Chapter 14
I tossed my keys on the counter. The day had been long, business taking up more time than I had planned and all I wanted was a few hours of sleep. Maybe a good fuck if Alessa agrees.
I walked, glancing toward the closed bedroom door. The second I pushed open the bedroom door, I expected to find her there curled up in bed. Maybe still angry. Maybe pretending to be asleep.
But the room was empty. The bed was untouched. Still neatly made.
I frowned.
I checked the other rooms. The one she had stormed into last night. The bathroom? The closet? Empty. She wasn't here.
A slow, sharp irritation started building in my chest.
I pulled out my phone, dialing.
"Send me the building's footage." I said the second the call connected. I didn't expect her to leave, she didn't even have a way to leave the penthouse.
Minutes later, a file popped up on my phone. I tapped it open, my jaw clenching as the footage played.
The screen flickered showing the building lobby. I skipped forward watching as Alessa walked straight to a car.
Fucking Dario.
My grip on the phone tightened. So she ran home.
I shouldn't have cared. It wasn't like I had given her a reason to stay. Hell, I hadn't expected her to. She was never supposed to be anything more than a duty, a wife on paper, a necessary alliance.
And yet, something about her leaving without telling me grated on me. Because this wasn't over. I didn't chase women but she was my wife. She belonged here, with me.
???????
The tires screeched as I pulled up to the Rossi estate, barely giving the engine time to settle before I yanked the door open and stepped out. The guards at the entrance stiffened as I strode past them. They didn't try to stop me. Smart.
I stormed through the grand foyer.
Then, a voice.
"Luca?"
I turned to see Isabella Rossi, Alessa's mother standing near the staircase surprised.
"Where is Alessa?" I asked, my tone sharp.
"She is in her room." She said, still trying to process my arrival.
"Where?" I asked again.
Isabella let out a slow breath. "Luca, why don't you...."
"Where?" I cut her off. I wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.
A beat of silence. Then, with the smallest shake of her head she gestured upstairs.
I didn't wait for more. My steps were heavy as I took the stairs two at a time, my irritation building with every second.
She thought she could just leave? Just walk away without a word?
Not happening.
I reached the top of the stairs, heading straight for her room. Without hesitation, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
And there she was, sitting on the bed.
She straightened after seeing me. "What are you doing here?"
I didn't answer. Just let my gaze drag over her, taking in the way she stood, the tension in her frame like she was preparing for a fight.
"You left." My voice was controlled.
Her chin lifted. "You didn't want me there."
"That's not your call to make."
Alessa scoffed, shaking her head "You are unbelievable. You disappear all night, don't tell me where you are, come home covered in bruises like it's nothing and I'm supposed to just sit there and wait?"
"Yes" I said simply.
She let out a humorless laugh. "Of course you think that."
I pushed off the door, closing the space between us in slow steps. She didn't flinch, didn't move back.
"You don't get to walk out." I said, my voice low in a warning. "Not from this."
"This?" Her brows pulled together. "There is no this, Luca. This is an arrangement. Nothing more."
I tilted my head slightly, watching her, reading every flicker of emotion crossing her face. She was mad. She had every right to be. But I didn't care.
"I told you from the start, Alessa" I said, "I'm not the kind of husband you want."
She swallowed but her gaze didn't waver. "And I'm not the kind of wife who waits around to be treated like an afterthought."
Before she could take another breath, I grabbed her, backing her into the wall in one swift move. Her gasp barely had time to leave her lips before my hand wrapped around her throat, not squeezing, just holding, keeping her exactly where I wanted her.
Her fingers curled around my wrist, not to fight, just to hold on. Her chest rose and fell too fast, her pulse fluttering beneath my thumb.
I leaned in, my mouth just inches from hers. "You don't get to run from me, carina."
My grip tightened just a little, enough to make her eyes widen, enough to make sure she understood. "Not now. Not ever."
My other hand slid lower, tracing the curve of her waist before skimming under her dress. Her breath hitched the second my fingers brushed her thighs.
Alessa swallowed, trying to steady herself, trying to ignore the way I had her caged against the wall.
"I'm not going back with you." Her voice was thin but she held her ground.
I hummed, dragging my lips along her jaw. "No?"
"No" she whispered.
I exhaled a quiet laugh, my hand shifting higher, my thumb tracing the seam of her panties. Not enough to give her what she wanted but enough to remind her of what she could have.
Her hips jerked slightly, instinct betraying her even as her fingers dug into my wrist as if to push me away.
I tightened my grip on her throat, just enough to remind her who was in control.
"You are saying no" I murmured, my lips brushing against the shell of her ear. "But your body says otherwise."
Her breath shuddered but she still turned her head away, stubborn. "You are arrogant."
I smirked, siding her panties aside and feeling her wet folds. "And you are wet."
Alessa sucked in a sharp breath but I didn't stop. Didn't move away. Just let my fingers skim along her folds, slow, teasing. A promise.
"Come home with me," I said, my voice smooth, controlled. "And I will finish this."
Her chest rose and fell too quickly, her fingers twitching against my wrist.
She opened her mouth to argue but I cut her off by slipping my finger just a little into her opening, enough to make her gasp, to make her eyes flutter closed for half a second before she caught herself.
Her grip on my wrist tightened again, this time pushing me away.
I let her.
I stepped back, adjusting my cuffs like I hadn't just had her pinned against the wall. Like I wasn't already thinking of all the ways I was going to make her give in.
"You can fight it all you want but you are coming home with me." I said with a final tone.
She exhaled sharply, her hands fisting at her sides. "You can't just come here and..."
"Take back what's mine?" I cut in smoothly.
Her jaw tightened. "I don't want to go back to how we were."
Something in my chest twisted, sharp and unexpected. My smirk faded.
Her lips parted slightly but she hesitated. Like she wanted to say something but wasn't sure if she should.
I tilted my head. "Say it."
Silence stretched between us.
And then, so softly I barely heard it.
"I want you to try."
My fingers twitched at my sides.
Try.
Try what? To be the husband she wanted? To pretend I was something I wasn't?
I let out a quiet scoff, running a hand down my jaw. "You think that's a good idea?"
"I think it's better than whatever this is." Her voice was steady but her hands were curled into the fabric of her dress.
"And if I don't?" I murmured, stepping so close she had to tilt her head back to keep looking at me.
She blinked up at me. "Then I will stop trying too." She said and this time she didn't hesitate.
Something cold settled in my chest at her words and I wasn't sure I liked that.