37. Irina
Chapter 37
Irina
T he weight of sleep held me under, warmth seeping into my skin from the body pressed against my back.
A deep voice drifted to me, whispering sweet promises into my ear and pulling me out of my drowsy state.
I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face when his arm wrapped around my torso, pressing me further into him—if that was even possible.
“I’m having trouble breathing here, you brute.”
Luca’s rough chuckle slid along my spine as he moved me around as if I weighed nothing and set me on top of him, my knees on either side of his hips. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
He placed my hands against his chest, giving me balance as a high spiked through me.
I caught sight of the bullet wound scar on his chest, guilt gnawing at me.
With a finger, I traced over the surface before pressing my lips to it until I found myself kissing every single visible scar.
Luca grabbed me by the hair—stopping my exploration—and brought my face close to his. His gaze bore into mine with an intensity that could set me on fire. “What are you doing?”
“Appreciating your beauty.” My smile widened as his forehead creased in confusion as if he was appalled by the concept.
He flipped us over, so I was under him now and a giggle escaped me. Deep whiskey eyes held me captive, pupils dilating and consuming me in its darkness.
“I think that’s my job,” he said, kissing the scar across my eye before playfully peppering kisses along my jaw, mouth and nose causing my laughter to grow.
Happiness. He was my happiness.
Waking up in Luca’s arms was one of my favorite things ever. It was the best way to start my day, easing my anxieties before they even had a chance to arise.
So, when I’d woken up for the second time this morning without the warmth of his body cuddling me, I sighed in disappointment.
I sat upright, reaching for my phone to check the time and froze.
I couldn’t have missed the gleaming diamond even if I’d tried .
He didn’t. . .
As I brought my hand up to my face—inspecting my ring finger as if it was a foreign object—the door opened.
My heart thrashed wildly against my chest when I caught Luca’s heated gaze, his caramel eyes darkening in satisfaction as it dropped to my hand.
“What is this?” I asked, glaring at him as I lifted my hand in the air.
He strode into the room with ease and took off his leather jacket, exposing the white tee shirt he wore underneath, the fabric hugging his muscles deliciously.
I felt my resolve fading by the mere sight of him. Damn him. I was a weak, weak woman.
“When I told your father I’d put a ring on your finger, I meant it.”
“Usually, you get on one knee and ask an important question, no?” I scoffed, unsure why irritation was an emotion I was feeling when I wasn’t surprised by his actions at all. “Or, I don’t know, maybe waking me up first?”
The brute had the audacity to chuckle, the sound rippling across my skin. “The end result would’ve been the same.”
“Bold of you to assume I’d say yes.” I didn’t back down from his stare, even when he’d rounded the bed to my side.
Instead of sitting down as I expected him to, he kneeled on the floor in front of me. He grabbed my hips and turned me toward him until my feet touched the cold floor. “And now you don’t have a choice.”
His snarky replies usually grated on my nerves, but as he looked up at me with such tenderness, all I could think about was how I didn’t want anything more than I wanted Luca Canaveri.
“You saying you don’t want to marry me, Irina?” His question came out in a hoarse whisper, pulling at my heart strings.
I caressed the back of his head, the short strands of his hair pricking my fingertips. “Never.” Leaning down, I pressed my forehead to his. “I’m yours. I’ve only ever been yours.”
His mouth split into a sweet smile, the broadest I’d ever seen before he pulled me into his lap, kissing me senselessly.
“Irina Canaveri,” he chanted between each peck, and I completely melted against him, never wanting the feeling of falling for him to go away.