LUCA 3
The drive back to Luca’s penthouse was tense, the silence thick as Phoenix sat beside him in the back seat of the sleek, black SUV. Her mind raced, every instinct telling her to run. But she didn’t know where to go—or if she could even escape the clutches of this man who now seemed to control her fate.
Luca sat with his hands resting on his thighs, his body a fortress of calm, but his mind was far from tranquil. The moment he had seen Phoenix, something primal had taken hold of him. He couldn’t explain it—it wasn’t just desire, though the hunger in him was real enough. It was something more, something dangerous. She was his now, and no one would take her away from him.
The streets of Palermo blurred past the tinted windows, but Luca’s mind was elsewhere, lost in the shadows of his past. His father, a ruthless tyrant, had instilled in him the belief that power was everything—power over business, over enemies, over women. Luca had hated him for it. Hated the way his father treated people as pawns in his game. But as Luca grew older, as he ascended to the throne of the Tempo empire, he realized that he was more like his father than he wanted to admit.
Power came with chains. Chains Luca had never been able to break.
Beside him, Phoenix shifted uncomfortably, her body stiff with fear. He could feel it—her defiance, her fear—and it only made him want her more. Luca turned his head, dark blue eyes piercing the side of her face. “You’re scared,” he said quietly, though it wasn’t a question.
Phoenix flinched at his words but didn’t respond. Her gaze was fixed on the window, as though willing herself to be anywhere but here. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how terrified she really was.
Luca reached out and grabbed her chin, turning her face toward him. “Look at me.”
Her green eyes flashed with defiance as they met his. “What do you want from me?” she demanded, her voice trembling despite her attempt at courage.
He smiled, a cold, unsettling smile that sent a shiver down her spine. “Everything.”
Luca didn’t become the monster he was overnight. His childhood was one shaped by violence, fear, and a constant need to prove his worth. His father, Alessandro Tempo, had ruled the family with an iron fist, showing no mercy to anyone who crossed him—including his own son.
Luca remembered one night, years ago, when he had been just a boy. His father had dragged him into the family’s underground bunker after a rival mafia boss had disrespected the Tempo name. Alessandro had ordered the man’s execution in front of Luca, forcing his son to watch the bloodshed without flinching.
"Power is everything," his father had said, the man’s blood still wet on his hands. "You show weakness, and you’ll lose it all."
Luca had vowed never to show weakness again. He had shut off the part of him that cared, that felt, and replaced it with cold, unrelenting control. But occasionally, something would break through that icy exterior—something like Phoenix.
The penthouse was vast, luxurious, and filled with shadows. Phoenix had never seen anything like it. The city of Palermo stretched out before the floor-to-ceiling windows, but it felt like a cage.
Luca guided her inside, his hand resting on the small of her back in a way that was both possessive and protective. “This is where you’ll stay,” he said, his voice steady, commanding. “You’re safe here.”
Safe. The word seemed almost laughable. Phoenix looked around, her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn’t safe—not from him.
“You can’t just keep me here,” she said, her voice small but filled with determination.
Luca turned to face her, his eyes dark and unreadable. “I can, and I will.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Why?”
“Because you’re mine now,” he said simply, as though that explained everything. “No one else is going to touch you. No one else is going to look at you. Not unless they want to die.”
The raw possessiveness in his voice was terrifying, but what frightened Phoenix more was the way a part of her responded to it. She should be fighting harder, should be screaming, running, doing anything but standing there, letting him claim her. But there was something about Luca that made resistance feel impossible.
She wasn’t weak—far from it. But Luca Tempo was a force of nature, and she was caught in his storm.
“I won’t be your prisoner,” she whispered, though even as the words left her mouth, she wasn’t sure she believed them.
Luca stepped closer, towering over her, his gaze burning into hers. “You think you have a choice?”
The air between them was thick with tension, so heavy it felt like the room itself was suffocating Phoenix. Luca stood in front of her, towering over her with those piercing blue eyes that seemed to strip away any defences she tried to put up. His presence was overwhelming—like a storm about to break loose—and Phoenix felt as though she was standing at the edge of a cliff, teetering between fear and something far more dangerous—desire.
“You think you have a choice?” Luca’s voice was low, dangerous, the kind of tone that made her shiver. There was no room for debate in his words—only cold, hard truth.
Her pulse raced, her hands trembling as she took a step back. But no matter how much distance she tried to put between them, she could still feel the pull of his presence, like he was drawing her closer without even needing to touch her.
“I won’t let you control me,” Phoenix whispered, but even she could hear the fear and uncertainty in her voice. Luca heard it too. His lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile, and she knew in that moment that he saw right through her.
“You say that” Luca murmured, his eyes darkening as he takes a step forward, closing the gap between them, “but we both know it’s not true.”
Phoenix’s breath hitches in her throat as he comes closer, her body tensing as she fights against the undeniable pull he has on her. She hates it—hates that she can feel her resolve slipping away the longer she looks into those dark, predatory eyes. Hates that she can feel the heat building between them, the desire she is too afraid to acknowledge.
“Stay away from me,” she demands, her voice shaky but filled with defiance. “You can’t force me into this.”
But Luca doesn’t stop. His eyes burn with a quiet intensity as he reaches out, his hand brushing a strand of hair from her face, his touch impossibly gentle for a man so dangerous.
“I don’t need to force you, bella,” he whispers, his voice soft and seductive, a promise laced with something far darker. “You’re already mine.”
Phoenix’s heart races in her chest, panic flooding through her. She knows she should push him away, should run, but her body is betraying her, her skin tingling at his touch, her breath hitching as he leans closer. Luca’s presence is all-consuming, and she can’t think straight—not with the way his eyes bore into hers, not with the way his breath ghosts over her skin.
“I’m not yours,” she said through gritted teeth, trying to cling to the last shred of resistance she had left. “I’ll never be yours.”
Luca’s smile widens, his lips brushing against the curve of her jaw, sending a shiver down her spine. “We’ll see about that.”
Before Phoenix can react, Luca’s mouth is on hers, claiming her with a force that stole her breath away. His kiss is demanding, intense, and utterly overwhelming. She tries to push him away, her hands pressing against his chest, but it’s like trying to move a mountain. He doesn’t budge.
Phoenix lets out a muffled cry of protest, her heart pounding in her chest as she struggles against him. But Luca doesn’t stop. His hand slides around the back of her neck, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss until all she can do is gasp for air. His lips move against hers with a fierce hunger, and no matter how much she fights, no matter how much she wants to resist, her body is betraying her.
Heat pools in her stomach, and she hates herself for it—for the way her body reacts to his touch, for the way her knees weaken under the weight of his kiss. It is wrong. It is dangerous. But it is also intoxicating.
Luca’s hand slids down her back, gripping her waist with possessive strength as he pulls her flush against him. Phoenix gasps against his lips, her mind spinning with panic, with desire, with a desperate need to escape before it is too late.
But it was already too late.
Luca’s lips trail down her neck, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin just beneath her jawline. Phoenix’s breath hitched, her hands clutching at his shirt in a weak attempt to push him away, but her body is betraying her. Her mind screaming at her to fight, but the heat of Luca’s touch, the way his mouth moves against her skin, is making it impossible to think.
“You can fight all you want,” Luca growls softly against her throat, his voice dark and filled with desire. “But we both know how this ends.”
Phoenix’s chest heaves with a mix of fear and want, her head spinning as Luca’s hands roam over her body, his touch both rough and tender in ways that make her body tremble. She can’t stop him. She doesn’t know how. Every time she tries to pull away, Luca is there, stronger, more determined, his desire wrapping around her like chains she can’t escape.
“Luca, stop...” Phoenix whispers, her voice breathless, pleading.
But he doesn’t stop. His hands grip the fabric of her dress, his fingers sliding under the thin straps as he presses her back against the wall. His mouth is on hers again, hard and possessive, leaving her gasping for air as her resistance slowly crumbles.
Her mind screams at her to fight harder, to push him away, but every time Luca touches her, her thoughts blur, her body melting under the intensity of his presence. He is everywhere—all around her, inside her mind, controlling her with just a touch, just a kiss.
“You don’t have a choice, bella,” Luca murmurs against her lips, his breath hot against her skin. “You’re mine. You’ve always been mine, you just didn’t know it yet.”
Phoenix whimpers, her body trembling as Luca’s hands roam lower, his fingers hooking under the hem of her dress and pulling it higher. Panic surges through her, but it is too late to stop him. She can feel the fabric tearing, can hear the sound of her dress ripping as Luca’s strength overwhelms her.
“No!” Phoenix cries; her voice filled with desperation as she tries to pull away. But Luca’s grip tightens, his eyes dark with possessive hunger as he tears the fabric from her body, leaving her exposed and vulnerable.
Her body shivers under his gaze, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps as she tries to cover herself, but Luca isn’t finished. His hands are everywhere gripping her hips, her waist, pulling her closer until there is no space left between them.
“You’re mine,” Luca growls, his voice low and commanding as he presses his lips to her ear. “And I’m going to prove it.”
Phoenix’s mind spins with terror, with helplessness, as Luca’s hands move over her body, his touch demanding and unforgiving. She knows she should fight harder, should scream, should do something—anything—but her body won’t obey. Every time she tries to push him away, her strength falters, her will crumbling under the weight of his dominance.
“I hate you,” she gasps, her voice trembling as tears well in her eyes. But even as the words leave her lips, there is a part of her that knows it isn’t true. She didn’t hate him. She hates herself —for wanting him, for craving the heat of his touch even as her mind screams for her to run.
Luca’s lips curl into a dark smile as he pins her wrists above her head, his body pressing her against the wall, caging her in. “You can hate me all you want, bella,” he whispers, his breath hot against her ear. “But that won’t change the fact that you’re mine.”
Phoenix squeezes her eyes shut, tears slipping down her cheeks as Luca’s mouth claims hers again, harder this time, more demanding. His hands move over her body, his touch rough and possessive, as if he is branding her as his.
There is no escape. No way out.
And as Luca tears away the last of her clothes, his body pressing against hers with a force that leaves her gasping for air, Phoenix realizes that she has lost. Luca has taken everything—her freedom, her will—and now, there is nothing left for her to fight with.
He has won.
His right hand is holding her wrists up above her head as his left hand moves over her breast, his touch intoxicating as he rubs her nipple. The traitorous bud pebbling in excitement, Phoenix gasps in pleasure, hating herself for the telltale. Her body is crying for more, and at the same time her brain is rebelling at the things Luca is making her feel.
He lowers his head, his mouth closing over one of her nipples, there is a gentle kiss before his teeth nip at her pebbled bud, the lightening burst of pain and pleasure that fires through her body is like a shot of adrenaline waking up her most lustful urges.
She wants to cry out in desire but refuses to give him the pleasure of knowing that he is awakening her body to his touch. A last attempt is made to pull her wrists free of his hold, but his strength is no match to hers. His fingers tighten, dissuading any further attempt.
He lifts his head from her breast to look deep into her eyes as his hand moves down to unzip his trousers freeing himself. There is a gleam of raw power in his eyes as he tempts her. Lowering her eyes, she gasps at his pulsing cock. Her heart is racing with fear, but there is also an excitement pulsing through her veins that is shouting for his possession.
She has only ever been with one man before, and that was only once, an experience she didn’t want to revisit as it was nothing like she had dreamed of. The sexual encounter had left her cold and frustrated, maybe because they were both virgins at the time, but it was enough to kill her childish dreams of passionate lovemaking.
Even though this was very different from anything she had ever thought passionate, the possessive, assured touch of Luca’s hands on her skin has her temperature at an all time high. Looking at the drop of gleaming precum on the tip of his impressive thick cock, my stomach flutters as my juices flow embarrassingly down my legs.
My eyes shoot back up to Luca and I see the gleam of victory in his eyes. Suddenly he is dropping my wrists as his arm snakes around my waist, and he turns me towards the wall. I gasp as my breasts flatten against the bricks, and then all thoughts rush out of my head as he plunges deep into my scorching depths.
I hear him groan, “fuck, you’re so tight” as he stills fully embedded. There is a feeling of such fullness, and a slight burn where he stretches my inner muscles. His strong arms flexing as he holds me, his body vibrating with raw passion. He starts to withdraw, and I unconsciously tighten around him which has him growling as he roughly plunges deeply again, the initial slowness is forgotten as he starts to ride me like a man possessed.
I would never have thought that his roughness would have excited me, but the way my body is blossoming, opening up to his thrusts has me gasping as every nerve in my body is revelling at this new sensation of deep excitement.
Until the feeling of standing on an edge is rising, and with one more deep thrust the world is shattering around me as the blood rushes through my body like an erupting volcano.
I hear as if from a distance Luca’s groan, as my insides are coated with his very essence. I realize at that moment that my legs have lost all strength, and if it wasn’t for Luca’s strong arm around my waist I would be sprawled on the floor.
My brain is telling me that I should be rebelling at the way Luca has taken over my body, my mind, but instead I am letting him pick me up and carry me to his bedroom. The will to fight has been extinguished, his strength, his possessiveness palpable. He has won, at least for now.