Chapter 38
LUCA
Sophia and I sneak back into the reception, her face flushed, as if nothing ever happened. The rest of the reception goes by in a blur, not because of the alcohol but just because I’m exhausted from all the planning, and I just want to get Sophia home.
“I think it’s time we give the happy couple some privacy,” Diego says, and the crowd boos but eventually settles down.
“I want to say goodbye to Rosa,” I say with a frown, looking around for Agnes.
Sophia clutches at my shirt. “No. She’ll freak out and want to come with us.”
“And?”
“And you’ll let her!” She frowns at me. “I need some alone time with my husband.”
A thrill runs through me. “Say it again.”
“What?”
“Husband.”
She grins, tilting her chin up as she looks at me. “Husband.”
I groan, leaning down to kiss her, and it gets a little hot and heavy until someone clears their throat.
I look up to see Arturo standing there, his face blank.
I smile at him. “Hey, Art. How’s it going?”
“I’m about to head out, just wanted to say goodbye.”
“You’re not leaving Aruba already?”
“Your father needs my help.”
I go silent. I feel a slight amount of guilt for everything’s that happened to the Rossi empire.
“Look. He made his choices,” Arturo says, obviously seeing the guilt all over my face.
I nod. “You’re right. He chose to trust Nico and it blew up in his face.”
Sophia squeezes my hand and I look down at her.
She gives me a small smile. “Why don’t we head back to the house? Everyone’s getting ready to go anyway.”
We say our goodbyes, hugging people and waving and slowly walking out to the limo. I open the door for her and stuff in her dress, barely having enough room for myself as I get in and close the door.
There’s a sea of fabric between us and Sophia fights at it, making me laugh out loud.
“I can’t wait to get out of this thing.”
“I can’t wait to rip it off you.”
“Don’t you dare! There’s a gazillion buttons on this thing and we paid too much money to—”
I cut her off with a kiss, laughing against her mouth.
“Fine. No ripping the expensive dress. But you know I could buy you five more as keepsakes.”
“Maybe, but Rosa needs a future, too,” she says stubbornly.
I don’t tell her there’s enough money for Rosa’s great-grandchildren to live high on the hog.
“And maybe I should get a job,” she continues as I let down the window for some fresh air.
I scoff. “A job? Why?”
“It’s not exactly fulfilling to sit at home counting our money.”
“We have people to count our money for us.”
She laughs. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. I guess I just haven’t ever lived like that. I always had to make a living. To take care of Rosa.”
“Well, you did enough taking care of her to last a lifetime. It’s my turn, now. And she’ll never do without.”
We pull up to the house and I get out first, pulling Sophia out and all of her bunched up dress.
She waddles to the steps and I scoop her up with one arm, bracing myself on the railing with the other as we walk up the stairs.
She squeaks. “You’re gonna drop me.”
“I’m not going to drop you, pixie. I got you.”
She holds onto my neck for dear life, but I don’t stumble. I’ve healed completely even though Sophia still worries.
There’s a medic here, not Charlie, but a medic nonetheless, and he’s given me a clean bill of health.
“You’re going to pop a,” she starts, but I cut her off.
“There’s no stitches to pop anymore, baby, remember?”
She pouts up at me as I sit her down on the bed. “I just worry about you, Luca.”
“I know you do, belissima. But you don’t need to worry anymore. I’m all healed and I’m not getting into more trouble. I promise you that.”
“Thank god,” she whispers. “I can’t be worried you won’t make it back every time you leave the house.”
“With you and Rosa here, I’ll barely have to leave.”
I’ve already shed my suit jacket somewhere back at the reception, so I unbutton my shirt and tug it off.
She reaches up to trail her hand along my zipper scar and I shiver.
“You could have died,” she mourns, her blue eyes watering.
I grab her wrist with my hand, circling it with my fingers. I bring her hand up to brush my lips across her knuckles.
“But I didn’t. You called for the medic and saved me.”
“If the EMTs hadn’t been there—”
“But they were. Scott made sure they were.”
“I miss him.” Her lips tremble.
I chuckle. “Did too much champagne make you maudlin?”
“A little.” She pouts again. “Maybe I need food.”
“What does your heart desire, pixie?”
“Burgers. Greasy ones. With shoestring fries,” she says, grinning up at me.
“You work on getting out of that damned dress. I’ll call the chef.”
I watch her, bemused, as she tries to wiggle out of the dress, only getting out of a couple of the petticoats.
I make the order and help her with the rest, my fingers deftly working on the small buttons as I sweep down her back.
When the food arrives, she’s finally out of her bra and taking deep breaths.
“Is it really that hard to breathe in them?”
“With a dress like that? You have no idea,” she says, gasping for air.
I chuckle. The dress pools on the floor as a knock makes me turn toward the door.
I meet our chef at the door, pressing a hundred into his hand. He grins at me and gives me a salute, some of our only communication because he doesn’t speak English very well.
“Make sure you tip Jorge well,” Sophia nags, and I roll my eyes, still smiling.
“I always tip well.”
“Rich people should tip well.”
“What else should rich people do, pixie?” I ask, curious, giving her a half-smile.
“Love their wives.”
“Well, that’s easy, isn’t it?”
She looks at me curiously, arching her back as she lies on her stomach. I bite my lip, my dick twitching in my slacks as I put a hand on her bare ass. She’s naked now, all her curves on perfect display in my bed. Exactly where she belongs.
“How come you weren’t mad at me when you found out I lied to you?”
“I always knew you were lying, pixie,” I say calmly. We’ve had this discussion a hundred times. Sophia has some idea in her mind that she deserves to be punished.
I punished her enough before I realized I loved her.
“But you weren’t angry?”
“I was in love,” I say earnestly. “Too confused to be angry. We both lied to each other, pixie, didn’t we?”
“Did you lie to me?”
“I lied to myself. Told myself I hated you for leaving. For lying.”
“But you didn’t?” Her voice is small and I slip out of my slacks, getting into bed in just my boxer briefs. I pull her close, but her shoulders are tight.
“No. I didn’t. Just hated myself because I didn’t have you.”
“And now?”
“Now? Things are different, pixie. I have you. And Rosa. And everything I need.”
“You don’t miss it?”
“Miss what?”
“The life.”
I hum, thinking about it. “Sometimes. Some parts of it. I don’t miss the two-faced smiles, the way people only respected power. I don’t miss the drugs or the booze or the chaos. I miss Diego, but he visits.”
“That’s how I feel. I miss the people but not the lifestyle of being a cop,” she admits.
It’s the first time she’s talked about leaving the force.
Of course, it’s not like they gave her a choice. She’s listed as one of my accomplices.
“Do you regret it?”
“Leaving Chicago PD?”
I nod, my heart racing a bit. What if she does? What if she wants to go back?
She slowly shakes her head, and my heartrate slows.
“I don’t regret a single decision I made. They all brought me here. With you and Rosa.”
Sophia climbs into my lap, straddling my hips and pressing her hot core down against my growing erection.
“I have plenty of regrets, but none about you,” I say honestly, my hands bracing on her hips. I watch her hips roll, her breasts bounce. It’s a better view than the beach from our bedroom, and that’s saying something.
She scoots back on my thighs to pull down my boxer briefs, freeing my erection. My dick is at full mast now, and bounces against my belly.
I take myself in hand as she positions herself above me, and the way she slowly lowers herself on my cock makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“Sophia, fuck,” I curse, and she smiles at the praise, taking my hands and placing them on her breasts. I let out a long breath and squeeze, loving the way her peaked nipples press against my palms. “Wish you could see how fucking good you look riding me. I need to invest in a ceiling mirror.”
She throws her head back, laughing, arching her back as the laugh turns into a moan.
I could watch her do this all day. I grit my teeth as she starts to bounce on my cock. Well, maybe not all day. I definitely won’t make it more than a few more minutes if she keeps up that pace.
I guide her along my dick with my hands on her hips, bouncing her when her thighs start to tremble.
“Oh, Luca,” she gasps, and I know she’s close.
“That’s it, pixie. Make a mess. Come all over me,” I rasp, and she cries out my name, grinding her hips down when she comes.
I feel her pussy clenching around me and I groan loudly, taking hold of her hips and bouncing her wildly, thrusting up into her. She doesn’t mind, her moans starting to stutter as she goes limp in my grasp.
I roar when I finally come inside her and she giggles, collapsing against me and kissing all over my face.
“You like me on top,” she teases. “You always come so fast.”
“Who wouldn’t with your perfect tits bouncing in my face?” I ask incredulously. “That’s not fair.”
“I’m not saying you’re a minute man, Luca.”
“I’ll recover in a few minutes, show you what a minute man is.”
She giggles. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“Says you.”
She pulls away to look down at me. I’m softening inside her, and the sunlight streams through the window just right, illuminating her face.
“I love you, Sophia Rossi.”
“I love you more, Luca Rossi,” she says softly, and I shake my head, cupping her face with one hand.
“No one’s ever loved anyone as much as I love you.”
“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” she asks, and kisses me again.