Chapter 39
Lucio
T he car cuts through the dark, winding roads like a blade. The hum of the engine, the steady rhythm of tires against the pavement…none of it drowns out the storm in my head.
I grip the wheel so tight my knuckles ache, the tension coiling through my body like a wire pulled too taut.
I should have given her up. I should have handed her to Emiliano, let him decide what to do with her. Let him—or Romiro, or Matteo—drag her out of my fucking life and deal with her however they saw fit.
Instead, I’m here. Running. With her.
I grit my teeth, my breath hissing through my nose.
For what?
For a woman who lied to me. For a woman who stood in front of me, met my eyes, and fucking betrayed me.
The rage is pulsing, pressing against my ribs, tightening my lungs.
She hasn’t spoken since I threw her phone out the window. She just sits there, small and silent, her hands curled into her lap, her shoulders hunched. Like she knows she’s lost.
Good. She fucking should.
I drive for hours, the city shrinking behind us, the streets thinning into long, winding highways, then into forest-lined backroads where no one will find us.
It isn’t until we’re nearly there—until I catch sight of the dark shape of the mansion sitting at the edge of the lake—that something heavy settles in my gut.
I pull the car through the gates, the metal closing behind us with a quiet finality. The place looms before us, all stone and dark windows, towering against the night sky.
It’s isolated. Remote. No one will find her here.
No one but me.
The house belonged to a contact of my pops, someone who owed him a favor before they disappeared off the face of the earth. It’s been sitting here for years, empty, untouched.
The air is heavy with silence. The kind of silence that’s too thick, too deep. The kind that makes a person feel like they might lose their mind if they’re trapped in it too long.
I cut the engine, sitting there for a moment, staring at the house, the still water of the lake stretching behind it.
She shifts beside me. I hear the hesitation in her breath, the slight shake in the way she exhales.
She’s waiting. Waiting for me to say something. To explain.
Instead, I push the door open and step out.
I don’t check if she’s following. She knows better than to run. She knows I’d catch her.
I hear her door open, her footsteps soft against the gravel as she follows me inside.
The house is cold, untouched, smelling faintly of dust and old wood. Everything is pristine, elegant but suffocating. The high ceilings make the space feel hollow, the marble floors stretching into vast rooms, the grand windows overlooking the black water of the lake.
It’s the kind of house that would feel like a home to someone who had people in it.
But now? Now, it’s just a cage.
And she’s the one locked inside.
I push forward, heading straight into the sitting room, my footsteps echoing against the high ceilings. She hovers in the entryway, arms wrapped around herself, looking too fucking small for the vast space around her.
I turn to face her, my voice flat, unreadable. “No going outside. No trying to contact anyone.”
She flinches like I’ve hit her. “Lucio?—”
I shake my head. “The only reason you’re still breathing is because I got to you first. The fact that you’re not in your parents’ house gives me an advantage. But not by much.”
Her breath shudders, tears pooling in her eyes. I ignore them.
“You’ll stay here.” I move toward the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water and setting it on the counter before looking back at her. “The fridge is stocked. Clothes are in your size in the first room on the right, up the stairs.”
She’s breathing too fast, her hands clenched at her sides.
I should feel satisfaction. Should feel vindicated. She lied to me. She broke my trust. This is what she fucking gets.
So why does my chest feel like it’s ripping open?
She licks her lips, voice small, barely above a whisper. “Are you leaving me here?”
My stomach twists. I grip the counter, grounding myself. Then I force the word out, flat and sharp.
“Yeah.”
She inhales sharply, her entire body tensing. “Lucio?—”
I turn toward the door. I need to leave. Now. I can’t fucking do this. I can’t look at her when she’s falling apart like this.
I yank the door open, stepping out.
And then her hand grips my wrist.
I freeze. The contact burns, sending something electric down my spine. I don’t turn, my rage warring with something else I don’t want to name.
“Don’t go.” Her voice is broken, raw, wrecked. And fuck, it’s torture.
Her fingers dig into my skin, and this time, I turn and grab her by her throat and throw her against the wall, my body covering hers.
“Listen close, Princess. Because I won’t repeat myself. You fucking lied to me. I let you in. I let you see parts of me no one else has. And you used them to destroy me. Destroy my family. This isn’t something I can forgive. I’ve killed for less.”
She opens her mouth, but I stop her, my hold tightening around her neck.
“I’m not done. You’re crying as if I’m being cruel and unfair, but you have no one to blame other than yourself.”
I press myself into her soft body, my other hand running over her curves.
My voice is a low growl. “And the worst part isn’t that you betrayed me. It’s that I still fucking want you . Even now, I can’t stop wanting you.”
My cock presses against my suit pants, hard and unrelenting. Her hand trails up my thigh slowly, and I loosen my grip on her neck.
Her fingers rest against my cock over the fabric of my pants. “Take what you want. Just please forgive me .”
Her words unravel something dark inside me. A thread pulled too tight, snapping in an instant.
Take what you want.
She has no idea what she’s offering. No idea the war raging beneath my skin, the violent need and the fury tangling into something unrecognizable.
I should walk away. I should let her drown in the silence I’d leave behind, in the cold of the emptiness of this house. But her fingers, delicate and trembling, press against my cock, and I am undone.
With a growl, I seize her wrist and twist it behind her back, pinning her fully against the wall. Her body molds to mine, soft in all the places I crave, warmth melting into me like she belongs here. Like she never fucking left.
Her breath shudders against my throat, lips parting, chest rising fast. “Lucio…”
My name is a plea, a prayer, and a curse all at once. I drag my fingers along her jaw, tilting her head up so she has no choice but to meet my gaze. Her lips are trembling, her pupils blown wide with something raw and desperate.
She’s scared. She should be.
But beneath the fear, beneath the tears pooling in her lashes, there’s something else. Want. Fucking need.
And it matches mine.
“Say it again,” I murmur, my grip tightening just enough to make her gasp.
She swallows hard. “Lucio.”
It’s my undoing. I crash my mouth to hers, devouring her with everything I’ve been holding back. My teeth catch her bottom lip, biting down just enough to make her whimper as her body arches against me. Her free hand fists my shirt, clinging as if she’s afraid I’ll disappear.
Not this time.
My hands trail down her sides, over the curve of her waist, gripping her hips hard enough to leave marks. She moans into my mouth, pressing closer, her body heat searing through my suit.
It’s not enough. It will never be enough.
She shifts against me, rubbing her thigh between mine, and I groan into the kiss, my fingers digging into her flesh.
“You don’t get to do that,” I murmur against her lips. “Not after what you did.”
She lets out a breathless, broken sound. “Then punish me.”
A growl rumbles low in my chest. “Careful what you wish for.”
Her lashes flutter, but she doesn’t look away. Doesn’t push me away.
I spin her in one quick motion, pressing her front against the wall, my body caging hers in. My fingers slide beneath the hem of her dress, skimming the soft skin of her thighs, teasing.
She shivers. “Lucio…”
I lean in, my breath hot against her ear. “You made your choice, sweetheart.” My fingers tighten on her hips. “Now I’m going to ruin you.”
I pull back just enough to turn her around, forcing her to her knees in front of me. Her lips part, eyes wide as she looks up at me, her hands trembling as she reaches for my belt.
“Show me how sorry you are.”
She nods, her breath hitching as she undoes the buckle, her fingers brushing against my hard cock. I groan, watching her, heat licking up my spine as she pulls me free.
Her tongue flicks out, teasing, tasting, before she takes me into her mouth. My head falls back, a curse slipping from my lips as she moves, slow at first, then deeper, her lips stretching around me.
Her warmth surrounds me, her hands gripping my thighs as she takes me farther, her throat constricting as she swallows me down. I fist her hair, guiding her, my control fraying with each flick of her tongue, each soft moan that vibrates around me.
“Fuck…” My grip tightens as pleasure coils tight in my spine.
She looks up at me, eyes glassy, needy, as she takes me to the hilt.
I can’t hold back. My hips snap forward, her fingers digging into my thighs as I lose myself in her mouth. She takes it, everything I give, her moans sending shocks of pleasure through me until I’m right at the edge.
I groan deep, holding her in place as I spill down her throat. She swallows every last drop, her lips still wrapped around me as I shudder through the aftershocks.
I grip her chin, tilting her face up so she meets my gaze. Her lips are swollen, her breath coming fast, her eyes still hazy from what she just did for me.
But I’m not done with her. Not even close.
“On the ground,” I murmur, my thumb brushing against her bottom lip before I let her go.
She blinks, dazed. “What?—”
“Head down,” I growl, fingers curling into her hair as I guide her down on her hands. “Ass up.”