25. Luca
Luca
Iscoop Sarah up off the sand the second she says yes. Her arms fly around my neck and she laughs into my shoulder while I carry her straight back to the villa. The whole way up she keeps kissing my jaw, whispering how much she loves me, how she never wants me to put her down.
Inside the suite I set her on the bed but she doesn’t let go. She pulls me down with her, already tugging at my shirt.
“I want you naked too,” she says. “Right now.”
I strip fast. She watches every move, biting her lip. When I’m bare she reaches for me, but I catch her wrist.
“Dress first, Baby Girl. Show me what’s mine.”
She smiles and peels the fabric up over her head. There’s nothing underneath but a tiny lace thong. She hooks her thumbs in it and slides it down her thighs, kicking it aside.
“Better?” she asks, spreading her legs a little, so I can see how wet she already is.
“Fuck yes.” I crawl between her thighs and drag my tongue through her folds in one slow lick. She gasps and grabs my hair.
“Luca—god, that feels so good.”
I suck her clit, push two fingers inside her, and she moans loud enough that I know whoever is in the room next to us can probably hear. Her hips rock against my mouth.
“I love how you taste,” I tell her between licks. “And how tight you get around my fingers.”
She whimpers. “Please fuck me.”
I line up and push in slow, watching her face the whole time. She takes every inch with a shaky breath.
“All of it,” she whispers. “I want all of you.”
I start thrusting.
“Harder,” she begs. “Please, Luca. I can take it. I want to feel you tomorrow.”
I give her what she asks for, pounding into her. She comes first, crying out my name, clenching so tight around me I follow right after with a groan.
We stay tangled together, breathing hard. She kisses my chest and murmurs, “I can’t wait to be your wife.”
I kiss her hair. “I can’t wait to be your husband.”
She props herself up on my chest, her eyes dropping to the diamond sparkling on her finger.
“I can’t believe you’re actually going to be my husband.”
I laugh.
“Oh yeah?”
She pushes herself upright, crossing her legs on the bed. She’s completely naked and completely unbothered by it. Her red hair falls around her shoulders, and I swear I’ve never seen anything more beautiful. She holds up her left hand, turning it so the diamond catches the light.
“I’m going to be Sarah Amato,” she says, grinning at the ring before looking back at me. “Doesn’t that sound crazy?”
I sit up against the headboard and pull her toward me until she’s straddling my lap.
“Not so crazy.”
She smiles so wide it makes me laugh. Then she leans forward and kisses my forehead, my left cheek, my right, my nose, and finally my lips.
She pulls back, laughing.
“Our kids are going to be so cute.”
I blink at her.
“Our kids?”
She nods.
“Obviously.” She holds up her left hand again, admiring the ring. “They’re going to have my red hair and your curls.”
I grin.
“You’ve already planned this out, huh?”
She shrugs, completely unapologetic.
“I’ve had, like, five whole minutes to think about it.”
I laugh, sliding my hands up her back.
“Five whole minutes.”
“Mhm.” She smiles at me, her eyes impossibly bright. “I plan fast.”
“I can see that.”
She leans in until our foreheads touch.
“I just...” Her smile softens. “I really can’t wait to build a life with you.”
“I can’t wait either, Baby Girl.”
“We’re going to have to have lots of sex,” she says.
I bark out a laugh.
“Is that right?”
She nods without missing a beat.
“Making babies takes effort.”
“It does, huh?”
“Mhm.” Her fingers skim over my snake tattoo. “I’m just saying, we should probably be very dedicated to the process.”
I shake my head, smiling.
“Well, I can’t argue with that logic.”
She gets off my lap and reaches for her dress.
“Come on.”
I watch her pull it over her head.
“Where are we going?”
“The beach.”
I laugh.
“We were just there.”
“I know.”
She walks over to my side of the bed and holds out both hands.
“Get up.”
I slip my hands into hers and let her pull me to my feet. She bends to grab my shorts and T-shirt from the floor, tossing them against my chest.
“Get dressed.”
“Bossy.”
“You love it.”
“I really do.”
By the time I’ve pulled on my clothes, she’s already waiting by the sliding glass doors. She reaches for my hand the second I join her.
The warm night air wraps around us as we step onto the patio.
The beach sits just beyond it, waves rolling lazily onto the shore beneath the moonlight.
Most of the resort has gone quiet. A few lights glow from neighboring villas, and music drifts faintly from one of the bars farther down the beach, but our stretch of sand is empty.
I glance over at her.
“You gonna tell me what we’re doing?”
She doesn’t answer. Instead, she slips off her sandals and leaves them in the sand. Then she turns to face me. I stop walking. She slides the dress over her head. She tosses it, and it lands square in my face.
I peel the dress off my head, and by the time I look up, she’s already halfway to the water. Fuck. She’s going to kill me.
She glances over her shoulder, moonlight washing over bare skin, the diamond on her left hand catching the light.
“You joining me?”
I don’t even hesitate. I start pulling my clothes off. Sarah watches with a satisfied smile as my shirt lands beside her dress.
“That’s my man.”
I laugh, tossing my shorts onto the pile with the rest of our clothes. I wade into the water and pull her against me.
“Baby Girl, you got naked.” I smile. “I’m a simple man.”
She giggles, running her hands down my arms.
“You’re so easy.”
I laugh.
“Can you blame me?” I slide my hands around her waist. “My girl’s a fucking goddess.”
She smiles, her hands sliding up my chest until they settle behind my neck. Before I can kiss her, she splashes me. Cold saltwater hits me square in the face.
I blink.
“Really?”
She laughs and takes off toward deeper water.
“Oh, you’re in trouble now.”
She squeals as I chase after her. The water climbs from my waist to my chest before I finally catch her, wrapping an arm around her middle. She laughs so hard she nearly loses her balance.
“I surrender!”
“No, you don’t.”
“I absolutely don’t.”
I shake my head. She splashes me again anyway.
“Oh, that’s it.”
I scoop her up before she can escape, lifting her completely out of the water. She throws her head back laughing, droplets scattering through the moonlight.
“Luca!”
“You started this.”
“I know.”
“You don’t seem very sorry.”
“I’m not.”
I laugh and lower her back into the water. She immediately wraps herself around me, her arms circling my neck and her legs settling around my waist beneath the surface.
“There.”
“There?”
“You can’t chase me if I’m already attached to you.”
I smile.
“I don’t think that’s how that works.”
“It is now.”
I slide my hands to her hips, holding her close while the waves roll gently around us. The music from one of the bars farther down the beach drifts across the water, faint enough to blend with the rhythm of the ocean.
She rests her forehead against mine.
“I wish we could stay here forever.”
“So do I.”
“I don’t want to go home.”
I brush a strand of wet hair behind her ear.
“We have to.”
She sighs dramatically before smiling again.
“At least I get to go home with my fiancé.”
I smile.
“You like saying that, don’t you?”
“I love saying it.”
She grins.
“My fiancé.”
I laugh.
“Yes?”
“My fiancé.”
“You already said that.”
She kisses me, quick and sweet.
“I wanted to say it again.”
I shake my head.
“I don’t think I’m ever going to get tired of hearing it.”
“Good.”
She holds up her left hand between us. I look down at the ring, then back at her.
“It looks good on you.”
“You think?”
“I know.”
She admires it for another second before looking back at me.
“I’ve never been happier.”
“Neither have I.”
She studies my face for a long moment.
“What?”
“I was thinking that somewhere out there...” She motions vaguely toward the dark horizon. “People are sleeping. People are watching TV. People are probably brushing their teeth.”
I frown.
“That’s oddly specific.”
“My point is.” She smiles. “None of them know that tonight is the best night of my entire life.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s the best night of mine too.”
She kisses me again, smiling against my lips.
We stay there for a long time, letting the waves carry us gently back and forth beneath the moonlight, neither of us in any hurry to leave.
Tomorrow we fly back to California. Tomorrow there are phone calls, congratulations, wedding plans, and real life waiting for us.
Tonight, though, the rest of the world can wait.
Fuck. We haven’t even left the airport. I stare at my phone for another second before lifting my eyes to Sarah.
“What?” she asks.
I look back down at the screen.
Marco: We got Sal.
A beat later.
Marco: Katie knows, and it’s fucking bad.
I lower my phone just enough to look at Sarah.
“Let’s get to the car. Enzo’s waiting.”
A small line forms between her brows.
“Luca?”
“We’ll talk once we’re on the road.”
Enzo is already waiting on the curb. His face gives away nothing, but the second our eyes meet, I know Marco’s message wasn’t an exaggeration.
Once we’re settled in the backseat, Sarah turns toward me.
“What’s going on?”
“I need to make a call, Baby Girl.”
“Luca.”
There’s enough worry in her voice to make me look at her.
“Just give me a minute.”
I tap Marco’s name and lift the phone to my ear.
“Luca. Where are you?”
“Enzo just picked us up from the airport.”
Marco lets out a slow breath.
“Tell me.”
“We got Sal last night. Brought him back to the estate.”
My grip tightens around the phone.
“What happened?”
“Katie walked into the office.”
Silence.
“When she opened the door, the boss had a gun to Sal’s head.”
I close my eyes.
Dear fucking God.
“It’s bad, Luca,” Marco says. “Bad. Katie flipped the fuck out.”
“Shit.”
I drag a hand through my hair, trying to process everything he’s saying. That’s when I realize the SUV has gone completely silent.
I turn my head. Sarah is watching me. She’s been watching me the whole time.
“The boss wants you here. Now.”
“I’ll be there.”
The line goes dead. Sarah’s brow is furrowed before I even lower the phone. I lean my head back against the seat and close my eyes.
“Luca.”
Sarah’s voice is quiet.
How the fuck am I supposed to tell her?
I let out a slow breath.
“Sarah...”
She waits.
“Katie knows.”
I swallow.
“And it’s bad.”
“No,” she whispers.
“Baby Girl.”
“No,” she says again.
I reach for her hand.
“Breathe.”
“No. This can’t be happening.”
I lace my fingers with hers.
“We’re going to figure this out.”
She shakes her head frantically.
“Luca, she’s going to find out that I knew.”
“Shh…it’s okay.”
I pull her against me.
“She’s going to hate me. She’s going to hate me so much.”
She buries her face against my chest. I rest my chin against the top of her head.
“We have to go to the estate.”
“What?”
“Mikey wants me there.”
Her face falls.
“Now?”
I nod.
Neither of us says another word for the rest of the drive.
Sarah curls against my side, resting her head on my chest while I keep one arm around her shoulders. Every now and then, I feel her take a shaky breath, but she doesn’t cry. She lies there, holding onto me while Enzo drives us away from the airport and toward the estate.
When the SUV rolls to a stop beneath the front entrance, I climb out first before reaching back for her. She slips her hand into mine without hesitation.
I don’t let go. The front door opens before we reach it, and Marco is waiting inside.
His eyes flick briefly to Sarah before settling on me.
“Boss is in his office.”
I nod.
“He wants to see Sarah too.”
Sarah’s grip tightens around my hand. Marco turns without another word, and we follow him through the foyer. The house is quiet.
Usually, Beatrice is somewhere nearby, music drifts from the kitchen, or Katie’s voice carries down the hallway from whatever room she’s managed to take over that day. Today, there’s nothing.
Marco leads us down the familiar hallway until we reach the closed office door.
He stops.
I look at Sarah. She looks back at me, her face pale but determined. I give her hand one gentle squeeze before Marco knocks on the door.
“Come in.”
Marco opens the door, and I lead Sarah inside.
Mikey is standing behind his desk. He looks like he hasn’t slept. His tie is gone, the top two buttons of his dress shirt are undone, and there’s a fresh bruise across his knuckles.
His eyes move to Sarah.
“Sit down.”
Neither of us argues.
Sarah lowers herself into one of the chairs across from the desk, and I take the one beside her. Marco steps back into the hallway, quietly pulling the door shut behind him.
For a long moment, Mikey doesn’t say anything. He studies Sarah before finally speaking.
“Sarah...”
She lifts her eyes to his.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“She already knows.”
His attention snaps to me.
“What?”
“She knows.”
One dark eyebrow lifts.
“What do you mean she knows?”
“She’s known for a month.”
Silence settles over the room. He looks from me to Sarah, then back again.
“You’ve known for a month?”
Sarah nods once.
“I found Luca before...” Her voice catches for a moment. “Before he was ready to tell me.”
Michael leans back slightly in his chair, processing it.
“And you never told Katie.”
It isn’t an accusation. It’s a realization. Sarah lowers her eyes.
“No.”
Another silence fills the office. Mikey rubs a hand across his jaw before letting it fall.
Another silence fills the office. Mikey studies Sarah for a long moment before looking back at me.
“You should’ve told me.”
“I know.”
“I would’ve handled this differently.”
I don’t argue. Because he’s right.
He turns his attention back to Sarah.
“She’s been asking for you.”
Sarah’s eyes widen.
“I think she needs her best friend right now.”
“I don’t think she’ll want to talk to me.”
“I need you to try,” Mikey says.
“She’s going to know,” Sarah says, shaking her head.
He closes his eyes for a moment.
“Sarah...”
When he opens them again, they’re fixed on her.
“I don’t know what else to do.”