My eyes grew wide in surprise. “So soon? I thought men needed time to rest.”
Luca laughed, a deep sexy sound. “Not with your naked body beneath me.” He kneaded my butt. “How sore are you?”
Too sore, but the way he rubbed his erection lightly against my folds I couldn’t say it. “Not too sore.”
Luca gave me a look that made it clear he recognized the lie but he rolled on his back, taking me with him. I straddled his abs. He must have seen how nervous I was because he stroked my sides gently. “Take your time. You are in control.”
He rocked his hips, rubbing his length over my butt cheeks.
“I want you in control,” I admitted.
Luca’s eyes darkened. “Don’t say something like that to a man like me.” But he gripped my hips and positioned me above his erection. From this vantage point he looked even bigger. He rubbed his tip in small circles over my clit as his other hand trailed up toward my breast and cupped it. He lined himself up with my opening before grabbing my hips and slowly guiding me down. When he was almost all the way in, I paused, catching my breath. I lay my palms flat against his chest as I tried to get used to the new position. He felt bigger and my muscles clenched tightly around his erection. Luca gritted his teeth. He ran his hands up my torso and cupped my breasts again, twirling my nipples between his fingers. I moaned and made small rocking motions with my hips. Luca pressed his thumb against my clit and flicked, then as I moaned he pushed me all the way down to the base of his erection.
I cried out in surprise more than pain and froze, exhaling slowly to get over the feeling of utter fullness.
“Aria,” Luca rasped. I met his gaze. A hint of uncertainty flickered in his eyes.
I forced my lips into a smile. “Give me a moment.”
He nodded, his hands resting lightly on my waist as he watched me. I released another breath, then shifted my hips experimentally. There was a twinge but there was also pleasure. “Help me?” I whispered, gazing at him through my lashes.
He clasped my waist, his fingers splaying across my butt and guided me into a slow rhythm of rocking and rotating. It was exhilarating to feel the strength of his body beneath my hands, to feel his pectoral muscles flex under my fingertips but even better was the look in his eyes as he watched me on top of him. The hunger and admiration mixed with another emotion I didn’t dare to guess. Luca’s chest heaved under my palms, his breath coming faster as he started thrusting upwards, driving himself into me harder and faster. His thumb flicked back and forth over my clit as he drove into me. I cried out. Luca gripped my hips in a bruising grip and thrust faster. I threw my head back, riding through my orgasm as I felt Luca tense beneath me and release into me with a low moan.
I shivered helplessly on top of him as I came down from my high. I slumped forward on Luca’s chest and pressed my lips to his. His heart pounded against my breasts. He slung his arms around my back and pressed me against him tightly.
“I won’t lose you,” he growled, startling me.
“You won’t.”
“The Bratva is closing in. How can I protect you?”
Why would the Bratva have any interest in me? “You will find a way.”CHAPTER FIFTEENA couple of weeks had passed and sex got better every time we did it. I had a feeling Luca was still holding back quite a bit but I didn’t mind. Sometimes I wondered if maybe he needed the gentle lovemaking as much as I did after all the stress he went through with the Bratva.
Lovemaking? No matter how much I tried to ignore my feelings, I knew I loved Luca. Maybe it was natural to fall in love with the person you were married to, the person you shared intimacy with. I wasn’t sure why I had fallen for Luca despite my best intentions before our marriage not to let him into my heart, I only knew that I had. I knew what men like Luca thought of love. I hadn’t told him about my feelings, even though a few times the words had been on the tip of my tongue after we’d lain in each other’s arms, sweaty and sated after sex. I knew Luca wouldn’t say it back and I didn’t want to make myself vulnerable like that.
I watched the sun set over New York from my position in the lounge chair on the roof terrace. Romero was inside, reading a sports magazine on the sofa. A few times I’d considered asking Luca to stop Romero’s constant presence. Nothing could happen to me in our penthouse but then I couldn’t go through with it. I would have felt more alone without Romero in the apartment, even if we didn’t talk all that much. Marianna only came in around lunch time to clean and prepare lunch and dinner, and Luca was gone most days. I still hadn’t met any of the women from the Familia for coffee. After Cosima’s betrayal I really wasn’t keen on meeting more of Luca’s family anyway.
My phone vibrated on the small table. I snatched it up, seeing Gianna’s name flash on the screen. Happiness burst in my chest. We had only talked this morning, but it wasn’t unusual for my sister to call more than once per day and I didn’t mind.
The moment I heard her voice, I sat up, my heart pounding in my chest like crazy.
“Aria,” she whispered, her voice thick with tears.
“Gianna, what happened? What’s going on? Are you hurt?”
“Father’s giving me to Matteo.”
I didn’t understand, couldn’t. “What do you mean he’s giving you to Matteo?” My voice shook and tears already burnt in my eyes as I listened to Gianna’s heart-wrenching sobs.