Broken Beginnings (The Moretti Crime Family 3)

“You listen to me. You will not talk to any other guy on this campus.”

“What if my teacher is a guy?” She grins like she’s fooled me in some way.

“You know what I mean. Don’t play games, Claire. You are done acting like a brat. You will listen to me and not flirt with anyone.”

“Or what? You’re going to pull me back to your cave by my hair?” She laughs without humor.

“No, Claire. I will find every single guy you talk to and kill them.”

Her big green eyes grow to the size of saucers with shock.

“That… that is insane.” She shakes her head, most likely with disbelief. “Actually, you know what, Lucca, you’re insane.”

“I know, and I also know you think I’m lying, but I’m not.” I lean in, my nose brushes hers, and a strange tightness forms in my chest.

I’m close enough that I could kiss her. Her pink lips are right there, right fucking there, and I’m tempted to do it. Her sweet breath fans against my face. I want to taste her, draw from her, but that would be stupid. She can never be mine. I can never be hers.

“Don’t test me, please, don’t…” I succumb to the temptation for a millisecond and brush my lips against her bottom lip. A gasp that sounds like a whimper meets my ears, but I can’t stop myself. I bite her lip, tugging on it, and then place both of my lips over hers.

It takes a moment for her to catch up, but once she does, she’s clawing at me. Her arms come to wrap around my neck, and her petite body presses against mine.

She feels so perfect in my arms, but I’m not stupid. It’s all merely an illusion. I’m a criminal with enemies a mile long. What can I offer her besides a life on the run? I’ve hurt her enough, made her develop feelings. I need to stop this.

Forcing myself to pull away from her, I stumble backward and shiver at the loss of warmth her body gave me. We are polar opposites like the sun and the moon. Like a hero and villain. Like dark and light.

Clearing my throat, I shove my hands into my pockets and try to forget what just happened. I look up and regret it almost immediately. Claire is holding a finger to her lips, her cheeks are rosy red, and her eyes flicker with heat.

“I’m not joking, Claire. Take this as your one and only warning.”

She pushes off the wall with determination. “If you don’t want me, then why can’t anyone else have me?”

I wish I knew the answer to that question, but I don’t. Making Claire mine would lead to a life of unhappiness and hate, but letting her go means I have to watch her with someone else.

“I’ll pick you up after class,” I tell her and turn around and walk back out onto the sidewalk. The tightness in my chest becomes an ache, and I’ve never experienced this feeling before. It’s more than obsession, it’s something else, and I’m not ready to face it yet.

29

Claire

For a man that insists he isn’t jealous, he sure gets pissed about me talking to other guys or even messaging on my phone. I like it, though. It tells me he cares about me, even if it’s in some morphed, fucked up way.

As the days pass, blurring together, it becomes harder and harder to break Lucca down, but I know that I’m causing a crack in his shield. Each day he seems to watch me with a different kind of heat in his eyes. Tonight, however, I’m done playing games.

Tonight, I’m going to put the last nail in his coffin. I’m going to push him hard, and if he doesn’t break, then I must face the fact that maybe he really doesn’t want me as badly as I want him. It terrifies me to think that he might not, but there is hope that lives inside of me that says he does.

As soon as I hear the shower running, I walk into his bedroom. Rejection from him is something I fear, but I have to try one more time. The courage I need builds as I slip off my clothes, tossing them onto the floor. I’m no longer shy about my body or worried that I’m not good enough for him. I know he wants me.

My nipples become hard peeks when the cool air brushes them, and my core heats, fueled by desire. The countdown to when the shower turns off seems like an eternity.

My heart thunders against my rib cage, threatening to break free from my chest. I’m going to give myself to him, offer him the one thing I’ve given no one else. To catch him off guard like this will be like offering food to a starved animal. I remind myself of his words from the other night, how if he ever hurt me, it would kill him.