14
The hotel suite Luca had arranged for us was as luxurious as everything else he touched.
Marble floors, gold accents, and breathtaking views of the city—it was all beautiful and impossibly intimidating.
But it wasn't the setting of the suite that had my heart racing as I stepped inside.
It was the man standing just behind me, his presence as overwhelming as the room itself.
Luca had been quiet on the ride here, and that quiet had been far more unsettling than his sharp, commanding words. I could feel his gaze on me now, the weight of it pressing into my back as I placed my bag on the edge of the bed.
I couldn't bring myself to turn around.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. "Thank you." I said for saving me from creepy Becker
He didn't respond.
I busied myself with more of the unpacking, keeping my movements slow and deliberate, hoping he would leave and give me some space to breathe. But he didn't leave.
Instead, I heard the quiet click of the door locking, and my heart stuttered in my chest.
"Lenora."
The sound of my name—low, firm, laced with something I couldn't quite place—made me freeze.
"Yes?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.
"Look at me."
I turned slowly, my pulse pounding in my ears. Luca stood a few feet away, his hands tucked into the pockets of his suit trousers, his dark eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my knees weak.
"Did Becker make you uncomfortable?" he asked, his tone deceptively calm.
My throat tightened. "N-no. I mean, not really. It was fine."
He took a step closer, and I instinctively took a step back, my back hitting the edge of the bed.
"Don't lie to me, stellina," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
Oh god now he was definitely messing with my head.
"I—I'm not," I stammered, my hands gripping the fabric of my dress. "He didn't do anything wrong. He was just—"
"Just what?" he interrupted, taking another step forward.
I opened my mouth to answer, but the words wouldn't come.
He moved closer, and suddenly he was right in front of me, his tall frame looming over mine. His scent—clean, sharp, and undeniably masculine—filled my senses, making it impossible to think clearly.
"Do you know what I wanted to do to him?" he asked, his voice barely more than a murmur.
I shook my head, my breath hitching as his hand came up to brush a stray strand of hair from my face.
"I wanted to break his jaw for even looking at you like that," he said, his fingers lingering against my cheek. "For thinking he could flirt with you, touch you, without consequences."
My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it.
"But do you know what infuriated me even more?" he continued, his lips so close to my ear now that I could feel the heat of his breath.
"What?" I whispered, my voice trembling.
"You let him," he said, his tone soft but filled with unmistakable accusation. "You stood there, blushing, smiling, letting him think he had a chance with you."
"I didn't—" I started to protest, but his hand slid down to my chin, tilting my face up to meet his gaze.
"Didn't what?" he asked, his eyes boring into mine. "Didn't mean to? Didn't realize what you were doing?"
"I didn't want to be rude," I said, my voice shaking.
He let out a low, humorless laugh. "Rude?"
His grip on my chin tightened ever so slightly, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.
"Lenora," he murmured, his voice dropping to a dangerously intimate whisper. "Do you have any idea how tempting you are when you're so sweet and polite? So eager to please?"
I couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't breathe.
"That innocence of yours," he continued, his thumb brushing against my bottom lip as he his mouth drop closer to my ear, "it makes me want to protect you. But it also makes me want to ruin you," he breaths before his tongue darts out and slowly licks the shell of my ear.
Sweet Jesus.
I bit my cheek to make sure I didn't make a sound.
Eyes wide, my breath catching in my throat.
"I want to be the only one who gets to see you blush," he said, his lips hovering just above mine now. "The only one who gets to make you nervous, make you shiver."
I felt like I was caught in a storm, swept away by the intensity of his words, his gaze, his touch.
"Do you understand, stellina?" he asked, his voice low and commanding.
I would have collapsed if not for him having me caged under his gaze.
"Yes," I whispered, though I wasn't even sure what I was agreeing to.
"Good," he said, his lips curving into a small, satisfied smirk. "Because you're mine. And I don't share."
He released my chin and stepped back, his expression once again calm and composed, as if nothing had happened.
"Get some rest," he said, his tone returning to its usual authoritative edge. "We have a long day tomorrow."
And just like that, he was gone into the bathroom, leaving me standing there, my heart racing and my mind spinning.