15. Irina
Chapter 15
Irina
I ’d exerted all my energy into the punching bag, rage drifting off me with every hit.
It was late in the night when I had decided to come to the Underground Club and get in a workout.
Was I disappointed that I didn’t run into a large brute? Only slightly.
Every time I was at the Club, it reminded of that night in the sauna. It was the first slip in my demeanor, and I’d let Luca touch me in all the ways I didn’t want him to. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally.
I passed by the front desk, nodding my head at Giuseppe who hosted the night shift. I’d gotten used to seeing his face more than the other workers and I’d like to think he made exceptions for me when I’d come at odd hours of the night, considering there was usually no one else around.
“Goodnight, Miss Irina,” he said before I slipped out of the building .
I had my head down, searching in my bag for the keys to my bike when my skin pricked at the sensation of being watched.
With my jaw clenched tight, I looked up to find Luca leaning on his bike—where it was parked next to mine. His stance was casual, a cigarette hanging from his mouth as smoke billowed out, but his caramel eyes were set on me, narrowed intently.
“Are you following me now?” I asked, trying to avoid the way my heart somersaulted in my chest from having him near me.
His low chuckle slithered along my spine, my stomach fluttering from the deep sound.
He took another drag, watching me as smoke wafted in the air. “How else would I reach you?”
“You don’t.” He didn’t have my number or access to me at all times and I intended on keeping it that way.
“Are we back to this again then?” He tilted his head to the side. “Pretending that we aren’t—”
“Aren’t what?” I asked sharply, the vein in my neck throbbing.
My annoyance wasn’t only directed at him; it was at myself too. For not being able to stay away from him no matter how many times I reminded myself of all the reasons I should.
Thick tension coiled around us as we stared at one another, waiting for the other to break.
He threw the bud on the ground and crushed it beneath his boot. “I want to take you somewhere,” he said, diverting the conversation.
“And why would I go anywhere with you? ”
“Because you’re curious, piccola ribelle.” He killed the distance between us, staring down at me with a heady expression. “You can waste time and fail to convince me otherwise or you can sit your pretty little ass on your bike and follow me.”
I’d rather bite down on concrete than admit that he was right.
I hoped the glare I shot his way would set him on fire until he turned into ash for being right.
“Brute,” I mumbled, ready to turn away from him but he caught my chin, pulling me back to face him.
My breath hitched as he pinned me in place with a sheen of possessiveness coating his eyes. He split me open with the scrutiny of his gaze as if he were trying to dissect the very essence of my soul.
Heat flared inside my chest, obliterating any notion that this would ever end. Whether it’d be happily or tragically, I knew if what we had ever ended, we’d perish with it.
After a moment, he nudged under my chin and returned to his bike before revving the engine to life.
I stood conflicted, trying to force my thoughts into some semblance of order. I’d never been at war with myself like I was right now, and it had everything to do with the beating organ inside my chest.
In the end, I’d submitted to what I really wanted.
Luca turned his head toward me and even with his helmet on, I could feel his eyes tracing every inch of me as I straddled my bike.
He pulled out of the parking lot, and I followed him, my heart racing from adrenaline .
One more time, I told myself. One more time, I’d play this game and then I’d be done.
The streets were empty as we sped through the night. Riding became a different type of high when Luca was with me. It was nothing like the first time when he followed me home.
This was pure ecstasy coursing through my veins, an addictive sensation settling deep into my bones.
I leaned forward, gripping the handles as I rushed past him, chasing it further. I had no idea where I was going, but I couldn’t stop myself.
Luca flashed his lights at me, catching up to me with little effort before he flicked his gaze toward me at the same time I did.
My mouth split into a smile and it was exhilarating knowing he couldn’t see it. Hidden just like the confusing feelings I had for him.
He nudged his head to the left before steering that way and I slowed down to follow him.
After a few minutes, we pulled up to a familiar white building, the area scarce from passerby’s.
I removed my helmet and stared up at the art museum I’d met Luca at for the first time.
My heart pounded behind my rib cage as I peered over at him. “What are we doing here?”
“You said your first impression of me wasn’t memorable, so I’m. . . redeeming myself.”
I did but only to spite him. “I thought you already did that when you smeared your blood across my lips?” I asked sarcastically, crossing my arms over my chest.
He lowered his head but not before I caught a glimpse of his grin. “I did, didn’t I?” He almost sounded pleased by what he’d done.
“Yes, you did, and I’d rather not repeat it.”
“Pity.” He walked toward me until our feet were touching. “A date then.”
I quirked a brow at him as butterflies swarmed in my stomach. “You don’t seem like the type who goes on dates.”
His eyes bore into me, deep enough to leave a scar on my soul. “That’s because I’m not.” He pulled a set of keys out of his leather jacket and nudged his head to the side. “After you.”
“Oh, cause you’re such a gentleman,” I hissed under my breath before striding toward the stairs.
The warmth of his chest pressed against my back as he leaned into my ear. “Only for you, piccola ribelle.” He placed a kiss beneath my ear, and I felt my resolve crumble right before my eyes.
He gave me affection so casually as if it were a normal occurrence for us. As if he’d given it to me a thousand times before.
When he unlocked the main door, I followed him inside, the automatic lights casting dimly in the foyer.
We walked down the hall until we reached the main display room. It appeared exactly the same as I remembered it except this time the art pieces weren’t erotic.
My eyes widened, captivated by the focus of these designs. Each piece was an intricate display of colorful chaos, harsh strokes and edges blurring along the canvas.
It was extraordinary and unlike anything I’d ever seen before .
I moved along the room, appreciating the uniqueness of them all until one had me pausing before it.
My chest caved as I stared at the peculiar creation. It was a black and white shading of a figure caged in an hourglass. The upper half of its body was intact, hands reaching toward the confined space of its entrapment and the bottom half was spilling down to the bowl where time ceased.
“What do you see?” Luca’s voice broke the silence, reminding me he’d always been there.
I didn’t understand why he’d brought me here or what his intentions were but there was something about the irony of this situation that had me sharing a glimpse of myself.
“Moments are short-lived.” I could feel the heat of his gaze against the side of my face as I stared at the artwork that resonated with me far beyond any verbal interpretation of what I felt. “And time doesn’t wait for anyone.”
My voice echoed around the room, cementing my fear against the crafted walls and I wanted to hide.
Luca didn’t say anything, but I could feel him watching me, stripping me under his scurrility and it became unbearable to be near him when his presence was all-consuming.
With a shaky breath, I turned my head and caught his eyes, the emotion flickering in them weakening me down to the bone. Every second that passed, I could sense myself succumbing to this tragedy.
He lifted his hand, a lone finger tracing a path from my cheekbone down to my chin. “I never stood a chance,” he whispered as his gaze lingered to my mouth .
I didn’t know the meaning behind his words but the expression on his face was enough to make me understand. It was the softness around his fervid eyes, the scrunch between his brows and the downcast of his smile that pulled me deeper into him.
“Why did you bring me here, Luca?” My voice sounded hoarse to my own ears, wavering slightly. “This art. . . ”
“ I watch you, Irina. So, the next time you get lost in that head of yours, just know that I’m there with you.”
His words slammed into me with such force, I took a step back. He’d said this to me once before but the gravity of them weighed differently now. He wasn’t only telling me; he was showing me.
My pulse raced beneath my skin, my breathing turning shallow as the pressure in my ears intensified.
Anyone but him. Please. Don’t let it be him.
He nudged under my chin, breaching through my unnerving thoughts and crossed the room, pausing at the exit for me to join him.
I aimlessly followed him into another area of the museum, too busy sorting through my turmoil of emotions to take notice of the glass ceiling above us until Luca turned the lights off.
It was a replica of the one in Luca’s house, only this time, the stars shined so brightly, I tilted my head in awe for a better view.
“Do you like it?” he asked, standing beside me.
“I. . . ” When I looked at him, a knowing gleam sparked in his eyes causing my heart to thud against my chest. “You knew. ”
He shrugged, a playful smile crossing his mouth lazily. “You were in my house.”
He said it so casually as if it was the only reasonable justification.
How long had he been watching me that day, lurking in the shadows like a psychopath when I was too enamored by the view in his home?
“You’re truly something else,” I whispered. “You know that?”
He tilted his head in amusement. “Is this your way of flirting with me?”
“You wish, Luca Canaveri.” I felt my own lips twitch into a small grin.
If there was a moment in time that I could freeze between us, it’d be this. The mind-numbing trance of free falling into the pleasurable unknown and all it took was one enchanting stare from him with the silence of the starry night above us to make me feel this way. I didn’t want it short-lived, I wanted it over and over again.
He clapped his hands once as he walked backward toward the center of the room where there was a pile of pillows and blankets on the floor. “The view is better from down here,” he said, a light energy radiating from him.
It was hard to believe he’d never been on a date before when he’d set up one so perfectly, it left me jarred.
“I hope you’re hungry.” He continued speaking to me, opening containers but it sounded far away as if I was drowning, a suffocating pressure crushing me.
It became hard to breathe, the familiar sensation of a harsh grip around my neck, clawing at me and pulling me under .
I stumbled back, clutching my shirt as my body trembled in anxiousness.
The moment Luca looked up at me from what he was doing, I couldn’t take it anymore. Pretending that this was normal and allowing myself to be oblivious in this false fantasy where he and I could ever be.
I backed away in the direction of the archway as he took a step toward me, his hand reaching out to me as confusion dawned on his face.
With my heart in my throat, I ran out of the museum, hearing Luca’s footsteps close behind.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins, blood heating and pulsing beneath my skin as I stumbled out of the museum doors and climbed on my bike.
“Irina!”
I pushed the kickstand up with my foot and drove away as he reached for me, his fingers ghosting over my shoulder.
The air whipped across my face, my eyes glossing over, and I couldn’t tell if it was from the wind or unshed tears.
I wanted to get away. Not only from Luca but from everything that made me who I am.
Lights flickered in my direction, a blaring horn following it.
I didn’t have to turn to know who it was. I leaned forward with a frustrated exhale and accelerating until I couldn’t see or hear anything but the harsh beat of my heart pounding in my ears.
I didn’t want to feel the hollow ache in my chest anymore, where it deepened the longer my emotions festered .
I didn’t want to feel at all.
A cold relief slithered down my spine as I sped up, the empty road ahead a dark canvas.
The looming presence of danger and catastrophe dissipated, leaving behind acceptance in its place.
It only took a split second. A shift in balance and I lost control.
I couldn’t stop the inevitable as I fell off the bike, my body hitting the ground hard and knocking the breath out of me.
It must’ve been the adrenaline that blocked the pain as I skidded across the cement because I didn’t hurt anymore.
My father always told me riding would lead to my death, and the thought made me smile. If only he could see me now.
I blinked up at the sky, feeling the darkness sink down on me and I sighed, closing my eyes.
“ Fuck .” Suddenly, I was jolted up, strong arms holding me. “Irina.” A firm tap on my cheek had me staring at the one person who never let me go.
One touch from Luca and the pain burst along my body in an unbearable pang.
I whimpered as he picked me up, gazing down at me with a profound desperation etched across his sharp features.
“You’re going to be okay, I promise,” he whispered, and his words sank right into the cracked parts of my heart.