Chapter 95
ALEX
Luca led me through the hallway by the hand, taking one turn after another until we descended the stairs into the basement.
A chill rolled down my arms when my feet hit the bottom landing.
For a moment, the stone floor brought me back to the room where my kidnappers tortured me.
Only time and distance would heal the physical and emotional wounds those monsters left behind.
I stopped to catch my bearings, and Luca tugged on my hand.
He noticed my hesitation and slid his fingers beneath my chin. “What’s wrong, beautiful?”
“It’s nothing.” I rolled my shoulders. “Just thinking about those assholes.”
“We’ll find them. And when we do, you will get your revenge. I won’t stop looking until I rip their heads from their bodies.”
“I need it to be over so I can move on.”
Luca ran his thumb across my lip. “It will be over soon. I promise.”
We continued walking down the long hallway in silence. Lamps hung on the stone walls, illuminating a pathway to the wine cellar. My nose turned up at the scent of moss. I sneezed a few times, and Luca handed me his Brunello Cucinelli pocket square.
Only the best for the king .
I took it reluctantly, not wanting to blow my nose with an expensive piece of silk. Money meant nothing to Luca. He knew, one way or the other, he could always make more. But I had a hard time spending the money I made on frivolous purchases.
Luca stopped at a solid glass wall and pressed his hand to the scanner. A green light flashed along with his name on the screen, and then the door slid to the right, allowing us entrance.
We stepped into the temperature-controlled room. The door sealed behind us, and Luca went straight for a rack on the far right side of the room.
Luca uncorked a bottle of red wine and set it on the table, grabbing two more bottles from the racks. “Want a taste?”
I nodded, and he poured wine into my mouth.
Luca took a swig and licked his lips. “My dad got a new shipment last week. What do you think?”
“Sweet. Fruity.”
I knew nothing about wine other than it tasted good. You would never catch me sniffing glasses or doing any of the shit I’d watched Luca and his father do over the years. Just pour me a glass and leave the bottle. That was my motto with drinking wine.
Luca laughed. “Not very insightful.”
“It’s good. That’s all I know.”
“Open up.” He rested the bottle against my lips, and I drank more wine.
We drank silently for a few minutes, passing the bottle back and forth like old times.
On our first night together, we downed a bottle of champagne.
I still remember how hard my heart pounded as I sat beside Luca.
He made me feel things I hadn’t understood as a young girl.
But now that I was an adult, I knew those butterflies in my stomach were nothing compared to how much I loved him now.
I wrapped my fingers around the neck of the bottle, and electric shocks sparked my skin from his touch. He’d always had this effect on me. His skin was warm and soft, not what you would expect from someone who killed men with his bare hands.
Luca moved between my thighs and hooked my legs around his back. He set the bottle on top of a cask and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, losing myself in the moment, forgetting everything but us.
He gripped my hips and lifted me. Then he spun us around so he was sitting, and I straddled his lap. Moving his hand up the inseam of my thigh, he tickled my skin, taunting me as he pushed my panties to the side.
He slammed two fingers into me with so much force he tore a moan from my throat.
“Luca,” I whispered against his lips.
He withdrew his fingers and added a third, thrusting into me again as he filled me. His skilled fingers worked my inner walls, pushing past the thin barrier to make room for another. It wasn’t long before I came so hard my orgasm rocked through both of us.
He sucked on his fingers and slid some of my juices across my lip. “I can’t get enough of your pussy.”
I reached for his zipper. “Good. Because I can’t get enough of your cock.”
I unzipped his pants and stroked his length. He was so long and thick, and he filled me to the hilt as he thrust into me. Luca spread me open, breaking through my walls. I rode his cock, and he groaned as I cried out his name.
“Rub your clit for me.” He moved my dress up to my stomach and held it there, staring down at my pussy. “Touch yourself.”
I did as he asked, and his eyes filled with lust and insatiable hunger. His teeth grazed my neck as we fucked. I bit him back and slipped my hand beneath his shirt, clawing at his back. He loved it when I hurt him during sex and got off on the pain.
His teeth dragged along my skin. It hurt, just like his cock, but it felt too good when my orgasm took over.
He covered my mouth with his free hand to silence me.
Each time his teeth scraped my skin, Luca did the same with his cock.
My entire body hurt, numb from all my battle scars, but it was the good pain that sent a ripple of pleasure down my body.
I screamed his name until it was nothing more than a whisper on my lips, my throat raw and scratchy.
“That’s it,” he growled against the shell of my ear. “Come for me, Queen D.”
He kissed me like he wanted to swallow me whole, devouring me with the madness that fueled him. When Luca buried himself deep inside me, it was as if he was somewhere else. And we were somewhere else. I followed him down the rabbit hole, chasing my thigh, desperate to feel more connected to him.
An orgasm rocked through me like a hurricane, its violent force causing my entire body to tremble. Luca invaded my mouth with his tongue until I hit the peak of my climax. He gripped my hips, his body jerking several times, and then he came inside me.
My Devil held me in his strong arms, leaning back against the cask as he brushed his lips against mine. “We should get back to our guests, Mrs. Salvatore.”
I apprised the giant engagement ring on my finger and smiled. “I love the sound of that.”
“Me too,” he muttered.
Then he kissed me.
When we found our way upstairs, Bastian, Damian, and Marcello joined Kali and my brother.
Bastian sat on Kali’s right with his hand on her thigh while Damian slid his arm across her neck.
Kali beamed with delight, smiling so wide I could tell they made her happy.
I never understood why she ran from Devil’s Creek three years ago.
We’d never discussed why she left. I wondered if it concerned her father and not the Salvatores. I also considered the loving girlfriend act to be a show.
My sandals tapped the pavers, and Aiden glanced over at me with a smile.
He stopped talking to Marcello, whom he’d become closer to since our move to Devil’s Creek.
Back then, I hadn’t realized they were friends.
I had assumed Marcello was feeding Aiden the wrong information at Luca’s request to torture him and annoy me.
I set a bottle of wine and two glasses on the table in front of Aiden. “Do you still like Merlot, or has that changed?”
He nodded, then studied the label on the bottle. “This is the good shit.”
“Nothing but the best,” Luca said, dropping two more bottles on the table with the rest of the glasses.
“And for the record,” Aiden said to me under his breath. “I haven’t changed. We’re still Aid and Lexie.”
I touched his shoulder. “We’ll get back there, eventually.”
As much as I loved my brother, I wasn’t sure we could return to how we used to be. But we could try. We had changed in the past year, but not for the better.
Luca poured wine into the glasses and passed them around the table.
He raised his glass in the air, and we echoed his movement.
“While we have all of you here, we wanted to tell you something.” Luca grabbed my left hand, and the diamond on my finger gleamed in the sunlight. “Alex has accepted my proposal.”
Kali squealed. “Congrats, girl!”
I returned her smile. “Thank you.”
She sipped from her glass. “When are you getting married?”
“Would you let me finish?” Luca said to Kali.
She sat up straight and slapped on a fake smile. “Sorry. Go ahead, Luca.”
He cleared his throat with an annoyed expression on his face. “As I said, Alex and I are getting married in a few weeks. We would like all of you to be part of our wedding.”
“Aiden is my man of honor,” I told him.
Luca scowled. “What the fuck is a man of honor?”
“Like a maid-of-honor but a man, silly.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Luca snapped.
“I don’t care what you think,” I challenged. “I want Aiden on my side of the aisle.”
“But he’s a Knight. He belongs on my side.”
I rolled my eyes. “Does it matter, Luca? Either way, your side of the aisle will have more people. Kali is my only bridesmaid, and you know how I feel about my family.”
“The Belles will take part in the wedding,” he said in a firm tone.
“Aiden is with me. Non-negotiable.”
“Fine. Whatever you want. We have more important things to worry about.” He pressed his lips together. “Marcello,” Luca said in an authoritative tone. “You will be my best man.”
I burst into a fit of laughter.
Luca glanced down at me. “What now?”
“You can’t order everyone to be at our wedding. It’s customary to ask. Nicely, I might add.”
Kali chuckled softly and shook her head when our eyes met. She knew Luca was acting like an ass. He was so used to ordering people around that it hadn’t even occurred to him to ask his brothers to be at our bridal party.
“Men don’t ask,” Luca shot back. “We tell. Marcello, you’re my best man. Bastian and Damian, you two are my groomsmen. Aiden, I guess you’re Alex’s whatever the fuck she wants you to be. And Kali, you’re tasked with getting the younger Belles to join us.”
Kali leaned her elbows on the table and looked at Luca. “Sonny’s sister, I’m assuming?”
“Yes. Drake’s sister, too. Make the introductions.”
“Luca,” I groaned. “Stop being so bossy.”
He dipped his head down until our lips almost touched. “I am the boss. In the bedroom and this fucking town. Get used to it, wife.” He lowered his voice and whispered in my ear. “Keep talking back, and I’ll take you upstairs and spank your ass.”
“Jesus, Salvatore,” Aiden complained. “Can you at least wait until I’m not around? She’s my sister.”
His nostrils flared as he looked at my brother. “Don’t tell me how to talk to my wife.”
“Okay, you two,” I interjected. “I hate when you fight. Can you please get along?”
Kali tapped her nail against her glass. “I think a toast is in order.” She raised her glass in the air. “To the happy couple!”
“ Cent’anni ,” Luca said, a traditional Italian salute, as we tapped glasses.