Chapter 18
EIGHTEEN
LUCA
My heart is going to beat out of my chest. Who would have known that Kai had this side to him? The second I realized he had a feral side that was begging to be let out, I knew it was my mission to do just that.
I’m not sure he’s ever released control. His grip on it is iron tight. But I’ll get him to see that he doesn’t have to fear it. One touch and kiss at a time.
Sure, Harry said only a few days, but I’ve rented out the place for the full time if I can get him to stay. Ten days with Kai in my arms sounds fucking perfect.
My hands roam. Up his back under his shirt, nails scraping lightly down his spine. He arches into me with a shaky breath. I smile against his lips.
“You’re so fucking responsive,” I whisper. “Love the way you shiver when I touch you here—” I drag my fingertips along his lower back, right above the waistband of his jeans. “And here—” I slide one hand up to cup the back of his neck, thumb stroking the vine tattoo.
He makes a quiet, desperate sound and pulls me closer, kissing me harder. His tongue slides against mine, hungry now. I groan into it, pressing my hips forward so he can feel how hard I already am for him
His hands slide down my chest, over my shirt, then lower—fingers brushing the chain tattoo low on my stomach. He hesitates. I catch his wrist gently, guide his hand lower until his palm presses against the bulge in my pants.
“Feel that?” I murmur against his mouth. “That’s what you do to me. Every time you look at me. Every time you touch me. Even when you’re pretending you don’t want this.”
He exhales shakily, fingers curling around me through the fabric. I rock into his hand once, then kiss him again, deeper, filthier.
We’re both breathing hard. My hands slide under his shirt, pushing it up. He lifts his arms so I can pull it off. I toss it aside and immediately drop my mouth to his chest—kissing, licking, sucking lightly at one nipple until he gasps and arches into me.
“Luca—”
The way he says my name—gaspy, wrecked, like he’s already halfway gone—makes my cock throb harder against his palm.
I pull back just enough to look at him. His chest is heaving, nipples tight and flushed from my mouth, skin glowing with a light sheen of sweat. His eyes are dark, pupils blown wide, lips swollen and red. He looks fucking edible.
I smile against his skin, voice low and teasing.
“Yeah, baby? You like my mouth on you?”
He nods, fingers tightening in my hair. I reward him by sucking harder on his nipple, tongue flicking, teeth grazing just enough to make him whimper.
My hands slide down his sides, thumbs hooking into the waistband of his jeans and running to the front of his pants. I pop the button, drag the zipper down slowly. His cock springs free—hard, flushed dark, already leaking at the tip. The sight makes my mouth water.
I don’t drop to my knees.
Instead, I stand, pulling him toward me until our bodies pressed flush.
His jeans pool around his ankles, and I nudge him backward until he sits on the massive bed behind him.
I straddle his legs, crowding him, hips rolling forward so my clothed cock drags against his bare one—hot, heavy friction that makes us both groan.
“Fuck, feel that?” I murmur against his mouth. “That’s how bad I want you.”
I lean back enough to free myself from my jeans.
He’s slightly thicker than me, but we are about the same length.
My precum paints his abs as I shift, and I’m almost positive I’m going to blow my load before he even touches me.
When he reaches between us and wraps his fingers around me, a low groan falls from my lips.
I lean forward and kiss him hard and deep.
His hand feels perfect—warm, firm, a little hesitant at first, then surer as he strokes me. I rock into his fist, kissing him messily, tongue sliding against his, while my hips grind down.
But I need more control.
I catch his wrist gently but firmly, pulling his hand away from me.
“Not yet,” I whisper against his lips, voice rough. “Let me take care of you first.”
He makes a soft, frustrated sound, but his eyes are dark with want. I love that look on him.
I wrap my hand around both of us—my cock and his—stroking us together in one slow, tight pull. The slide is slick from our precum, hot velvet against hot velvet. Kai’s head falls back with a gasp, hips bucking up into my fist.
“Fuck—Luca—”
“That’s it,” I murmur, kissing down his throat, teeth grazing the vine tattoo. “Feel how good we are together?”
I stroke faster—twisting my wrist on the upstroke, thumb swiping over both heads on every pass, spreading the mess between us. Our cocks glide together perfectly, the friction driving me insane. Kai is shaking underneath me, hands clutching at my shoulders, nails digging in.
I lean back just enough to watch—his flushed cock sliding against mine, my hand working us both, the way his abs tense every time I squeeze. It’s filthy. Perfect.
“You look so fucking good like this,” I tell him, voice low and teasing. “All spread out for me. Letting me touch you. Letting me make you feel good.”
He moans—loud and broken—and his hips jerk harder. I tighten my grip, stroking faster, leaning down to suck a mark into the side of his neck.
“Luca—I’m close—”
“Come for me,” I growl against his skin. “Want to feel you spill all over us. Want to watch you lose it because of my hand.”
I twist my wrist again—harder, faster—and he breaks.
Kai comes with a choked cry, back arching, hot pulses coating my hand, his stomach, my cock. The sight and the slick heat push me over the edge right after him. I groan his name—low, desperate—and spill over his skin, mixing with his release, painting his abs and chest in thick streaks.
I keep stroking us through it, milking every last drop until we’re both trembling and oversensitive.
I collapse on top of him, careful not to crush him, forehead pressed to his. We’re both breathing hard, sticky and spent, hearts hammering against each other.
I kiss him—slow, lazy, sated.
“Fuck,” I whisper against his mouth. “You’re perfect.”
He laughs—shaky and breathless—and wraps his arms around my neck, pulling me closer.
We lie there—sticky, tangled, breathing each other in—while the ocean laps gently beneath the villa and the sun begins to set outside the glass walls.
No cameras or pretending, this was just us.
And I’ve never felt anything better in my whole fucking life.
Morning light filters through the sheer white curtains, soft and golden, painting the room in gentle hues. I wake gradually, the kind of lazy wake-up that only happens when there’s nowhere to be and no one demanding anything from you.
Kai is still asleep beside me.
He’s on his stomach, one arm tucked under the pillow, the other stretched toward me like, even in sleep, he’s reaching.
The sheet has slipped low on his back, exposing the elegant curve of his spine and the dark vines of his tattoo that climb toward his neck.
His dark hair is messy against the white pillow, lips slightly parted, breathing deep and even.
The morning sun catches on his lashes, turning them gold at the tips.
I don’t move. I just watch him.
There’s a quiet ache in my chest as I take him in—the relaxed line of his shoulders, the faint freckle on his left shoulder blade I never noticed before, the way his fingers twitch once like he’s dreaming about reaching for something. For me, maybe.
I’ve never felt this before, not even in all the years with Whitney.
Not this heavy, warm pull that makes me want to stay right here and guard his sleep for the rest of the day. Not this quiet terror that if I blink too long he might disappear. Not this overwhelming need to make sure every single thing that touches him from now on is soft and good and safe.
I want to trace the vine on his neck with my fingertip. I want to press my lips to the spot where his pulse beats slow and steady. I want to order every breakfast item on the menu and watch his eyes light up when he realizes it’s all for him.
I want him to wake up smiling because of me.
The thought settles deep in my bones, warm and certain.
I’m falling.
Hard.
I carefully slip out of bed, trying not to disturb him. He makes a small sound and shifts, but doesn’t wake. I stand there for another moment, just looking at him—bare back, messy hair, peaceful face—and feel my heart do something ridiculous in my chest.
I pull on a pair of loose linen pants and pad barefoot out to the living area. The glass doors are open to the deck, letting in the sound of the ocean and the warm morning breeze. I find the villa’s tablet on the counter and open the room service menu.
I order everything that looks good—fresh fruit, mango and passionfruit, avocado toast, eggs however he might like them, fresh pastries, coffee, juice. I add a note for them to bring it quietly and set it up on the deck so I can surprise him with breakfast in bed.
While I wait, I step out onto the deck. The infinity pool sparkles under the sun, the ocean stretching out forever. It’s beautiful. But my mind keeps drifting back to the man still sleeping in our bed.
I want to wake up to him every morning like this.
I want to be the reason he smiles when he opens his eyes.
I want ten more days like this. A hundred. A lifetime.
The thought should scare me. It doesn’t. It feels right.
When the soft knock comes at the door, I meet the staff outside and quietly bring the trays in myself. I arrange everything on the deck table first—fruit, pastries, coffee—then carry a smaller tray with coffee and a plate of fresh mango slices back to the bedroom.
Kai is still asleep, turned onto his side now, one hand reaching out to the empty space where I was.
I set the tray down gently on the nightstand and sit on the edge of the bed. I can’t resist anymore—I reach out and brush a strand of dark hair off his forehead, then let my fingers trail down his cheek.
He stirs. His eyes flutter open, hazy with sleep, and when they focus on me, the smallest, softest smile curves his lips.
“Morning,” he murmurs, voice rough with sleep.
My heart does that ridiculous flip again.
“Morning,” I whisper back, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. “I brought you coffee. And mango. Thought you might be hungry.”
His smile widens, sleepy and genuine, and he reaches up to tug me down for a proper kiss—slow, warm, tasting like sleep and new beginnings.
I kiss him back, hand cupping his jaw, thumb stroking his cheek.
And in that moment, with the ocean singing beneath us and Kai smiling against my mouth, I know I’m completely gone for him.