Chapter 3 Luca Vale
LUCA VALE
The eeiry silence of my apartment clawed at my skin like a cat that had been caged for too long.
I stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows of my high-rise, staring out at the city that loved and revered me like a god.
My practice gear was in a heap by the door where I'd dropped it.
I should have showered and eaten something.
Should have done literally anything other than stand here replaying the last four hours on a loop.
Reina.
Twelve years and her name still tasted like a prayer dripping from my lips as if it were warmed honey.
I turned away from the window, my eyes landing on the bookshelf in the corner. Most of it was filled with hockey memorabilia, trophies and game pucks and photos from championship wins. But there was one frame I kept separate from the rest, tucked back where most people wouldn't notice it.
I walked over and picked it up.
Three kids stared back at me from the photograph, grinning at the camera with missing teeth and grass-stained knees.
Fourth grade, maybe fifth? Reina was in the middle, her blonde hair in two puffy buns on either side of her head, wearing a dress that was already dirty from playing.
Jaxon was on her left, one arm slung over her shoulders, his smile wild and carefree.
And I was on her right, standing a little straighter, already trying to be the responsible one even then.
We'd made a pact that day. Sealed it with juice boxes and pinky promises.
Friends forever.
The memory hit me like a punch to the chest.
"We're gonna be best friends forever," Reina had said, her voice serious in that way only nine-year-olds could manage. "Right?"
"Forever," Jaxon had agreed immediately. "We'll never leave each other."
I'd nodded, solemn and certain. "Forever."
Forever had lasted until she was fifteen.
I set the frame down harder than I meant to, the sound sharp in the quiet apartment. My jaw was tight, my fists clenched. The rational part of my brain knew I should let it go. She'd had her reasons for leaving. The incident had been traumatic for everyone involved.
But the part of me that had spent twelve years wondering if she was alive, if she was safe, if she ever thought about us, that part wanted to put my fist through the wall.
Her scent.
Christ, her fucking scent.
It had been different when we were kids.
Sweeter, lighter, manageable. But today, when it had spiked in that hallway, it had hit my system like a freight train.
Category Red didn't even begin to cover it.
Every instinct I'd spent years controlling had roared to life, demanding I claim her, protect her, never let her out of my sight again.
Heat crawled through my body at the memory.
The way she'd looked pressed against that wall, her eyes wide and dark, her scent pouring off her in waves. The way her hands had felt against my chest, pushing me away even though I could smell her arousal mixing with the fear.
I was hard.
Fuck.
I headed for the bathroom, yanking my shirt over my head as I went. The shower was already running by the time I kicked off my pants, steam filling the space. I stepped under the spray, letting the hot water pound against my shoulders.
It didn't help.
My hand wrapped around my dick almost on instinct, my head falling back against the tile. I shouldn't be doing this. Shouldn't be thinking about her like this. But my body didn't care about should or shouldn't.
All it cared about was the memory of her scent.
I stroked myself slowly at first, trying to maintain some semblance of control. But within seconds I was gone, my hand moving faster as images flooded my mind. Reina pressed against that wall. Reina's neck exposed as I traced it with my nose. Reina's voice, breathless and shaking, saying my name.
My grip tightened.
I imagined what would have happened if she hadn't pushed me away. If I'd given in to every instinct screaming at me to claim her right there in that hallway. My mouth on her neck, my hands pinning her wrists, her body arching against mine as I...
I came with a growl, spilling over my hand as my vision whited out.
For a moment, I just stood there under the spray, breathing hard. The release should have helped. Should have cleared my head.
It didn't.
If anything, I wanted her more.
Twenty minutes later, I was dressed and heading out the door. I needed a drink. Needed to be around people. Needed to do something other than stand in my apartment obsessing over a woman who'd made it very clear she wanted nothing to do with me.
Power Play was packed when I arrived.
The bar was owned by my younger brother Noah, and it had become the unofficial hangout spot for players and fans alike.
Neon signs advertising beer brands competed with jerseys hanging on the walls.
The sound system was playing some rock playlist loud enough that conversation required leaning in close.
Perfect.
I pushed through the crowd, nodding at a few teammates who called out greetings. Noah was behind the bar, mixing drinks with the kind of efficiency that came from years of practice. He spotted me and grinned.
"Little Brother," he called over the music. "Usual?"
"Yeah."
I was halfway to the bar when her scent hit me.
My entire body went rigid the second it filled my senses.
No. No fucking way.
I turned slowly, scanning the crowd. It took me a second to spot her, tucked into a corner booth with Shayla, the head photographer I'd met a few times. They were laughing about something, drinks in hand, looking like they'd been friends for years instead of hours.
Reina.
Here.
Noah’s bar.
The universe was either helping me or torturing me, and I couldn't decide which. I made my way to the bar, keeping her in my peripheral vision. Noah slid a whiskey across to me and I downed half of it in one swallow.
"Rough day?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
"You have no idea."
"Want to talk about it?"
"No."
He shrugged, already moving on to the next customer. That was the thing about Noah, he knew when to push and when to let things go.
I was debating my next move when a hand landed on my arm.
"Oh my god, you're Luca Vale."
I turned to find a blonde in a Frost Kings jersey that was three sizes too small, her smile bright and predatory. Puck bunny. I'd seen her here before, seen dozens like her. They came for the players, not the hockey.
"That's me," I said, trying to keep my tone neutral.
"I'm such a huge fan," she continued, pressing closer. Her scent, generic floral perfume and Beta pheromones, did absolutely nothing for me. "I've been to, like, every home game this season."
"That's great. Thanks for the support."
Her hand slid from my arm to my chest. "Maybe you could sign something for me? Or... we could go somewhere quieter?"
Over her shoulder, I could see Reina watching. Her expression was carefully blank but I caught the way her jaw tightened, the way her fingers gripped her glass a little harder.
She was jealous.
The realization sent satisfaction curling through my chest.
"Maybe later," I told the blonde, gently removing her hand. "I need to talk to someone first."
I started toward Reina's booth but the blonde followed, clearly not taking the hint. Shayla spotted me first, her eyes widening slightly before she kicked Reina under the table.
Reina's head snapped up.
Our eyes met and I watched her entire body tense.
"Reina," I said, stopping at the edge of their booth. "Can we talk?"
"I'm busy," she said, her voice cool.
"It'll just take a minute."
"She said she's busy," Shayla interjected, though there was amusement in her voice. "Maybe try again never?"
The blonde chose that moment to plaster herself against my side. "Luca, come on. Let's go dance."
"I'm not really..."
"Please?" She batted her eyelashes. "Just one dance?"
I was about to refuse again when I caught the look on Reina's face. That carefully controlled mask had slipped, just for a second, and underneath it was something that looked a lot like hurt.
Good.
Let her feel a fraction of what I'd felt for twelve years.
"Sure," I said to the blonde, my eyes never leaving Reina's. "One dance."
The blonde squealed, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the makeshift dance floor. But dancing wasn't what she had in mind. Within seconds, her hands were everywhere, her body grinding against mine in a way that was more proposition than dance.
I let it happen and enjoyed the movements of the other woman.
I locked eyes with Reina as the puck bunny bent over, riding the beat of the music her ass firmly against my dick. I saw her jaw tighten from across the room when my dance partner turned around and began trailing her fingers over my chest and going lower…
"Bathroom," I said roughly gripping her wrist. "Now."
Her eyes lit up with triumph.
I led her through the crowd, toward the hallway where the bathrooms were located. The rational part of my brain was screaming that this was a terrible idea. That I was being petty and childish and cruel.
I didn't care.
The bathroom was single-occupancy, thankfully empty. I locked the door behind us and the blonde was on me immediately, her mouth seeking mine. I turned my head at the last second, letting her kiss my jaw instead.
"On your knees," I said.
She didn't hesitate, dropping down with practiced ease. Her hands went to my belt and I let my head fall back against the door, closing my eyes.
This was a mistake.
But I was too angry, too frustrated, too fucking desperate for any kind of release to stop it.
She got my jeans open and pulled me free. Her mouth wrapped around me and I groaned, my hand fisting in her hair.
My dick throbbed with pleasure, even though my mind screamed with protest. My nerve endings sparked with some sort of sick satisfaction. The revenge that I was feeling felt like a hollow victory against Reina even though I couldn’t stop wanting her.
Her scent hit me a second before I heard the soft gasp.
My eyes flew open and there, in the doorway I could have sworn I'd locked, was Reina.
Her eyes were wide, dark with shock and something else. Something that made her scent spike so hard it filled the small bathroom, drowning out everything else.
She was turned on.
The blonde between my legs hadn't noticed, too focused on her task. But I couldn't look away from Reina. Couldn't stop watching as her pupils dilated, as her breathing quickened, as her body responded to the sight of me getting sucked off by someone else.
Her scent was everywhere now, thick and intoxicating. Category Red with something underneath it that was pure arousal, pure desperate need.
"Reina," I managed, my voice rough.
She took a step into the bathroom.
Then another.
The blonde finally noticed, pulling off with an annoyed sound. "Um, excuse me… Occupied?"
But Reina wasn't looking at her.
She was looking at me.
And the heat in her eyes was going to kill us both.
It hit me then what I was doing, and instantly my dick softened as a feeling of dread took over my stomach. I looked down at the puck bunny who was still on her knees.
"Get the fuck out," I spat.
She gave a huff. "Are you serious right now?"
"Out. Now." I growled and yanked her to her feet roughly.
She gave another huff and shook me off her. "Whatever, your dick isn't even that big."
Ignoring her, I turned my focus solely back to Reina. The door to the bar's bathroom slammed behind the blonde and then it was just a quiet silence hanging between Reina and I.
With ease, I tucked my dick back into my pants, the feeling in the pit of my stomach still the same. My heart had begun to hammer against my rib cage but the scent coming off Reina had me ready to go feral.
"What are you doing in here?" I finally asked stepping forward.
Under my gaze Reina's jaw tightened and of course she didn't give answer right away, just crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the door.
Finally she spoke, "I was looking for you."
"Well..." I shrugged. "You found me."
Her lips eased into a smile. "I did..."
My thumb itched to run itself over her full bottom lip.
Fuck, I thought.
"Reina, look, what do you want? I tried to talk earlier and you didn't wanna hear shit I had to say."
"Nothing," she shook her head as if clearing away some sort of fog. "I shouldn't have bothered you."
She straightened and turned to leave but I couldn't let her go that easy. Not yet, and so I was on her faster than ants on sugar. Spinning her around to face me yet again, I pushed her up against the wall. "But you did bother me, Sweetheart."
She stared up at me and before I knew it, Reina's mouth was on my own and her scent was flaring. My body instinctively bucked against hers, pinning her to the door. Our mouths started to move together frantically, and her tongue was sliding against my own in some sort of desperation.
Twelve fucking years.
She'd had me wondering for twelve years how she'd taste. How her body would feel under my fingers.
Now I didn't have to imagine it anymore, because she was real now. My fingers found her waist and I pulled her against me hard enough to leave marks.
The rational part of my brain told me to get us out of the bathroom and somewhere clean and sanitized. But the other part, the irrational part, said to stay and keep kissing Reina.
Never let her go, I thought.
She pulled back from me, sucking in a breath. "What am I doing?"
"Let me kiss you," I whispered resting my forehead against hers as I sucked in the scent of her.
Earlier, at the hockey arena I'd tried to understand her smell. Now, in the bathroom of this bar, above everything else. I could smell it now.
Lilies and a hint of cinnamon. That was Reina's smell and I wanted to wallow in it.
"I need to go," she whispered again. "Let me go, Luca."
"Wait," I whispered again. "When can I see you again, Reina?"
I felt her push against my chest and briefly wondered if she could feel my heart thumping away.
"You can't," she said quickly and before I could comprehend it she was out of the door.
Leaving again, I thought as the bathroom door slammed shut behind her.
Fuck!
The frustration hit me like a ton of bricks and I found myself at the bathroom sink staring at my reflection. Reina was back and my world was spinning out of control.
I needed her.
Didn't she know that I'd never be able to let this go now. I gripped the edge of the sink until my knuckles turned white. The fluorescent bulbs overhead seemed to buzz above the mirror.
Twelve years.
There was no way I was going to let her go. And I knew part of Reina knew that too but I'd let her go for the night. We both needed to adjust. To get our bearing but soon, I'd have her.
I would fucking claim her.
Knot her tight pussy until she couldn't walk straight for a week.
Damn, I thought.
Even now, her scent was stirring things inside of me that I'd never felt before.
I had to have her.
Mark her.
Make her mine.