21. Dominic
TWENTY-ONE
DOMINIC
I woke up to Luca’s empty bed—again. I sat up, scrubbing a hand over my face, and glanced at the clock. Seven a.m. He hadn’t even left a note.
I reached for the spot where he’d been, running my fingers over the dent in the mattress. I swung my legs off the bed, grabbed my briefs off the floor, and tugged them on.
Last night had ruined me for anyone else.
Luca had been perfect. The way his body moved against mine, the desperate sounds spilling from his lips, the way he obeyed. God, the way he took me —tight, hot, and hungry for it, like he’d been starving for years. Every broken moan had lit me up inside.
I’d never been with anyone who gave so much while trying so hard to hold back. That mix of surrender and resistance was a drug, and I was addicted.
I want you .
Luca didn’t say shit like that unless he meant it, but he was already running again.
I grabbed my phone and sent him a text.
Where the fuck are you?
I let out a breath, running a hand through my hair, trying to force the irritation back down. How could someone be that raw and slam the door shut the second the world crept back in?
His reply took a few minutes.
Luca
Out. Will be back soon.
Guess I’ll have to tie you down next time.
You ruined me, sweetheart.
Luca
Not my problem.
You’re such a grump.
Luca
Keep pushing, and I won’t come back at all.
Where else are you gonna get what I gave you last night?
Luca
You’re insufferable.
And you’re still texting me. Guess we’re both addicted.
Luca
Stop texting me. I’m busy.
Why did he always do this?
Run. Hide. Push me away.
I wasn’t used to wanting someone this much. Luca clawed under my skin. I wanted to spend more time with him. He was stubborn, guarded, a total pain in the ass, but I needed him in my life.
Luca could play hard to get all he wanted. He melted every time I touched him. He’d been so beautiful last night. When I’d seen what that text had done to him, my heart ached. Maybe I wasn’t his boyfriend, but I meant something to him.
I spent the morning fixing his apartment. After reorganizing the bookshelf, I made the bed. I ran my fingers over clothes he hadn’t folded yet. I looked around the room. No personal photos. Just a life stripped down to a skeleton.
My phone rang.
I swiped to answer. “Hello?”
“Mr. Caruso, we need to go over the latest developments with your brothers’ lawsuit.”
I exhaled, running a hand through my hair. Of course. The universe couldn’t give me five minutes to deal with Luca without piling on more shit.
“What now? Still trying to overturn the will?”
“They are,” Harrison said. “Despite having no case. Their argument hinges on emotional appeals rather than any legal standing. It’s a waste of time.”
“Let me guess, they’re claiming I manipulated Dad into leaving me everything.”
“Exactly,” Harrison confirmed. “But we have their testimony contradicting that claim. They admitted under oath that your father made his intentions clear long before his death. It’s a circus act. They’re hoping to wear you down.”
I sighed. “It’s working.”
“We’ll get through this. The judge seems annoyed with them.”
“So what’s the play? Another deposition?”
“Not yet. We’ll file a motion to dismiss. It’ll go through, but we need to keep the pressure on. They’re banking on dragging this out.”
“Let them try.”
The door clicked open behind me. I turned as Luca stepped inside, his expression unreadable. He paused when he saw me, his dark eyes narrowing.
“Mr. Caruso?” Harrison prompted.
“Yeah, I’m here. File the motion. I’ll deal with whatever comes next.”
“Understood. I’ll keep you updated.”
I ended the call and set the phone down. “Nice of you to finally show up.”
Luca shrugged off his jacket and tossed it on a chair. “I had things to do.”
“Like what?”
“Breakfast.” Luca set a bag of pastries on the kitchen table, along with a cardboard cup. “Drink your coffee and quit bitching.”
“Thanks. You’re a real sweetheart.”
He shrugged. “Figured you’d be a pain in the ass if I didn’t get your coffee.”
I took a sip of the coffee. Exactly the way I liked it. I glanced at Luca, who was pulling pastries out of the bag.
“You remembered my order.”
Luca arched a brow. “How could I forget?”
True. I’d sent him on a million errand runs, but this felt different. Ridiculous how much that small gesture tightened in my chest.
I grabbed a croissant. “Trying to butter me up?”
He smiled, but a shadow flickered over his face. My grin faded as I studied the dark circles under his eyes.
“Did you stay out all night?”
His shoulders tightened, and he looked away. His hands shook when he stuffed them into his pockets.
“Luca, where were you?”
He stiffened. “Since when do I need to report my every move to you?”
I clenched my jaw. “Since you begged me to fuck you.”
“That happened once.”
“Luca, I’m trying to be chill here, but I’m not a chill guy. I normally don’t fuck closeted men, and this is why. I have no time for self-denial.”
“You’re not exactly making it easy on me.”
“I’m not here to tiptoe around your insecurities, Luca. You either want this or you don’t.” I tore off a piece of croissant and shoved it in my mouth. “I won’t sit around while you pretend what happened means nothing.”
“I never said that. I was dealing with something personal.”
“That’s not good enough for me.”
“Oh yeah?” he shot back, crossing his arms. “What was your phone call about?”
I exhaled sharply. “My family. More specifically, my brothers.”
“What happened?”
“It’s about my dad. He died a few months ago.” The words came out clipped, like I didn’t even want to give them air. “Ever since, my brothers have been up my ass. Texts, calls, trying to get me to play nice for the sake of the estate.”
“Were you close?”
I let out a dry laugh. “Not after he found out I’m gay. I went from golden boy to disgrace of the family overnight. He cut me off. It was a surprise when he left me everything in his will.”
“Why’d he do that?”
I shrugged. “I think he felt some regret. Leaving me everything was his way of saying he fucked up.”
His brow furrowed. “He screws you over, and then dumps that on you? Like money makes up for it?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, well, that’s the kind of guy he was. Always thought he could buy his way out of trouble.”
Luca’s gaze softened. “What are you going to do with the estate?”
“Hell if I know. My brothers are doing everything they can to contest the will, so it’s not exactly free and clear.”
“Sounds like a nightmare.”
“It is, but I’m used to it. A lot of tough-guy posturing. It’s pathetic.”
“They’re threatening you?”
“Angelo said he’d ‘take care’ of me if I didn’t fall in line.” Luca glowered, and I shrugged. “It’s not real. They’re pissed because the old man left everything to me.”
“You sure they won’t follow through?”
“They’re assholes, not murderers.”
“You need to watch your back,” he said solemnly.
“I know my brothers. This is their game. Push, threaten, bark loud enough until someone caves. That’s all this is.”
“And what if it’s not? It sounds like you’re standing on a landmine.”
I waved my hand. “They’re not going to do anything. They’ve got too much to lose.”
His eyes bored into mine. “You really believe that? Or are you hoping you’re right?”
I held his gaze. Honestly, I didn’t know how far my brothers would go. I didn’t want to think about it.
“They’re family,” I said.
“Family doesn’t threaten to kill you.”
My lips twitched. “Worrying about my safety?”
His glare sharpened. “This isn’t a joke.”
“If I take every threat seriously, I’ll lose my mind.”
He shook his head. “You’re not invincible.”
“No, but I’m practical. I know how my brothers operate. They talk big, but they’re not gonna risk everything over this.”
“You can’t afford to be wrong.”
“Luca, I’ve got this handled.”
His eyes flickered. “If they make a move, you’re not dealing with it on your own. I’m in. I don’t care how ugly it gets.”
I stared at him, my response stuck in my throat. Nobody went to bat for me. Not in a way that felt real. Family was a loyalty you earned. Business was protection you bought. Luca didn’t owe me anything. Why was my life something he’d fight for?
Did it mean he had feelings for me?
“Why?” I asked.
“Why what?”
“You’ve made it pretty damn clear you don’t want me here half the time. Now you’re ready to throw yourself into the middle of my family’s bullshit?”
Luca looked away, his jaw tight. “Don’t overthink it.”
“You can’t drop a line like that and expect me not to question it.”
“I’m not doing this for you,” he muttered, his face flushing. “I don’t want someone to take a shot at me while you’re on my couch.”
I smiled. “That’s a nice way of saying you’d miss me if I was gone.”
He glared at me. “Shut up, Dom.”
“You’re a terrible liar, baby.”
His shoulders tensed. His lips parted slightly, like he wanted to argue, but no words came.
“What are we doing, Luca?” I asked quietly.
“I don’t know.”
I stepped forward, and his nostrils flared. I reached out, brushing my knuckles against his jaw, just to see if he’d pull away. He didn’t. He stayed right where he was, his eyes locked on mine.
“How are you feeling after last night?”
He shrugged. “I’m okay.”
Bullshit. It was his first fuck. Everyone remembered their first. Some regretted it. I didn’t want that for him. “That doesn’t mean anything. Talk to me.”
He let out a rough breath. “Everything I’ve told myself for years is falling apart, and I don’t know what I’m doing. I spent all night trying to make sense of it.”
“It’s not easy,” I said, dropping my voice. “And no one gets to tell you how to feel about it, but last night…wasn’t something you need to punish yourself for.”
“I’m not punishing myself.”
“Then why are you running off before sunrise?”
He swallowed hard. “It felt…different. Everything about it.”
“Good different?”
He nodded slowly.
I took his hand. “It was good for me too, Luca.”
He snorted. “Yeah, I noticed.”
“I’m serious. Last night wasn’t just sex for me.”
Luca wasn’t some guy I could walk away from.
I’d spent weeks brushing it off as something casual. Something I could control. I’d told myself it was his body, the challenge of getting under his skin, the way he met me glare for glare. But every moment with him had chipped away at the lies I told myself.
I couldn’t remember the last time someone felt like this . Necessary, like air, like I didn’t know how to function without him nearby. It was too late to pull back. No matter how much he fought me, I was going to fall for him. Hell, maybe I already had.
He stepped back, slipping from my grip. He turned away, grabbing his jacket off the chair. He pulled it on like he couldn’t leave fast enough.
“Leaving again?”
“Yeah,” he grunted. “Errands.”
“You’re putting me in a shit position, you know that, right?”
He froze. “What?”
I folded my arms. “You’re supposed to be recovering.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m healed.”
“Don’t. You’re still not at a hundred percent. You’ve barely been sleeping, you’re sneaking out at all hours, and if Santino finds out I’m fucking you instead of putting you on house arrest, he’s going to lose his shit.”
Luca clenched his jaw and looked away.
“Do you think I want to deal with him breathing down my neck? I don’t need that headache.”
“Then leave,” Luca muttered.
My stomach dipped. “Is that what you want?”
He didn’t respond.
“Say it. If you don’t want me here, fucking say it.”
He shook his head quickly. “No.”
“Then say what you mean.”
His eyes darted to mine. “I don’t want you to leave.”
I huffed a laugh. “You’re tying yourself in knots trying to figure out how to push me away while pulling me back in.”
“I’m not?—”
“ You are . I could be anywhere else, but I’m here. You know why? Because I fucking like you. You might’ve been the one obsessed with me in the beginning, but now I’m obsessed with you. I want to be with you. I want us to go out on dates.”
Luca stepped closer. His gaze dropped to my mouth, and then he grabbed my hair. His lips crashed against mine like he wanted to shut me up.
I grabbed his jacket, pulling him closer. His hands swept to my face as he kissed me like he couldn’t stand himself for needing me, but didn’t know how to stop.
Luca pulled back, breathing hard. “I have to go.”
I blinked. “Luca?—”
He headed to the door. “I’ll be back later.”
He walked out, the door clicking shut behind him.
I stood there, my heart pounding. The taste of him lingered on my lips, and the ache in my chest deepened.
It was too late for me. I was already his.