Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ariana
My body trembled underneath his like it always did when he touched me. The softness of his lips against mine took away all the sadness I’d felt the past couple of weeks. I was a glutton for punishment for letting this happen again, but I didn’t care right now. He hovered over me and slowly thrust inside, my body taking in every inch of him. Soft moans escaped both of us as our bodies moved together in sync. My legs were wrapped tight around his waist as he moved slowly and easily in and out His animal-like nature was tamed, almost as if he wanted to make this last as long as he could. My body wasn’t patient as I rode the wave of an orgasm. Throwing my head back, I moaned as my nails dug into his back. A small smile crossed his face as he rolled onto his back, pulling me on top of him. His hands firmly gripped my ass and held me down as he thrust his hips into me. Neither of us spoke as our eyes stayed fixated on each other. My feelings for him intensified again to a level I never knew existed. He halted, and the rumbles in his chest rose up into groans as he strained inside me.
I buried my head into the side of his neck as he placed his hand on the back of my head and held me tight. Even though he would never admit it, he was afraid. Afraid of everything going on and what the possible outcome could be. I went to roll off him, but he stopped me, holding me so tight that I could barely breathe. My body softened in his arms, and we stayed like that for several minutes.
“Everything’s going to be okay, Luca,” I whispered.
“I hope so.” He kissed the side of my head.
His grip on me loosened, and I rolled off him, snuggling against his side and placing my head on his chest.
“I need you to believe I didn’t kill that girl,” he softly said. “That’s the only thing that matters to me.”
“I do believe you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”
His phone rang, and I sat up while he reached over the bed and pulled it from his pants pocket. He looked at me when he saw who was calling, got up from the bed, and took the call in another room. I lay there under the sheet, waiting for him to return. When we left the police station, reporters were outside, taking pictures and asking questions, trying to get the story for the front page of tomorrow’s news.
Luca walked back into the bedroom, sat down on the edge of the bed, and lowered his head.
“Who was that?” I asked.
“David Hildenberg. My license has been suspended pending the outcome of this case.”
“You knew that was going to happen.” I began to rub his shoulders.
“I know. It’s just hearing it makes it so much worse.”
“I’m sorry, Luca.” My lips gently pressed against his back.
“We need to be careful, Ariana,” he spoke.
“About what?”
“We can’t let anyone know we’re sleeping together. If the ABA caught wind of it, they could cite you for attorney misconduct.”
“I know. I already thought about that.”
“That means you can’t tell Olivia,” he spoke.
“I won’t, and you can’t tell Brad.”
“Trust me. I’m not going to.”
“We need to talk about the events of last night, Luca. I have to start preparing your case.”
“We will tomorrow. I’m too tired right now.” He brought his hand up to my cheek. “Will you stay with me tonight? I really don’t want to be alone.”
“Of course, I’ll stay.”
He climbed back under the covers and held me as we drifted into a deep sleep.
I awoke before Luca, who tossed and turned all night long. Quietly climbing out of bed, I slipped on his navy-blue t-shirt that he had sitting on the chair in his bedroom. Before walking out, I stared at him for a moment while he slept. He was at peace, at least for now. I grabbed my purse from the living room and took it to the kitchen. Pulling out my phone, I found I had ten missed calls from Olivia, five voicemail messages, and fifteen text messages, all asking me what the hell was going on because she had heard about Luca. Was I ready to deal with this right now? No. First, I needed coffee.
I started the bacon and cracked some eggs into a bowl. As I put the bread in the toaster, Luca walked in.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Good morning.” I smiled. “I’m making breakfast.” I took a cup down from the cabinet and poured some coffee into it.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. Plus, I’m starving,” I spoke as I handed him his coffee. “Sit down and talk to me while I make the eggs.”
“Somebody’s bossy this morning.”
I glanced at him from over my shoulder.
“I’m your lawyer. It’s my job to be bossy. We need to go over the events of the other night, and I need you to try and remember everything.”
“The only thing I can focus on at the moment is how sexy you look in my t-shirt.” He smirked.
I leaned over the counter and kissed his lips.
“Forget about the t-shirt and focus on Friday night. This is important, Luca. The murder weapon with your fingerprints on it and Gina’s blood on your shirt are more than enough for them to put you away for at least thirty years.”
As I placed the eggs, bacon, and toast on a plate and set it down in front of him, there was a knock at the door. After he got up to answer it, I heard his grandfather’s voice coming from the living room. Shit. I looked down at myself in nothing but Luca’s t-shirt. For me to throw on my dress from yesterday, I needed to cross the living room to get upstairs to the bedroom. He’d see me, and then what would he think? Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Luca,” I shouted. “Can you help me with something?”
“Get out here, young lady!” his grandfather shouted authoritatively.
I swallowed hard while I placed my hands firmly on the bottom of the t-shirt as I, slowly and utterly embarrassed, walked into the living room.
“Good morning, Mr. Russo.”
He sighed as he stared at me.
“Ariana, go upstairs and get dressed,” Luca spoke.
I gave him a small nod as I went up to the bedroom and slipped into my sundress. When I walked back downstairs, the two of them were talking. I heard my name mentioned, and they both looked at me when I entered the room.
“Can you do this?” his grandfather asked me.
“Yes.”
“Well, I don’t agree with his decision to hire you to defend him. Especially when the two of you are sleeping together. You do know that’s unethical, right?”
“Yes.” I looked down.
“And if anyone was to find out, you could be disbarred.”
“I know.”
He stared at me for a moment with narrowed eyes. I waited for him to start yelling, screaming, and telling Luca he had made a huge mistake. But he didn’t.
“You’re a rule breaker and a risk taker. Those two things right there make a damn good lawyer. I think you’ll do just fine.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Call me Franco, dear.”
Luca went upstairs to get dressed, leaving his grandfather and me alone. I could tell he had something on his mind the way he spoke my name.
“Ariana. You will have to do everything possible to prove he didn’t murder that woman, including things that may be unethical, so to speak. I know the district attorney. She plays hardball and doesn’t back down. She’s ruthless and will stop at nothing to prove Luca is guilty. She will do everything possible to make the jury believe he’s a cold-blooded killer.”
“If we even make it to trial.” I raised my brow.
A small smile crossed his lips.