15. Luca
FIFTEEN
LUCA
Which of the following is an example of a chemical change?
A) Boiling water
B) Melting ice
C) Burning wood
D) Shattering glass
I stared at the question, tapping my pen against the table. Chemical change. Boiling water? It turned into steam, right? I circled it, then hesitated. It couldn’t be melting ice. Ice to water was still water. I crossed it out. Burning wood turned into coals, which turned into ash and smoke. I circled it, but my pen wavered. Shattering glass. Hell, I’d seen glass break plenty of times. It was the same, just in pieces. I crossed that one out too. I stared at burning wood again.
That has to be it.
Dominic stepped into the kitchen. “What are you up to?”
I closed the textbook. “Nothing.”
“Doesn’t look it.”
I kicked up my legs on a chair, ignoring him.
Dominic stalked to my side, yanking the book from my elbow. I tried to grab it from him, but he twisted out of reach. He flipped through the pages.
“What’s this?” he said, smirking. “You’re studying for your GED?”
Here we fucking go. “I am. Got a problem with that?”
Dominic put the book down and turned toward the kitchen counter. He pulled out a mug and filled the electric kettle. “I’m not going to mock you for trying to educate yourself. If that’s why you’re pouting.”
I frowned. “I don’t pout.”
“You’re the queen of pouting.”
I crossed my arms.
Dominic’s smile widened, and I fantasized about throwing him to the ground but that’d only prove the asshole right. He chuckled, stepping forward, and took my shoulders. His thumbs rubbed small circles through my shirt, and I hated how good it felt.
“You don’t have to hide from me, Luca.”
The warmth in his gravelly voice slipped down my throat.
I shrugged. “It’s just a stupid test.”
“It’s not stupid.”
His voice was too warm.
I stiffened. “I didn’t want anyone to make a thing out of it.”
“You’ve got nothing to prove to me or anyone else.”
My stomach tightened. “Since when did you become my motivational speaker?”
“Since you decided to be shy about homework,” he teased, tilting his head. “You could’ve asked me for help.”
“When’s the last time you read anything that wasn’t the casino’s profit margins?”
“Fair point. But math’s still math.”
“You really want to help?”
“I’d be more than happy to tutor you.”
My gaze narrowed. “I’m serious.”
“So am I. We could make it a whole thing—late-night study sessions, flashcards, maybe even a little incentive system. Every time you get a question right, I’ll… reward you.”
“What kind of reward?”
“Something small to keep you motivated.”
His gaze flicked to my lips, and my face heated. A kiss? Maria had made me the same offer, but I’d never taken her up on it. How far could I take this? Would he blow me if I got the right answer?
My stomach tightened. Stuffing my cock down my boss’s throat appealed to me. Being able to wipe the smirk off his face would make my fucking year. Imagining him bent over my lap, my fist in his hair, as I forced him to swallow, sent a lightning bolt of desire through me. My cock thickened.
The electric kettle beeped. Dominic turned to the stove. My gaze landed on the battered textbook. Worn pages, dog-eared from hours of grinding through problems. I’d been at it late last night after Dominic finally hit the sack. Felt ridiculous to fit algebra in between working for Dominic, but it mattered to me.
Studying was the one way out. I’d promised myself I’d pass the GED, no matter what. Even if the rest of my life was a mess, I needed one part that was mine.
Dominic poured water into his cup. “Those Bratva pricks, did they let you go to school?”
“They homeschooled me.”
“What kind of stuff did they teach you?”
I let out a bitter chuckle. “Not much. They wanted me to learn Russian. Made sure I could speak it fluently. Then there were other lessons. The ones that involved guns, knives, and interrogation tactics.”
Dominic’s eyes darkened. “They trained you like a soldier.”
“Yeah. By the time I was fifteen, I could break into a car, hotwire it, and be halfway across the city in under two minutes. The real lesson was how to disappear.”
“Disappear?”
“How to leave a room without anyone realizing you were ever there. Slip out through fire escapes, blend into crowds, use shadows like cover. They’d test me by dumping me in random places and timing how fast I could lose them.”
Dominic stared at me. “And you think passing a GED is harder than that?”
I snorted. “It’s different.”
He shook his head. “You were just a kid.”
I shrugged. “Nothing I can do about it.”
“Yes, you can. You’re doing it right now.” He gestured at the textbook. “You’re giving yourself a chance to be more than what they made you.”
“I guess.”
“You are more than what they tried to make you.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that. Dominic could tear you down with a few well-placed words, but when he chose to build you up, it hit somewhere deep, like a bruise you didn’t realize was there.
Dominic turned his attention back to his tea. The silence that stretched between us was heavy but not uncomfortable. It was just… full.
“I’m not expecting anything out of it. I just want to see what I’m capable of. I want to try to get into college. At least once, before I sign myself up for this forever.”
He grabbed two mugs. “Makes sense.”
“I want to know what it’s like to be normal. Go to classes, hang out at bars, sleep without looking over my shoulder.” My thumb rubbed the edge of the book. “But maybe it’s wishful thinking. Maybe hurting people is all I’m good for.”
Dominic frowned. “Go to college. Maybe it won’t work out, but you won’t know unless you give it a shot.”
“Did you?”
He poured hot water into the mugs. “Sort of. Took some community college courses. Business management. Not exactly Harvard, but it did the job.”
“What was it like?”
“I made some friends, went to parties, learned a few things. Nobody at school cared that I was gay.”
“Must’ve been nice.”
Dominic smiled. “Yeah. A lot of people there were just looking for a good time. Didn’t matter what you were into.”
My mind ran with images of Dominic at a party, being the life of it. Laughing, smiling, hooking up with whoever caught his eye. I bet he was popular. He probably had guys lining up for a chance. The image of him with someone else pissed me off.
“You hook up with a lot of guys?” I blurted.
Dominic glanced at me, his lips twitching. “Jealous?”
I scowled. “I’m curious.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, of course.”
Fuck. My stomach turned. I looked back at the book, gripping the edge so hard my knuckles went white.
“They didn’t mean anything, Luca.”
I didn’t look at him. “Who says I care?”
“You do,” he said softly. “When you look like that.”
I pictured Dominic in some guy’s dorm room, hooking up and leaving because the other guy wanted something Dominic couldn’t give. My neck flushed with irrational rage.
“You deserve a shot at normal, Luca.”
“Yeah? Even if it means you don’t get to boss me around?”
He chuckled. “Even then. I want that for you. It’d probably be good for you to get out of this completely.”
A pang hit my chest. Did that mean he didn’t care if I disappeared from his life? I tried to shove it down, but it gnawed at me.
The doorbell rang.
Dominic frowned. “Who the hell is that?”
“I didn’t invite anyone.”
“Can’t be Sonny. He’d just let himself in.” Dominic got his gun from the counter, flipping off the safety.
“Should I get the shotgun?”
“Let me see who it is first.”
Dominic moved to the door, his posture tense. He glanced into the peephole and let out an exasperated sigh. He put aside his gun and opened the door.
A floor manager from the casino stood outside.
“What are you doing here, Frank?” Dominic asked.
“Santino told me where to find you,” he said, a hint of familiarity in his tone that set my teeth on edge. “Said you were laying low. I’ve got something about the books. Irregularities you need to see.”
Dominic stepped aside, letting him in. His hand briefly touched the man’s shoulder, and heat curled around my neck. Dominic gestured toward the kitchen.
Frank’s gaze swept over me and flicked back to Dominic. “How long have you two been living together?”
None of your fucking business .
Dominic shrugged. “Not long.”
Frank’s mouth pressed into a thin line. Something about this guy rubbed me the wrong way.
They sat next to each other at the kitchen table, but their body language couldn’t be more different. Dominic sat straight, his hands clasped together. Frank seemed eager, his body angled toward Dominic. Frank’s eyes held warmth, even longing.
I clenched my jaw.
“What is it?” Dominic snapped.
“I’ve been reviewing security footage,” Frank said, pulling a flash drive from his jacket pocket. “There’s been some weird activity. Staff sneaking off the floor, unaccounted for inventory. I wanted to flag it before it turned into a problem.”
Dominic’s expression darkened.
Frank leaned in, too close for my liking. “No one runs this place like you.”
He fumbled the flash drive and dropped it. He flushed as he picked it off the floor. His hand brushed Dominic’s knee as he handed it over.
Don’t touch him, you piece of shit.
Dominic set it aside. “I’ll look into it. Thanks for bringing it over.”
“You’re welcome, Dom.”
Dom? Who the fuck was this guy?
My chest tightened as Dominic shifted in his chair. “Don’t let me keep you from your wife.”
Frank’s smile twitched. “I was hoping we could catch up.”
“Not interested.”
“Come on, Dom. Just give me a few minutes.”
Frank needed to back off or he’d get my fist in his face. A flash of something hot and ugly surged through me. Neither of them looked at me, and it pissed me off. Both of them were in their own little world. Did they used to date? Was that why Dominic, a guy whose charm could blot out the sun, treated Frank like gum under his shoe?
Frank seemed to forget my presence entirely as he leaned forward, his hand sliding up Dominic’s arm and anchoring over his bicep.
“Baby, I made a mistake.”
My vision flashed red.
One second, Frank’s hand was on Dominic’s arm. The next, I had him by the collar, yanking him back so hard his feet dragged across the tiles. My knee pinned his throat, my fist cracking against his face. The sound was satisfying.
“Luca!” Dominic barked.
Smug, pathetic fucker, touching what didn’t belong to him. Calling him baby. My knuckles split on the next punch, blood smearing his face. He didn’t deserve Dominic’s attention or the space he took up in his life.
Frank gasped, blood pouring down his face. He tried to push me off, but his attempts were pathetic. My knee dug into his neck, and I could feel him choking. I leaned in harder.
A hand gripped my shoulder. “Luca, let him go.”
My gaze flicked up. Dominic’s tender gaze bored into mine, pulling me back to the surface. Slowly, I lifted my knee off Frank’s throat.
Frank gasped, his hands flying up to his neck. He got up and scrambled backward, slamming into the wall. He looked at Dominic, then at me.
“Touch him again,” I snarled, “and I’ll kill you.”
Clutching his nose, he scampered. He made wheezing gulps as he sprinted for the door. The door slammed behind him.
My hands still shook, and I couldn’t look at Dominic. My attention centered on the bloody smear Frank had left behind. I didn’t want to see what he saw in me now.
I stalked across the room, back and forth. Dominic hadn’t said a word since he’d told me to let Frank go. He watched me, calm, like always. I needed him to shout, hit me, tell me I was out of line. Anything other than that quiet stare. His silence felt like judgment, and I hated it.
Anger bubbled up, mixing with the jealousy I couldn’t shake. The thought of Frank touching him, of Dominic letting him— baby —fuck. I got in his face, and Dominic still didn’t budge.
“So who the hell is he?”
His brow lifted. “He’s a floor supervisor.”
“Do you make a habit of fucking your employees?”
His lips quirked. “Not usually.”
“Why does he talk to you like that?”
Dominic stared at me. “Why so jealous?”
I swallowed hard. “I’m not. I just don’t like him.”
“Really? I couldn’t tell with the way you were crushing his windpipe.”
I raked a hand through my hair. “He shouldn’t have touched you.”
“I can handle myself, sweetheart.”
My cheeks flushed. “You didn’t stop him.”
“Well, you didn’t give me the chance.” He tutted, shaking his head. “I’ll have to warn my other exes about you.”
“So you dated him?”
He shrugged. “A while ago, yeah. He means nothing to me.”
“He meant enough for you to let him call you baby .”
Dominic’s gaze softened, and it pissed me off even more. I didn’t want him to see how badly this fucked with my head. His fingers brushed my cheek, and I jerked away.
“Don’t act like you give a damn.”
“You drive me fucking crazy, and I still can’t get enough of you. Frank is nothing, but what you did back there? Christ, Luca, it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
My heart pounded as his words sank into my skin.
“You would’ve killed him for me. God, Luca, that’s what I want. The anger, the jealousy, the madness. I want it all.”
My fingers twitched, itching to pull him closer. “You’re mine.”
“Prove it,” he said.
I grabbed his shirt and kissed him.