Their steps fade, and then a final click as my door closes with them on the other side.
I let my shoulders drop. My hands are still shaking. I take a careful sip of wine to give them something to do, set the glass down, and stare at the ceiling until my heart rate remembers how to be normal.
Embarrassment slides in once the adrenaline drains out—how I looked, the rush of panic, the way I snapped.
Damn it, I should’ve checked in.
Now they’re out there thinking I’m…
I blow out a breath.
Entertaining myself.
I’m just settling back against my pillows, feeling extremely foolish when the door to my bedroom swings open again.
I freeze. Every muscle goes tight, a sharp, animal instinct. The pulse under my skin doubles as a dark figure fills my doorway.
For a second, I can only stare.
Then his soft voice breaks the silence.
"Elena."
A shiver runs down my spine, and goosebumps come alive on my skin.
I reach for the lamp, but Luca puts a finger to his lips and shakes his head.
I pull my hand back.
It takes everything I have not to speak, not to ask questions. How is this happening? Why are you here? What is this?
What am I doing?
Chapter Eleven
Luca
It doesn't seem possible that she could look even more beautiful than before, but here we are.
Her hair is down, spread around her face and over her shoulders. I can't see much of anything else in the dim light, but it's enough. More than enough.
"Luca." Her voice is breathy.
In the dim light, I cross the room.
I hear her soft breath catch.
The mattress shifts when I sit. My hand rests on her ankle, a light touch over the sheet. I wait, giving her time. Giving her a chance to stop me.
She doesn’t.
My hand slides higher, under the sheet, over her calf. My fingers trace the line of the silk, slipping under the hem. She’s not wearing anything else.
She holds perfectly still, watching. Waiting.
I stop at the top of her thigh.
Her eyes close, a slow blink. When they open again, she looks at me.
