Chapter 11
Luca
“I hate to bring it up,” I sigh, running my fingers through Perry’s hair.
“Bring what up?” she asks, raising her head and resting her chin on my bare chest.
We’re still tangled up in bed together, and I want nothing more than to enjoy this moment with her forever. But I know the threat is still out there, and we need to talk about how to eliminate it.
“About those men. About the future.”
The light dims in her eyes. “Yeah, you’re right,” she says quietly. “I’m not sure what to do. I should probably leave town. I can try to disappear.”
“His ego is bruised now. I don’t think he’ll stop looking for you. We can run if you want to, but I hate the thought of you always on edge, always looking over your shoulder for them to catch up with us.”
“Us?” She blinks.
I frown. “Obviously. I love you, Perry. I’m not letting you go. Not ever. I thought that we already agreed to all that.”
“I know… I guess I thought that you might have second thoughts after all this. I thought that was why you were bringing it up,” she admits.
I growl, shaking my head at her. “You’re never getting rid of me. I’m never changing my mind about you,” I promise.
“There has to be a way to stop them,” Perry muses.
“I can look into them. I have friends in the government who can help. I’m sure there are agencies trying to make a case against the Bianchi family.”
“Get them arrested?” Perry whispers, staring at me wide-eyed.
“Or I can kill them,” I offer.
She shakes her head.
“No, I just… Won’t getting them arrested piss them off? I don’t want them all coming after me. Maybe they’ll forget about me after a bit?”
“I wouldn’t.”
She rolls her eyes. “Well, yeah, but you’re you.”
I don’t know what that means, but I don’t bother asking. Perry thinks she’s not worth the effort, but she’s the type of woman who men start wars over. If anyone tried to take her from me, I would burn the whole damn world down to get her back.
“I can reach out to my friends,” I tell her. “Do some digging. We can build a case against them and take the whole damn family down. Then you’ll be safe.”
“Okay,” she says after a moment. “Let’s look into it.”
“You might have to testify,” I warn her. “I’m not sure what the FBI or anyone has on them yet, but I’ll check.”
She looks nervous at testifying, but then my brave girl takes a deep breath and nods. She looks so brave at this moment, and if I wasn’t already hopelessly in love with her, that look would have made me a goner.
“I’ll make a few calls and see about getting a meeting set up,” I tell her, pulling her back down to my chest.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“I’d do anything for you, Pumpkin.”
She smiles at the nickname, and I tug on her white-blonde hair until her mouth lands on mine.
I cradle the back of her head and deepen the kiss instantly, needing to feel her safe and alive in my arms. She melts against me with a quiet sigh, her soft curves fitting perfectly against my body.
Every part of her feels like it was made for me.
Her tongue brushes mine, tentative at first, and a growl rumbles out of my chest. Perry shivers at the sound, but she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she presses closer and kisses me with more confidence.
Fuck, this woman destroys me.
I roll us until she’s beneath me, careful to keep most of my weight off her. Her hair fans across my pillow, and I pull back just to look at her.
Her cheeks are flushed. Her lips are swollen from my kisses, and her light blue eyes stare up at me with so much trust that my chest tightens painfully.
“What?” she whispers.
“You’re beautiful.”
Her gaze drops away from mine. “Luca—”
“No.” I catch her chin gently, bringing her eyes back to me. “You don’t get to argue with me about this. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
A shy smile curves her lips. “You might be biased.”
“I am. Doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”
She laughs softly, and the sound settles inside me. I want to hear it every day for the rest of my life. I want to wake up beside her, make her breakfast, and kiss that smile onto her face whenever the shadows from her past creep in.
I lower my mouth to hers again, kissing her slowly this time.
I try to pour everything I feel into it.
Every promise I haven’t figured out how to put into words.
Every plan I’ve already made for our future.
Every savage, possessive part of me that wants to lock every door and keep her tucked safely in my arms forever.
Perry’s hands slide over my shoulders before one of them moves into my hair. Her fingers tighten around the strands, and the small sting sends heat racing through me.
I drag my lips along her jaw and down the delicate curve of her throat. Her head falls back, giving me more room, and I press a kiss over the frantic beat of her pulse.
“You’re mine,” I growl against her skin.
“Only if you’re mine too,” she moans.
I lift my head and stare down at her. “Pumpkin, I’ve been yours since the first second I saw you.”
Her eyes soften as she pulls me back to her. Our mouths meet harder this time, all the tenderness giving way to hunger. Her nails scrape lightly over my scalp as I kiss her again and again, unable to get enough.
I never will.
She arches beneath me, and my control fractures.
I slide a hand down her side, memorizing every soft curve as her breathing turns ragged.
I squeeze her ass, then my hand snakes between us, finding her wet and ready for me.
When my thumb brushes her clit, she makes a needy little sound against my mouth.
That sound nearly finishes me.
I jiggle that little bundle of nerves beneath my finger, my mouth attacking hers. Perry clings to me, her fingers tugging the strands of my hair as she writhes beneath me. I grind the palm of my hand against her little pearl as I thrust one finger inside her tight channel, then two.
I stretch her there, my fingers working her higher as I spear my tongue into her mouth to tangle with hers. Her hips rock against my hand, and I groan as I feel her pulse around my digits.
“Ah!” she cries out. “Luca!”
My lips latch onto her neck, and I suck there, leaving a mark as my fingers continue to tease her, prolonging her orgasm.
“Fuck,” she gasps.
I smile, my lips finding hers once again. She kisses me, nipping at my bottom lip as I gently pull my fingers out of her dripping pussy.
I pull back long enough for both of us to catch our breath, resting my forehead against hers.
“We still need to talk about us,” I mumble against her lips.
She sucks in a breath. We’re still breathing heavily as she pushes up onto her hands and knees. She presses on my shoulders until I roll onto my back. I grip her hips, helping her straddle me. When her soft hand wraps around my cock, guiding me to her tight hole, I grit my teeth.
“Fuck, the things you do to me,” I groan.
“I haven’t done anything yet,” she whispers seductively.
Her hips rock, and she takes the tip of my dick into her wet heat. My eyes almost roll back in my head at the sensation of her pussy cinching tight around my cock. She’s still so wet, so hot from her orgasm, and my cock slips in easily.
“Yes,” she moans, her nails scraping my pecs as she works herself down my length.
I watch her in awe as she rides me. She’s so fucking sexy, so beautiful.
Her face is flushed, her cheeks a rosy pink.
Her hair sways around her shoulders with her movements, and I reach up, wrapping the locks around my fist. I use that leverage to tug her head back, then lean up and kiss my way down the column of her neck.
“Luca,” she cries, her hips bucking faster against mine.
“That’s it. Ride me harder. I want to watch you fall apart,” I tell her.
My hand tightens in her hair, and Perry cries out, her nails biting into my chest as she grinds down on my dick. Wet slaps create a symphony, and I thrust my hips up, meeting her downward strokes perfectly.
“Luca,” she gasps as she approaches her peak.
Her eyes darken and lose focus, getting that hazy, love-drunk look again. I grit my teeth, holding back my release. Perry arches, her face tipping up to the ceiling as she bounces up and down my thick pole.
“Oh, God,” she shrieks, going off like a bomb.
I grit her name out from between my teeth as I follow her over. We come together, our bodies still rocking, grinding, and straining together as we wring out every ounce of our pleasure.
We’re covered in a thin sheen of sweat as Perry collapses against my chest, her hair tickling my chin. I wrap my arms around her waist, holding her to me as we relax, enjoying the post-sex glow.
“What were you saying about us?” Perry mumbles, still struggling to catch her breath.
I wrap my arms around her waist, rolling her under me. She gasps as my cock stays buried inside her, and I kiss her neck.
My hand finds my bedside table, and I yank open the drawer, reaching inside to pull out the little velvet box.
“Luca!” Perry gasps, her eyes widening when she sees what I’m holding.
“Perry, I love you. I want to keep you safe. I want to make you laugh. I want to make you happier than you’ve ever been in your entire life. Will you let me?” I ask, opening the lid of the ring box.
She gasps at the diamond ring inside, tears springing to her eyes. “Luca.”
I smile, pulling the ring free. “Marry me, Pumpkin,” I say softly.
She sniffles as I slide the ring onto her finger. When my eyes meet hers, she nods. The tears slip free, and I brush them away from her cheeks.
“I love you,” I murmur against her lips.
“I love you too,” she says, her arms wrapping around my neck.
She’s mine, I think as my hips pull back and slide forward.
Perry gasps, clinging to me tighter as I make love to her, memorizing everything about this moment. I want to remember the day she agreed to be mine for the rest of my life.
All mine. Forever.