again, his steel eyes softening.
“Just for a few days. We have a business meeting in Boston. But that’s not important,” he continues. “What is important is I won’t be here, and I need you safe. You will do what I say, won’t you?”
Of course, I agree.
“I can’t have anything happen to you, Baby Girl.”
“I need you safe, too. I’ll be fine,” I tell him.
I just didn’t know then how bored I would be.