Chapter 4
Sienna
Three hours after our wedding ceremony, the penthouse doors swung open, and this time, everything felt different.
Same space. Same floor-to-ceiling windows with rain lashing against them. Same expensive art and soulless perfection.
But last night I'd been a captive. Tonight, I was his wife.
"Welcome home, Mrs. Romano," Luca said, his voice thick with mockery as he loosened his tie. The title landed differently now—heavier, more permanent than it had been last night when he'd first used it.
Lightning flashed, briefly illuminating his face—all sharp angles and predatory intensity.
I dropped my small clutch on the sleek marble countertop I'd passed a dozen times last night during my restless pacing. But I didn't survey the space like I had then. I already knew every corner of my gilded cage.
"Still not my home," I said, moving toward the windows. "Marriage certificate doesn't change that."
Luca smirked, pouring amber liquid into two glasses—the same crystal decanter I'd touched last night. "Most prisoners don't get upgraded from captive to wife in twenty-four hours."
"Most jailers don't kiss their captives like you kissed me at the altar."
His hand stilled for just a beat. Bullseye.
"Careful, principessa," he drawled, handing me a glass. "Someone might think you enjoyed it."
I accepted the whiskey but didn't drink. "Someone would be delusional."
He watched me over the rim of his glass, eyes tracking every movement as I walked the perimeter of the room. The weight of his gaze prickled across my skin.
"So, what now?" I asked, gesturing around us. "We play happy couple until... when exactly? Until you've squeezed every advantage from my family name? Until one of us ends up with a bullet between the eyes?"
"Until it's no longer necessary." He shrugged out of his jacket, draping it over a chair with practiced ease. "Could be months. Could be years."
"Years?" I barked a laugh. "You must be joking."
His eyes narrowed. "Do I look like I'm joking?"
I set my untouched drink down with a sharp clink. "I won't survive years of this."
"Of what exactly?" He stepped closer, invading my space with his height, his scent, his sheer presence. "Living in luxury? Being protected? Having every whim catered to?"
"Of being owned."
Something flashed in his eyes—a darkness I couldn't name.
"You're not owned. You're protected. Big difference."
My father had said something similar once—cold, dismissive, final. "Love is a weakness. Loyalty is currency." That day I stopped hoping for freedom. And now here I was, being positioned again.
"Semantics from a man who just branded me with his family name." I curled my lip.
His gaze dropped to my mouth, lingered there. "The Romano name keeps you alive."
"At what cost?"
Luca didn't answer, just knocked back his whiskey and set the glass down with controlled precision.
He unbuttoned his cuffs, rolling up his sleeves to reveal forearms corded with muscle and marked with intricate tattoos.
My eyes tracked the movement against my will—the flex of tendon, the dark ink swirling across olive skin.
Even this simple act felt deliberate, dangerous.
Heat flickered low in my belly, unwanted and infuriating.
The silence stretched between us, charged with everything we wouldn't—couldn't—say. The same electricity that had sparked in the chapel crackled in the air now, setting my nerves on fire.
"You think you can defy me, Sienna?" Luca's voice was low, dangerous, his Eastern European accent rolling over the words like thunder.
He took a step closer, expensive suit jacket hanging open, and I caught his scent—expensive cologne layered over something darker, more primal. Something that made my traitorous body want to lean in instead of back away.
"You think you can run from what's meant to be?"
I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze with a defiance I didn't feel. The problem was, defiance was becoming harder to sustain when he was looking at me like that—like I was something he wanted to devour. And worse, when some traitorous part of me wanted to let him.
"I'm not yours to control, Luca. This marriage is a sham, and we both know it." My voice trembled, despite my efforts to keep it steady.
I was trapped, bound by circumstances beyond my control, forced into this fake marriage to prevent a war between our families. But Luca... Luca was a wild card, unpredictable and ruthless. And he wanted more than just a political alliance.
At least Isabella was safe at boarding school, away from all this. Surrounded by teachers and security I'd personally vetted. That was the only silver lining to this nightmare—my baby sister was protected, even if I wasn't.
Luca's lips curled into a smirk, his eyes flashing with a dark intensity. "A sham, is it? Then why do I feel your heat from across the room, Sienna? Why do I see the way you look at me when you think I'm not watching?"
He took another step, closing the distance between us, his presence overwhelming. "You can't hide it from me. I know what you want."
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. Luca's words struck a chord deep within me, resonating with a truth I tried to deny.
My pulse hammered in my throat—he was close enough now that if he reached out, if he touched me, I wasn't sure I could maintain this facade of hatred.
And that terrified me more than anything he'd done tonight.
There was an undeniable attraction between us, a raw force that drew us together like magnets.
But it was complicated, tainted by the circumstances of our union.
I wanted to hate him, to resist the pull, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
"You're mine, Sienna," he growled, his voice a rough whisper. "And it's time you accepted it."
Before I could respond, Luca's hands were on me, his touch impatient and demanding. He gripped the expensive fabric of my dress, his fingers digging into the delicate material as he tore it with a sharp tug.
The sound of ripping silk filled the air, a violent, sensual noise that sent a shiver down my spine. My breasts were exposed, the cool air caressing my sensitive skin, and I gasped, eyes widening as Luca's mouth descended.
Before I could catch my breath, he lifted me, his strength absolute as he carried me the few steps to the bed. My back hit the mattress, and he followed me down, his body covering mine, trapping me beneath his weight.
His lips closed over my nipple, his tongue swirling, his suction hard and insistent.
I arched off the bed, my hands grasping at the sheets, my body responding to his touch despite my best efforts to resist. Luca's mouth was hot, his teeth grazing my skin as he suckled, his hands roaming over my body, mapping every curve.
"Fuck," I moaned, my voice thick with desire.
I tried to push him away, but my efforts were half-hearted, my body betraying me. Luca's touch was addictive, his mouth a torment, and I was lost, drowning in a sea of sensation.
His hands slid down my body, his fingers tracing the curve of my waist before dipping lower, slipping beneath the waistband of my panties. I gasped as his fingers found the damp heat between my legs, his touch ruthless and demanding. He growled against my skin, his breath hot and hungry.
"You're already soaking wet for me, aren't you?" Luca's voice was a rough whisper, his words sending a jolt of desire through me.
I bit my lip, my eyes closing as his fingers delved deeper, his touch relentless.
"You bastard," I hissed, my voice strained.
My hands tangled in his dark hair, pulling him closer, urging him on. I was a mass of contradictions, torn between hatred and desire, between resistance and surrender.
Luca's mouth trailed down my body, his lips leaving a trail of fire in their wake. His breath was hot against my skin, his tongue a wicked torment as he lapped at my core, his hunger palpable. I cursed his name, my body arching, my hands gripping his hair, holding him to me.
"God, Luca," I moaned, my voice a plea. I was lost, drowning in a sea of pleasure, my body responding to his touch with a ferocity that scared me.
Luca rose, his body looming over me, his pants unbuckled, his cock thick and flushed, jutting out from the fly of his trousers.
He gripped my thighs, spreading them wide, his eyes dark with need as he positioned himself at my entrance.
He teased me with slow, agonizing strokes, his cock gliding against my damp flesh, driving me wild.
"Tell me you want this," he commanded, his voice rough, his eyes burning into mine.
I snarled, my pride warring with my desire. "Just fucking do it, Luca," I snapped, my voice hoarse.
Luca's eyes flashed, his expression fierce. With a growl, he slammed into me, his cock filling me completely, the force of it stealing my breath. I cried out, my nails digging into his shoulders as he began to move, his hips snapping against mine, the bed creaking with each thrust.
The rhythm was relentless, Luca's cock pounding into me, his body a powerful force that drove me to the edge. I met him thrust for thrust, my body desperate and wild, my walls clenching around him, milking him, drawing him deeper.
"Fuck, Sienna," Luca cursed, his voice a rough growl.
His teeth grazed my ear, his breath hot against my skin. His hands gripped my ass, lifting me, taking me deeper, his cock burying itself within me.
The pleasure was overwhelming, a fever pitch that built and built, threatening to consume me. I was lost, drowning in a sea of sensation, my body convulsing, my cries filling the room.
"Come for me," Luca growled, his voice a command.
And I did, my body shattering, my release a screaming torrent that ripped through me. I cried out his name, body convulsing, walls clenching around him as he followed, his release hot and relentless, filling me completely.
Luca collapsed on top of me, his weight heavy but not unwelcome, his breath ragged against my neck. I lay still. My body was still trembling, my heart pounding in my chest. The air was thick with the scent of sex, the sound of our labored breathing filling the silence.
"Hate me all you want," Luca murmured, his voice a rough whisper. "But you'll never convince me this isn't real."
I smirked, my hand coming up to touch his cheek, my fingers tracing the line of his jaw. "We'll see about that," I whispered, my voice soft but challenging.
Luca's eyes met mine, his expression intense, his gaze searching. For a moment, we held each other's gaze, the air crackling with unspoken words, with questions left hanging.
What was real—the hate or the desire?
The question lingered, unanswered, as Luca rolled off me, his body settling beside mine. I lay there, my heart still pounding, my body still humming with the aftermath of our passion. The room was dim, the curtains still drawn, casting us in a sultry gloom.
Outside, the world continued to turn, oblivious to the storm that had raged within these walls. But here, in this moment, everything was uncertain, everything was up for grabs.
And as I lay there, Luca's arm draped over my waist, his breath evening out as he fell asleep, I couldn't help but wonder what the future held.
Would I succumb to the desire that burned between us, or would I hold onto the hate that had brought us together?
The answer was far from clear, lost in the haze of passion and uncertainty.
But one thing was certain—this was far from over.
I stared into the darkness, the truth settling over me like a shroud.
This was a mistake. Because now, he wasn’t just my captor. He was becoming the one man who could break me.