Chapter 11 #2
Ava stood, clearly reluctant to leave the puppies. Luca noticed the brief, regretful glance she gave the dogs as she collected her purse and walked toward him. His eyes narrowed as he watched her, still fixated on the way she hesitated, her focus clearly torn between him and the puppies.
“You haven’t properly greeted your future husband, Ava,” he grumbled, his voice deep with a mix of impatience and desire, looking down at her expectantly.
Ava seemed startled by his comment. She blinked up at him, caught off guard by the sudden shift in his tone. A nervous smile tugged at her lips, and she clutched the leather notebook—containing the marriage contract—tightly against her chest as she looked up at him, unsure.
“Ho…how would you like to be greeted when I see you?” she asked, her voice a little shaky.
Luca’s gaze softened for just a moment, but the urgency behind it remained. He needed her to understand that he wasn’t just playing games here. This was more than business; this was real. And he wanted her to feel that.
He considered possible answers, but in the end, decided it was best to simply show her.
So, he eliminated the distance between them, plucked everything from her grasp, and drew her into his arms. “Like this,” he replied, then kissed her.
It was a slow, drugging kiss that demonstrated exactly what he was feeling.
Lust, need, jealousy, and a host of other emotions that were too confusing to easily define.
Until Ava came back into his life.
After a surprised hesitation, Ava kissed him back, gripping the lapels of his jacket before slowly lifting up and sliding her arms around his neck, those soft, delicate fingers sliding into his hair.
That caused him to deepen the kiss. His fingers dug into her hips, pulling her closer against his hardening shaft, showing her exactly what happened to him whenever she was close by.
It was annoying, this effect she had on him.
But he’d finally accepted that Ava was it for him.
She was his woman from the very first time she’d stepped into the casino with her friends.
It's a good thing that Luca knew Franco and Leone were gay. Otherwise, he’d have long ago gotten rid of them. She whimpered and he lifted her up, pressing her core against his hard thigh. He wanted to set her down on his desk. He knew in that moment, she wouldn’t protest.
But no. This wasn’t how he would make love to Ava for the first time.
The first time, he wanted to strip off her wedding dress and place her gently on his bed.
He wanted to take his time, feast on her, pleasure her until she screamed with desire.
He wanted…all of her. Not just a quick moment on his desk.
Later, he promised himself.
Pulling back, he looked down at her dreamy expression and swollen lips. Damn, she looked beautiful like this. His body ached for him to continue, but that wasn’t his plan.
“Luca?” she whispered, her voice raspy with desire.
“Not yet,” he replied, understanding what she was asking.
Ava let out a sigh that soothed the raging beast within him. It didn’t help his throbbing erection, but he ignored it and focused on the reason for her visit today.
“Did you read it?” Luca asked, as he took Ava’s hand and led her into the next room.
The private dining room was a warm, elegant space, carefully designed for comfort and intimacy.
The round table was set with white linen and gleaming silverware, a soft golden glow from the chandelier creating a relaxed atmosphere.
A bowl of fresh fruit sat in the center of the table, and the aroma of the food—light but rich—filled the air.
White wine sat in an ice bucket, perfectly chilled and uncorked.
Luca poured two glasses, the wine catching the light as it swirled, its crisp green apple scent filling the space.
He handed one glass to Ava, smiling with satisfaction when she still looked flustered.
“Read what?” she asked, taking the crystal glass but not drinking from it.
“The contract,” he said, savoring a sip of the wine, appreciating the subtle hints of apple. He didn’t quite understand how fermented grapes could taste like other fruits, but he liked it all the same.
“Oh!” Ava gasped, her eyes darting around the room. “Where…?” She stopped as Luca lifted the leather-bound contract in his free hand.
“Right,” she muttered, pressing her lips together in a tight line. Luca noticed the slight shift in her expression—a hint of irritation—though he didn’t quite understand why. A moment ago, she’d been soft, flustered from his kiss, but now there was a tension in her that he couldn’t quite place.
“Let’s discuss the details after lunch,” he suggested smoothly, pulling out the chair for her.
Ava hesitated for a moment but sat down, and Luca couldn’t help but appreciate the curve of her hips, the soft roundness of her derriere. The desire to strip those clothes from her was an almost overwhelming thought, but he managed to push it aside. There would be time for that later.
He cleared his throat and took his seat across from her, then surveyed the food in front of them—he’d asked his chef for something light, and it looked like a salad with salmon.
Ava picked at the food absentmindedly, and Luca noticed that she wasn’t really engaging in the meal.
He made a mental note to avoid salmon in the future.
She was barely interested, and that bothered him more than he cared to admit.
As they started eating, the puppies bounced into the room, noses twitching eagerly as they sniffed around.
The smaller one tried to jump onto the chair beside Ava, making a comical attempt to crawl onto her lap.
The other wiggled around Luca’s feet, clearly determined to find a new source of attention.
Ava chuckled, reaching down to pet them.
It was impossible not to smile at the sight of the puppies, though they were more mischief than protectors.
“Sit!” he ordered.
The puppies tilted their heads as if he’d just ordered them to fly to the moon.
With a heavy sigh, he called, “Jordan!”
Immediately, the young man appeared in the doorway. “Yes, sir?”
Luca gestured towards the puppies. “Take these wee beasties out for a walk. Then take them to the pet store and,” he resisted the urge to roll his eyes, “get them collars and…whatever else puppies need.”
Immediately, the man bent down and scooped both puppies into his arms, laughing as he avoided wet, sloppy tongues. “Yes, sir,” Jordan replied, then turned and disappeared.
For the next thirty minutes, their conversation was stiff and formal, an awkward back-and-forth about the weather, the state of the city’s business, and the routes Ava took to avoid traffic on her way to his office.
It was all polite, but not genuine, and the tension between them only grew.
Ava nibbled at the salmon and salad, but there was no spark of interest in her movements, no enthusiasm in her responses.
Luca gave up trying to ignore her disinterest. He set his knife and fork down, his voice carefully controlled as he looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
Ava blinked, her expression briefly caught off guard before she masked it with a practiced smile. “Wrong?”
“Yes,” he replied, his tone soft but direct. “Before lunch, you were all soft and sweet. Now, you’re barely offering one-word responses to any conversation I initiate. So, what’s wrong?”
Ava huffed, her frustration clear. Luca could see the wheels turning in her head, her internal debate playing out.
She was torn—whether to leave, or to tell him what was really bothering her.
Her fingers twitched, and for a moment, she reached down, as if to set her napkin beside her plate, a subtle gesture that betrayed her restlessness.
But after a moment of silence, she lifted her head and met his eyes, the frustration on her face undeniable.
"I don’t like the fact that you can recover from our…
interludes so quickly," she admitted, her tone clipped, almost defensive.
Then, as if to seal off any further reaction, she pressed her lips together tightly and waited.
Luca studied her, his brow furrowing. For a long moment, he simply watched her, struggling to figure out what she meant. Then it hit him. His stomach tightened in realization. She was upset about the kiss—the way he had pulled back so abruptly.
A wave of laughter bubbled up in his chest. So, it was that.
“Inverno!” he growled then got to his feet to stand next to her.
“This is what you do to me!” Luca said, taking her hand and pressing it against his erection while also bending down.
With his other hand, he tangled his fingers in her hair, tilting her head back.
“You think I’m unaffected?” Then he kissed her, his lips teasing her shocked, unmoving mouth.
When he felt her fingers shift, his head nearly exploded, but she also returned his kiss.
She was ravenous as her fingers explored.
Unable to resist her touch, Luca pulled her up and out of the chair, without breaking the kiss. But when he was on the brink of losing control, he abruptly pulled back, cupping her face in his hands.
“Don’t ever doubt that I want you, mia cara,” he growled. “But the first time I make love to you, we will be in a bed. Not on my desk.” He lifted her hands to kiss her fingertips, then sat down again.
And again, Ava was left stunned, which he found a great deal of pleasure in watching.
“You don’t like salmon,” he observed, changing the subject. “Tell me what other foods you don’t like. I’ll ensure that my chef eliminates them from our meals.”
For a long moment, Ava couldn’t speak. The question caught her entirely off-guard.
No one had ever asked her what she liked or didn’t like.
Oh, Leone and Franco knew, but only because she’d told them, quite adamantly at times, that she didn’t like something.
But her mother hadn’t ever allowed Ava to have a choice in what she ate.
The diets, the bizarre meal plans, the fury when Ava rebelled against her mother’s food dictates, or clothing choices or… anything.
“I’ll…uh…have to get back to you on that,” she admitted quietly.