016

Caterina.

A whole week.

I had taken breakfast alone for a whole week because Luca, for some reason, had been missing in action, his absence stretching from morning until the late hours of the night.

It shouldn't have mattered.

At this point, I should have felt relieved, should have embraced the silence and the lack of his taunting presence and the women that came with him.

Especially Blondie.

So why did I feel something else? Something I knew I didn't want to have a name.

This was so confusing. Fuck me!

But a disappearing Luca didn't mean I would waste my time sulking.

No.

I spent my days studying every corner of the estate, memorizing the guard shifts, the layout of the halls, and pinpointing any weaknesses I could exploit.

I was no fool.

Escaping this place wouldn't be easy, but the longer Luca stayed away, the more emboldened I became.

Even with all the silly precautions he put in place.

One of those precautions happened to be Raphael. He made the man shadow me for some reason.

A very predictable man.

That small flaw allowed me to steal his key card when he got too close.

And that night, I made my move.

The air was crisp when I came out, thick with a sort of silence as I slipped through the corridors of the estate, my breath coming out shallow, my pulse racing.

The hidden hallways I had discovered during my days of observation were my key to moving unnoticed.

I used them now, navigating the house like a ghost.

Every step I took was careful, measured.

Thank goodness the guards wouldn't change shift for another twenty minutes... that gave me enough time.

I reached the exit leading towards the outer courtyard, swiping my stolen key card against the reader. The small beep that followed sent a rush of adrenaline through my veins.

This was it.

The door clicked open, and with a few steps, I was outside.

For the first time in what felt like forever, freedom was within reach.

I kept myself to the shadows, moving toward the estate’s perimeter, past the vast garden, the stone pathways, the decorative lights that cast eerie glows across the space.

Just a few more minutes until I reached the wall.

I could do it.

Yes... yes... almost there.

I reached the wall in record time.

The guards should be changing now, so that means I had three... maybe four minutes to climb the wall.

There was just one thing that wasn't right with all my calculations.

It was tall.

Higher than I had anticipated.

But that shouldn't matter now. I had come too far to stop now.

How hard could it be?

"Urhhhhg." I groaned the moment I dug my fingers into the rough stone as I searched for a foothold, pulling myself up, using every ounce of strength I had, while my muscles screamed in protest.

It wasn't like this this in those stupid movies I watched.

One more push. One more...

My grip failed.

Oh, no.

The only thing I could do was let out a small gasp as my body tilted backwards.

And then I fell.

Straight into strong arms.

Luca.

My stomach dropped as I was pulled against his chest, his scent... a mix of leather, spice, and something inherently him... filling my senses.

I froze.

His grip was firm, unyielding, and as he peered down at me, his lips curled into an amused smirk.

Of course, he was going to be amused about my almost escape attempt.

"Well," he murmured, with a voice as smooth as silk. "That was pitiful."

Heat flared through me at the sheer arrogance in his tone.

“Put me down.”

"Why? So you can try again?" He chuckled, finally lowering me to the ground but keeping his hold on my waist. "I have to say, amorino, your escape plans are the worst I've ever seen."

I glared sharply at him. "You were waiting for me."

He tilted his head slightly, studying me. "Of course I was."

Of course he was.

I had no idea why my body betrayed me then, reacting to the warmth of his touch, the way his fingers still rested lightly on my waist.

It had been a week since I saw him.

A week since he had so much as looked at me, and now, with those blue eyes locked onto mine, I hated how much my body seemed to crave something I still refused to name.

And he noticed.

The asshole was pleased, too.

The cocky grin on his face made me want to slap him. Or kiss him. Maybe both.

I wasn't really sure which.

“Let me go.”

“Why?” His thumb brushed against my hip, sending a shiver down my back. “You don’t seem to be in much of a hurry anymore.”

“Luca.”

He let out a soft laugh. A deep, rich sound that sent another chill down my spine.

"I should punish you for this," he said, tilting his head. "Trying to break our little deal."

"That deal wasn't even mine. It was between you, my father, and Alessandro. Never me."

His grin didn't fade.

If anything, it seemed to deepen even more. "You think that matters to me?"

God, I wanted to strangle him.

But then he reached for my hair, brushing a strand away from my face. His fingers trailed down, ghosting over my cheek, then lower, across my jaw.

A featherlight touch, teasing, testing.

He knew what he was doing.

"Stop it," I whispered, though I didn't want him to.

He didn’t.

Instead, his fingers skimmed even lower, tracing the curve of my lips. His thumb pressed lightly against me before he shifted, brushing the pad of his finger down the line of my throat.

Warmth bloomed in my chest.

My heart pounded, my body betraying me once more.

What was wrong with me?

Why did this asshole of a man unravel me this easily? He effortlessly made me forget the reason why I hated him.

My lips parted softly, and I felt his breath against them.

“Luca,” I warned.

He smirked. “Say my name like that again.”

“Fuck you.”

His laughter was soft this time, almost affectionate. Then, in one fluid motion, he grasped my wrist and pulled me toward a darker corner of the wall, pressing me gently against the cool stone.

When had this started?

His hands slid down my sides, slow, deliberate. His movements were measures, teasing, as if he enjoyed watching me squirm.

Why wasn't there a way for me to leave without feeling these stupid emotions?

I didn't expect what he did next.

Luca knelt.

Right in front of me.

Looking up at me with those blue, knowing eyes.

"Let me make it up to you," he said with a voice that could only be accounted to as a raspy whisper.

My breath caught in my throat.

Why did he have to look at me like that?

The heat in his eyes burned me from the inside out. He was waiting, watching, letting me know that I had all the power to stop him.

But did I want to?

My fingers curled into fists at my sides, trying to calm myself down by digging my nails into my palms.

"Run. Shove him away. Do anything, but stand here and let this happen." My mind screamed at me.

But when he placed his hands on my thighs, fingers sliding up ever so slightly, I knew one thing for certain.

I wasn't going anywhere.

Not tonight anyway.