Thirty minutes later we parked in front of a shabby building after having grabbed muffins for breakfast. I was bursting with excitement, and I was glad to have something to distract myself from what had happened yesterday. Luca and I got out of the car, and he carried our bags as we headed through a rusty steel door. Security cameras were everywhere, and a middle-aged man sat in a nook that held a table and chair as well as a TV. Two guns were in his holster. He straightened when he saw Luca, then he spotted me and his eyes grew wide.
“My wife,” Luca said with a hint of warning, and the man’s gaze jerked away from me. Luca put a hand on the small of my back and guided me through another door that led into a huge hall. There was a boxing ring, all kinds of exercise machines, dummies for fight and knife training, and a corner with mats where a few men were sparring. I was the only woman.
Luca grimaced. “Our changing rooms are men only. We don’t usually have female visitors.”
“I know you’ll make sure nobody sees me naked.”
“You bet I will.”
I laughed, and a few faces turned our way, then more until everyone was staring. They quickly returned to what they’d been doing when Luca led me toward a door on the side, but they kept throwing badly disguised glances my way. A few of the older men called out a greeting to Luca. He opened the door, then stopped. “Let me check if someone’s in there.” I nodded, then leaned against the wall as Luca disappeared inside the changing room. The moment he was gone, I could feel the full force of the men’s attention shifting my way. I tried not to let them see how nervous their scrutiny made me and almost breathed a sigh of relief when Luca came back out, followed by a few men who pretended they didn’t notice me. I wondered what Luca had told them.
“Come.” He held the door open for me, and we walked into a low-ceilinged room filled with humidity and the smell of too many hard-working male bodies. I scrunched my nose up. Luca laughed. “We’re not catering to sensitive female noses.”
I grabbed my bag from him and walked toward a locker. Luca followed and set his own bag down on the scratched wooden bench.
“Aren’t you going to give me some privacy?” I asked, hands on the hem of my shirt.
Luca raised one eyebrow at me before removing his holster and then pulling his own shirt over his head, revealing his muscled and tanned torso. He dropped his shirt on the bench, then reached for his belt, that challenging look still in his eyes.
Gritting my teeth, I turned my back to him and slid my tank top over my head. I reached behind me to open the clasp of my bra, but Luca’s hand was there and did it for me expertly. Bastard. Of course, he could open a bra with one finger. I grabbed my jogging bra and put it on, trying not to think about Luca, who was undoubtedly watching every move. I stripped off my shorts and could have kicked myself for choosing a thong this morning. I pulled it down as well, and heard Luca sucking in his breath when I bent forward slightly. My cheeks blasted with heat, realizing what kind of view I’d just given him. I snatched a pair of the plain black panties I always wore when I worked out on the treadmill, then I put my jogging shorts on over them and turned back around to Luca. He’d put on black sweatpants and an ultra-tight white shirt that showcased his spectacular body. There was a bulge in his pants. All because of my butt?
“That’s what you’re wearing for self-defense lessons?”
I looked down at myself. “I don’t have anything else. This is what I wear when I go jogging.” The shorts were tight and ended high up on my thighs, but I didn’t like too much fabric when I ran.
“You realize I’ll have to kick every guy’s ass who looks at you the wrong way, right? And looking like that, my men will have a hard time not looking at you the wrong way.”
I shrugged. “It’s not my job to make them control themselves. Just because I’m wearing revealing clothes doesn’t mean I’m inviting them to look. If they can’t behave themselves, that’s their problem.”
Luca led me out of the changing room and toward the sparring mats. The men there immediately backed away, pointedly not looking at me. I followed Luca toward a display of knives. His eyes scanned them, then he chose one with a long smooth blade and handed it to me. He didn’t take one for himself.
He positioned himself across from me, looking utterly relaxed. He must have known everyone was watching us, but he acted as if he couldn’t care less. This wasn’t private. He had to put up a show for his men. “Attack me, but try not to cut yourself.”
“Won’t you get a knife too?”
Luca shook his head. “I don’t need one. I’ll have yours in a minute.”
I narrowed my eyes at his self-assured tone. He was probably right, but I didn’t like him saying it. “So what am I supposed to do?”
“Try to land a hit. If you manage to cut me, you win. I want to see how you move.”
I took a breath and tried to forget the men watching me. I tightened my grip on the knife, then I dashed forward. Luca moved fast. He dodged my jab, grabbed my wrist and whirled me around until my back collided with his chest.
“You don’t have my knife yet,” I gasped out. His fingers around my wrist tightened a fraction, uncomfortably but not painfully. His lips brushed my ear. “I would have to hurt you to get it. I could break your wrist, for example, or just bruise it.” He released me and I stumbled forward.
“Again,” Luca said. I tried a few times, but didn’t get anywhere close to cutting him. For my next try, I decided to stop playing fair. I advanced on him, then as he made a grab for me, I aimed a kick between his legs. The men cheered, but Luca’s hand caught my foot before it could make impact and before I knew what was happening I landed on my back with a heavy thud. My breath rushed out of me and the knife slipped out of my hand. I squeezed my eyes shut. Luca touched my stomach, and my muscles constricted under his warm palm. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
I opened my eyes. “Yeah. Just trying to catch my breath.” Then I scanned the crowd. “Don’t you have a soldier who’s only five foot something and terrified of his own shadow who would be willing to fight me?”
“My men aren’t terrified of anything,” Luca said loudly. He held out his hand and pulled me to my feet. He addressed his soldiers. “Anyone willing to fight my wife?”
Of course nobody stepped forward. They were probably worried Luca would skin them alive. Some of them shook their heads, chuckling.
The shadow of a grin crossed Luca’s face. “You’ll have to fight me.”
A few more attack attempts later, I was out of breath and annoyed by my inability to hurt Luca the tiniest bit, but then a chance offered itself. He held me against his body and his upper arm was close to my face, so I turned and bit him. He was so startled he actually released me and I tried to jab him with the knife, but he gripped my wrist. “Did you bite me?” he asked as he stared at my teeth marks on his bicep.
“Not hard enough. There isn’t even blood,” I said.
Luca’s shoulders twitched once, then again. He was fighting laughter. Not the effect I’d intended when I bit him, but I had to admit I loved the sound of his deep chuckle. “I think you’ve done enough damage for one day,” he said.
* * *
We grabbed something to eat on our way home, then settled on the rattan sofa on the roof terrace with a glass of wine.
“I’m surprised,” I said eventually. Luca and I sat close together, almost touching, and his arm was thrown over the backrest behind me but so far he had held back. “I didn’t think you’d really try.”
“I told you I would. I keep my word.”
“I bet this is hard for you.” I gestured at the space between us.
“You have no idea. I want to kiss you really fucking bad.”
I hesitated. Kissing him had felt good. Luca set the glass down, then he moved a bit closer and touched my waist. “Tell me you don’t want me to kiss you.”
I parted my lips but nothing came out. Luca’s eyes darkened and he leaned toward me, capturing my mouth in a kiss, and I lost myself in the sensation of his tongue and lips. Luca didn’t push it, never moved his hand from my waist, but he’d begun rubbing my skin there lightly and his other hand massaged my scalp. How could I feel that all the way between my legs?
Eventually I lay back on the sofa, Luca propped up above me. I could feel myself getting wet but I didn’t have the time or necessary focus to feel embarrassed. Luca’s kisses kept me busy. The tingling in my center became difficult to ignore, and I tried to alleviate the tension by pressing my legs together.
Luca drew back with a knowing expression. Heat rose into my cheeks.
“I could make you feel good, Aria,” he murmured, his hand on my waist tightening. “You want to come, don’t you?”
Oh my God, yes. I’d overheard girls in school go into detail about how amazing it could be, but I’d never managed to make myself feel anything close to what they’d described. My body was screaming for it. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
Luca choked on a laugh. “You are so stubborn.” He didn’t say it in a mean way. His lips came down on mine again and I could tell he gave it his all, determined to break my resolve, and a few times I got close. I was throbbing between my legs but I wouldn’t give in, not so soon. I had more control than that.
That night I fell asleep with Luca’s arms around me and his erection an insistent presence against my upper thigh. Maybe we really could make this marriage work.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
When I woke the next morning, I was alone in bed. I sat up, disappointed that Luca hadn’t woken me. I slipped out of bed when he came into the bedroom from the hallway, already dressed in black, with a chest holster that held two knives and two guns, and who knew how many more holsters on the rest of his body with more weapons. “Are you leaving already?”
He grimaced. “The Bratva got one of ours. They left him in tiny pieces around one of our clubs.”
“Somebody I know?” I asked with dread. Luca shook his head. “Will the police get involved?”
“Not if I can help it.” Luca cupped my face. “I’ll try to be home early, okay?”
I nodded. He lowered his head, watching me the entire time to see if I would pull back. His lips brushed over mine. I opened my mouth for him and sank into the kiss, but it was over too quick. I watched his back as he left. Then I picked up the phone and called Gianna.
“I thought you’d never call,” was the first thing out of her mouth.
I smiled. “I haven’t even showered yet, and it’s only eight in Chicago. You can’t have been awake for long.”
“You didn’t call yesterday and all I got was a short text. I was sick with worry. I couldn’t sleep because of you. I hate that we are so far apart and I can’t see for myself if you’re okay. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I am.” I told her about my conversation with Luca and how we’d spent yesterday together.
“How noble of him to agree to not cheat on you again and actually try to make the marriage work. Give that man flowers.”
“He isn’t a good man, Gianna. There are no good men in our world. But I think he really wants to try. And I want it too.”
“Why don’t you ask him if I can come visit for a few days? I don’t have school for another two weeks and I’m bored out of my mind without you. We could spend a couple of days at the beach in the Hamptons and go shopping in Manhattan.”
“What about Father? Did you ask him?”
“He told me to ask you and Luca.”
“I will ask him. I don’t think he’ll mind. It’s not like he’s home very often at the moment. Most days I’m alone with Romero.”
“Why don’t you ask Luca if you can go to college? You’ve got perfect grades. You would have no trouble getting into Columbia.”