Chapter 20
“Touch me,” I begged. A shiver of unease crept down my spine as soon as I said the words, but fucking hell, I wanted to feel her hands on me.
I”d stood in the shadows at the back of the club when I arrived, my eyes locked on Luna as she swayed and spun around the pole on the stage. The pulsing beats of the music had faded into the background, drowned out by the pounding of my pulse in my ears. I”d clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached, my hands curling into fists at my sides as I watched her move, her body glistening with a light sheen of sweat under the flashing lights.
The hunger inside me had grown with every passing second, twisting and clawing at my insides like a rabid beast. I”d wanted to storm the stage, to throw her over my shoulder and carry her out of this fucking place. Away from the leering eyes of the men in the audience, their gazes crawling over her skin like filthy insects.
Everything went red, and my blood had boiled with a rage I”d never known before. It set every nerve in my body on fire. I”d wanted to rip their fucking eyes out, and still did, to make them pay for daring to look at her like that.
Luna was mine, and mine alone.
And I was hers.
For months, I”d teetered on the brink of death. And the only thing that kept me in this world was the need to know if Luna was okay, or if Gino had taken her from me too.
I couldn”t die. Not yet. Not until I knew whether she”d be waiting for me.
So I”d fought, clawing my way back from the abyss with every ounce of strength left in my broken body. My recovery had been pure hell, each day an endless struggle of pain and frustration. But through it all, through the countless surgeries and agonizing physical therapy sessions, I”d clung to the memory of her like a lifeline. The thought of holding her in my arms again, of burying my face in her silky hair and breathing in her intoxicating scent, had kept me going when I wanted to give up.
Her body had never been found, and neither had her brother”s. Somehow, the two of them had made it off Luca”s property. And since Gino was dead, I could only assume one of them had killed him.
Then they”d run.
As soon as I was able, I”d torn apart the city looking for her, driven by a desperate, all-consuming need to find her and bring her back to where she belonged—with me. Nothing else mattered. Not the family business, not my own well-being. Only her.
She was mine, and I would have her back at any cost. No matter what it took, no matter who I had to hurt or kill in the process. I would find her, and I would never let her go again.
It took me a few weeks, but I finally tracked her down. And now it almost didn”t seem real that I finally held her in my arms again.
”Touch me,” I ordered, stronger this time. I”d waited so fucking long for this.
With shaking hands, she unbuttoned the top buttons of my shirt, pushing the fabric aside to press her palms against my chest. I sucked in a breath through my teeth, the feeling once again foreign as her fingertips traced over the raised scars beneath my collarbone.
”More,” I rasped.
Her cobalt eyes searched my face for a long moment, then she dropped her gaze and continued with the buttons until my shirt hung open. As she parted the fabric, her gasp resonated through the room.
”Oh, Tristan,” she breathed, her voice thick with the weight of unshed tears.
With gentle urgency, I captured her hand and pressed it against the center of my chest, reveling in the burn of her touch, and allowing her to feel the steady rhythm of my heart. The bullets had left new scars to add to my collection, one last memento from Gino, and they were still fresh, but I was still here. And so was she.
I shrugged off my jacket, letting it fall forgotten onto the couch behind me. My shirt followed. As I gathered Luna in my arms once more, the sensation of her bare skin against mine was overwhelming, making my head swim and another shudder ripple through me, stronger than before. I groaned aloud, desperate to be closer even as my body revolted against the sensation.
Luna tried to pull away.
”No.” Don”t let go. Don”t ever let go.
”But…”
”I just need a minute,” I whispered.
She held perfectly still, giving me time to adjust to the feeling of her body against mine again. I focused on the steady rise and fall of her chest, syncing my breathing with hers, and slowly, the tension drained from my muscles and the hunger returned.
Would she ever be able to touch me without me reacting like this? I didn”t know, but I hoped so, because I wanted nothing else than to have her hands on me whenever she wanted, just like this.
I”d waited for this moment for what felt like an eternity, and now that it was here, I found myself savoring the anticipation even as my body screamed at me to take her, possess her, make her mine.
Luna turned her head and pressed a kiss to a fresh scar near my heart and I sucked in a breath. Even in heels, the top of her head barely came up to my chin.
She continued to kiss each new scar, the sensation of her warm lips and wet tongue on my damaged skin both strange and exhilarating. Her tears wet my skin, and I absorbed her pain, adding it to my own. I would take it all from her. Everything she had to give. I wanted it all.
”I need you,” I whispered, my voice rough with emotion.
Lifting her head, her blue eyes met mine, and I could see everything she was thinking and feeling. I waited, allowing her to make the choice. I would have her, either way, but I wanted to see what she would do.
I lowered my head and brushed my lips against the corner of her mouth. A rush went through me when I felt her tremble. ”I need to be inside of you,” I murmured against her mouth.
Her eyes closed, and she swayed toward me.
”Dance for me, Luna.”
She still hesitated, but only for a moment. With her hands on my chest, she pushed me until the backs of my knees hit the couch and I sat, positioning her on my lap. I reached down, my fingers sliding between her thighs. She was wet and ready for me, her body trembling with anticipation. I groaned when I felt her need for me, my own body responding in kind.
Lifting onto her knees, she reached down and unfastened my slacks, sliding her hand inside my boxer briefs. Her breath caught and her eyes flashed to mine when she found me.
The feel of my cock in her small hand was…indescribable.
But I wanted to be inside of her. I needed to be inside of her.
Reaching down, I moved the scrap of material covering her sweet pussy and guided myself inside, feeling her wet heat tighten around me as I sank into her all the way to my balls.
She cried out, and I went still, giving her a second. But I didn”t stop. I couldn”t stop. Pulling her down to me, I wrapped my arms around her. ”Mine,” I breathed against her throat.
Slowly, she started to dance.
I couldn”t get enough of her. The way she moved. The way she felt. The way she tasted. I wanted to feel her come on my cock. On my mouth. Wanted to take her sweet ass. I”d been without her for too long, and now that I had her back, I was never letting her go.
Luna rode me hard, her fingers digging into my shoulders as she threw her head back and cried out my name. I groaned hearing it, my hands gripping her hips as I thrust up into her, savoring the feel of her tight heat surrounding me.
”Fuck, Tristan,” she panted. Her eyes squeezed shut as she moved faster, chasing her release.
I leaned forward, capturing her nipple in my mouth as I drove deeper, harder. She cried out again, her cunt squeezing my cock as she came apart in my arms. I followed her over the edge, my own release tearing through me violently.
And when it was over, Luna collapsed on top of me, her heart pounding in time with mine. I held her, my eyes burning, so many things spinning around inside of me I felt like I would fall off the edge of the world if she wasn”t there for me to hang onto.
The curtain swung back, and a large form appeared in the opening, lights flashing behind him. ”Hour”s up,” he told me.
Pulling the small pistol from the concealed holster on my calf, I pointed it at his face. ”Get out.”
But he wouldn”t leave without checking on Luna, and for that, I decided I would aim for his knee and not put a bullet through his skull.
”Luna?”
”I”m all right,” she told him. ”We”re good.”
When he didn”t see any signs that she was lying, he said, ”Call me if you need me.” Then he let the curtain fall closed.
With the barrel of the pistol, I brushed her long, dark hair back over her shoulder. There were still so many things left unsaid between us, but we would have a lifetime to talk.
”You”re coming home with me,” I told her.
”I know,” she whispered.
Laying the gun on the cushion beside me, I took her face between my hands and pulled her down for my kiss.