“You have no idea what I’m going to suggest,” he pointed out, backing away with deliberate slowness, releasing her wrist as if the act itself were a reward.He noticed that her hand drifted up to touch the place on her throat he’d just abandoned.
He pressed a button on his desk.“Have breakfast sent in,” he instructed, his voice casual, but his eyes never left her.
“I’m not hungry,” she replied sharply, but Luca only smirked, not bothered in the slightest.
“Of course not,” he said, his gaze trailing over her body, lingering on her round hips, the way the fabric of her dress hugged her in all the right places.Ava didn’t starve herself, thank goodness.She was lushly ripe, a perfect contrast to the stick-thin women he had long since grown tired of.He was not a fan of skinny women.There was no point in holding them.
But Ava was a woman who could fill his hands, who could keep him intrigued for hours with nothing more than her refusal to conform.After meeting her, all of his preferences had changed.Now, every aspect of her appealed to him, even her prickly personality.
Maybe it was because everyone in his world was terrified of him—he’d cultivated that fear for years—but with Ava, that wasn’t the case.She didn’t cower.She fought back.
And yes, Luca had already decided: Ava Santos would become his wife.That had been his plan all along, even if she didn’t know it yet.Every time she rejected him and then trembled at his touch, she reinforced the idea.She had already claimed a place in his life—whether she realized it or not.
Now, it was time to iron out the details.He needed to take control of this situation.And he would.
“I need to get back to work.”
Luca pulled his cell phone from his pocket, his mind already shifting into action.The first message was to his head of security—Get to Ava’s headquarters.Establish a perimeter, now.The second was to his housekeeping manager—Go to 713 Sulan Street and clean up the graffiti.Do it discreetly.His orders were swift, efficient.This wasn’t just about addressing the immediate problem with the Yakuza.This was about taking control of the situation in a way that would leave no room for failure.
Ava’s eyes followed his every movement, but Luca didn’t look up.His gaze was fixed on his cell phone, then his computer, his thoughts already moving ahead, planning every step.
“I’m very sorry for…disrupting your morning,” Ava blurted out awkwardly, running a hand down the side of her hip, not sure what to do.She waved toward the exit.“I need to head back to my office,” She tentatively took a step in that direction.
“You have an excellent business manager,” he said absently, sliding his phone into a hidden pocket inside his jacket.His eyes flicked to her, and there was a strange finality in his voice as he continued, “She can manage your staff while you give me more information, and we can work out the details.”
Ava frowned, clearly confused.“Details of what?”
He leaned back against his desk, folding his arms across his chest, a look of absolute confidence on his face.
“The details for our wedding.”
The words hit the air between them like a slap.For a long, suspended moment, there was nothing but silence.Luca could see the shock flash across her face, her breath catching in her throat as the weight of his words settled in.
He watched her carefully, his lips curling into a faint, knowing smile as he waited for her to process the magnitude of what he had just announced.This was the moment where everything changed.
Ava, for the first time, seemed unsure of herself.Her mouth opened, then closed again as if she couldn’t quite find the words to respond.
Luca wasn’t going to wait for her to find her footing.He had a plan, and he refused to let anything—or anyone—derail it.
Chapter 3
Theofficedoorsopenedsoftly, the quiet elegance of the space only emphasizing the tension swirling between them.Ava stood there for a moment, her gaze fixed on Luca as he stood in front of his polished, mahogany desk.His office was a masterpiece of modern luxury—sleek black leather chairs, rich wood paneling, and walls lined with large windows offering a stunning view of the Las Vegas skyline as well as the desert beyond.A few abstract pieces of art hung on the non-windowed walls, muted tones of gold, silver, and red adding a touch of warmth to the otherwise cool, controlled environment.The soft hum of the air conditioning was the only sound, underscoring the stillness in the room.
And then there was Luca.He was all hard angles, impressive muscles, and cold, dark eyes that seemed to pierce through everything he saw.But over the last six months, she’d watched those eyes change.The icy, impenetrable gaze would soften when he looked at her.Those same eyes, once as cold as winter, would shift, turning into something warmer, something that sent a shiver down her spine.Hot, even.When he touched her, when he was close, those eyes—dark and intense—would shift from the chilly and menacing to the molten heat of dark chocolate.
What was it about him that irked her so much?Was it the way his mere presence seemed to make her thoughts go fuzzy, as if she couldn’t focus?Was it because of the steamy dreams where this man did salacious things to her?Absolutely.And yet, had she resisted him at every opportunity?You betcha.
Franco and Leone claimed they understood it, at least on the surface.They said her stubborn resistance to Luca came from her need for control, the same need she’d clung to since childhood.After all, she’d grown up in chaos, dragged from one bad decision to the next by a mother who never thought ahead, always grasping at something new.Of course Ava craved order, of course she fought like hell to keep her grip on the world she’d built with her own hands.To them, Luca threatened that—because he could so easily tip her carefully ordered life into a freefall.
But even Ava knew that wasn’t the whole truth.Her resistance wasn’t only about control, or fear, or old scars.It was something more dangerous, something she didn’t dare name.The chemistry between them was undeniable.It thrummed in the air whenever he was near, whenever he touched her—making her head spin.And now, with him standing just a few feet away, that same attraction pulsed through her, her thoughts swirling with confusion and longing.
Ava blinked, her attention snapping back as a waiter rolled in a linen-covered cart, the savory scents of breakfast filling the air.But she couldn’t focus on the meal being set before her.No, her mind was still racing, trying to process what he’d said.He had saidour wedding, hadn’t he?
Ava felt a flush of disbelief spread through her.Was the man delusional?They hadn’t even gone on a date, and he was talking about their wedding?Surely, he’d lost it—his power and wealth had finally fried his brain sockets.The very thought of marrying this man was absurd.
But before she could fully grasp the weight of his words, the waiter walked out of the room, pulling the door closed, leaving them alone once more.
Luca’s eyes never left hers.His voice cut through the silence like a blade.“Have a seat.”
