18. Dominic
EIGHTEEN
DOMINIC
When I woke up, Luca was gone.
I sat up, glancing around the bedroom that wasn’t mine. I stretched, scrubbing a hand over my face. Why the hell was I still here?
Luca didn’t need a caregiver anymore. He was perfectly capable of looking after himself, but I stayed like I had an excuse to keep an eye on him.
Maybe it was habit.
I dragged myself out of bed, my body still humming from the night before. I showered quickly. I dressed and made myself a cappuccino, and he still hadn’t shown up.
Figures .
Luca was consistent in one thing—running before anyone got too close. I grabbed my phone, scrolling through emails until a text popped up.
Luca
You’re going to the meeting today, right?
I stared at the screen, my jaw tightening. No good morning, no sorry for disappearing. Just straight to business.
Didn’t realize you’d skipped out.
A pause. Then three dots appeared, vanishing again before another message came through.
Luca
I didn’t skip out.
You just happened to vanish before sunrise?
Luca
I needed some air.
Push, pull, vanish. Repeat.
Whatever. You need to drive me to the meeting.
Luca
I’ll be there.
I tossed my phone onto the counter, leaning back against the kitchen sink. Last night replayed in my mind. The way he’d looked at me, lips swollen and red. The sounds he made when he stopped pretending.
The bastard was still in denial.
I drained the last of my coffee, setting the mug down with a dull thud. My phone buzzed again. I checked the screen. Another missed call from my asshole brother. I scoffed and shoved my phone into my pocket.
I spent the rest of the morning tidying up the apartment. A couple hours passed. Luca had better show up soon. Irritated, I picked up my phone again.
Don’t keep me waiting.
Luca
I’ll be there. Stop texting me.
I smirked, shaking my head.
He wasn’t getting away that easy. He might think he could keep his feelings compartmentalized, but I knew better. The walls he kept building between us? I’d tear every single one of them down. Minutes later, heavy footsteps echoed behind the door.
Finally .
I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door, pulling it open.
Luca stood there, leaning against the doorframe. His hair looked like he’d run his hands through it all night. Dark shadows clung under his eyes. He’d rolled up his sweatshirt, revealing tattoos down his forearms. Every line of ink told a story. I wanted to trace them with my fingers until he confessed every secret.
“You look like shit,” I said.
“Thanks, boss.” His usual cocky demeanor had vanished, replaced by something raw.
My chest tightened. “Did you sleep at all?”
He glanced back. “I showed up, didn’t I?”
“That’s not an answer.”
He shrugged. “Didn’t realize you cared so much about my beauty sleep.”
I stepped closer. “You disappeared. That’s not okay.”
His jaw tightened. “I needed space. That’s it.”
“You can’t run every time things get real.”
He stared at me, his chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. His eyes burned so hot that I thought he’d snap. Instead he turned around, heading toward the car.
“We’re going to be late,” he muttered.
I followed him. The way his shoulders stayed rigid screamed of a man barely holding himself together.
Luca could bolt as much as he wanted, but he wouldn’t escape me. He belonged to me. I wouldn’t let him forget it.
The meeting took place in the back of an Italian deli. It reeked of prosciutto and the cramped room felt suffocating with all the heavy hitters in one space.
Michael, the underboss, leaned forward, his fingers steepled as he waited for the room to quiet. His hair gleamed under the single overhead light.
“Alder Distribution is running high-value shipments through a specific route in Boston. Electronics, cash, pharmaceuticals. Big money. It’s coming through Southie on Friday night, just after midnight.”
Luca shifted beside me.
“What’s the risk?” Santino asked.
“Alder’s not running this kind of operation without protection. Their drivers are armed, and they’ve got professional escorts. We’re not talking about mall cops here.” Michael’s gaze swept the table. “This isn’t a job for amateurs. I need a crew that can handle themselves under pressure. I want everybody to give me names.”
Luca raised his hand. “I’m in.”
What the fuck is he doing?
I glared at him. “That’s not your job, Luca.”
Luca glanced at me. “I’m sick of laying low.”
I gritted my teeth. The other capos stared at me. Fuck. I couldn’t let his insubordination slide in front of everyone. I stood up, chair scraping against the floor.
“Sit down and shut up.”
Luca bristled and crossed his arms. I stared at him until he complied, and then I turned to Michael.
“Luca’s still recovering from his injuries.”
Michael leaned back in his chair. “Fair enough.”
The room stirred as other captains volunteered names. Michael nodded, jotting down the volunteers. I kept my eyes forward, my jaw locked, but my patience frayed with every second.
When Michael wrapped up the meeting and dismissed the group, I let the others file out before grabbing Luca’s arm.
“We need to talk,” I snarled.
He tensed under my grip but didn’t argue, letting me pull him outside. We made our way out to the car. Luca opened the passenger side door for me. I got in, glancing at him as he moved around to the driver’s seat.
He got inside, slamming the door.
I turned in my seat. “What were you thinking?”
He shrugged. “You heard Michael. He needs people who can handle pressure.”
“You’re still healing.”
Luca’s dark eyes burned. “I can handle myself.”
I seethed. “You want to prove yourself? Fine . Do it by staying alive, not playing hero on some reckless job.”
He scoffed, turning away from me.
I grabbed his shoulder, yanking him around. “You work for me . You don’t make calls like this without running them by me first.”
“You don’t even act like my boss anymore.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “You’re right. I should be a lot harder on you.”
Frankly, I didn’t want to be his boss anymore.
He was forcing me into being the one to keep him in line. I didn’t want that, but that’s what he signed up for. Being part of the family meant following orders, no matter how much he hated them. I had to be firm.
I took his shoulder. “I know you’re pissed, but you can’t challenge me in front of the others.”
“I know.”
“You don’t, or you wouldn’t be pulling stunts like this.”
Luca’s jaw tightened. Even after everything he’d been through, he refused to shatter. That’s what got to me the most.
“You’ve got to get it through your thick skull. This isn’t just about you. It’s about the family. Pulling shit like that in a meeting makes it look like I can’t control you.”
“I wasn’t trying to challenge you. I just wanted to help. They’re always talking about how loyalty keeps the famiglia running.”
He’d throw himself on a grenade for the Costas without a second thought, like he owed the world his life just for surviving. I didn’t want him to waste that on the wrong people.
“That doesn’t mean getting yourself killed to prove a point,” I shot back. “You’re not stepping up for the crew. You’re looking for a way to bury whatever’s eating you alive.”
He flinched. “I’m not.”
“I see the way you carry yourself, like you’ve got something to prove. Newsflash, you don’t fix your shit by throwing yourself into the line of fire.”
He stayed silent.
“You want to prove something to me?” I said, softer now but no less firm. “Prove you can keep your head down and follow orders.”
“I just?—”
“No excuses. You work for me. You don’t put yourself on the chopping block for some heist when I need you alive. Got it?”
He let out a slow breath. “Yeah.”
I leaned back into my seat.
The car rumbled to life, and we pulled out onto the quiet streets. Luca’s jaw lost some of its tension, but his grip on the wheel was still too tight.
How the hell did we get here?
Not long ago, he was another guy under my command. Smart, reckless, with a chip on his shoulder big enough to tip a scale. Still, just a subordinate. My job had been simple: keep him in line, make sure he didn’t get himself killed, and use his talents.
Now?
All I could think about was him. I had no idea how to go from barking orders to kissing him. He shouldn’t have this kind of effect on me. Luca was a goddamn problem I couldn’t control.
I ruled my world with a steady hand. I kept people at arm’s length because attachment made you weak, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I pictured his face when he wasn’t around, the hollow sadness in his eyes when he thought no one was looking. I could smell him, hear his sharp baritone that always found a way under my skin.
“You’re staring,” Luca muttered.
“You’re pretty.”
He shook his head. “Subtle.”
Subtlety had never been my strong suit, and with Luca, I didn’t even bother trying.
This felt surreal. One moment, I was shutting him down in front of the family. The next, I was sitting here, wondering what the hell I was supposed to do with whatever this was.
“You don’t make it easy, you know that?”
His brow furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You make me want to strangle and kiss you until you stop acting like a stubborn asshole.”
Luca’s jaw twitched. “So I’m the problem?”
“Half of it. The other half is me, trying to figure out how to deal with you without losing my mind. I won’t lose you to whatever that’s making you run.”
He kept driving, his silence doing more to unsettle me than any smart-ass comment could have.
“I want to see you tomorrow night.”
He flicked the turn signal. “For what?”
I touched his thigh, and he tensed. “I want to fuck you. I keep seeing my cock in your mouth.”
He flushed. “Jesus.”
“Nobody’s around.”
He gritted his teeth. “ Dom .”
I stroked higher on his thigh, dangerously close to his zipper. “What are you afraid of, baby? That they’ll find out? Or that I’ll find out just how much you need me?”
His breathing hitched. His dark eyes blazed with conflict, his lips parted. His hand slipped from the wheel and grabbed mine, his grip firm.
I squeezed his fingers. “I want you. You want me. The only thing standing in the way is you.”
He stared at me. His chest rose and fell with quick breaths before he exhaled sharply and yanked the car to the curb. The brakes squealed as he slammed it into park. He turned, grabbed me by the collar, and crushed his mouth against mine.
The kiss was rough. His teeth scraped my lip, his tongue pushing past with a desperation that sent heat rushing through my veins. My hand shot to the back of his neck, gripping tight as I pulled him closer.
The center console dug into my side, but I didn’t give a shit. The way his mouth moved against mine made everything else disappear. His hand slid down my chest, tugging at the fabric as if he wanted to tear it apart. My fingers found their way to his jaw, holding him steady as I deepened the kiss.
He broke away, his forehead dropping against mine. I didn’t say anything, but something settled in my chest. He was letting me in, piece by piece, and I wasn’t about to let go.
His eyes stayed closed like he was still steadying himself.
“Tomorrow night,” I murmured, my hand slipping down to grip his thigh again. “You’re mine.”