“You don’t know that.” I shove at him hard, refusal burning in my chest.
Luciano puts me on the back seat of the waiting car and pulls out his phone, listening for a dial tone before passing it to me.
I stare at him, skeptical, until I hear Mattia’s voice. “Is Charlie with you?” he asks with same urgency as me.
“Mattia, you’re alive!” I shout into the phone, causing him to chuckle on the other end.
“It takes a lot more than that to kill me, Red,” he says. “I’ll see you at home. Pass Luciano the phone.”
I do as he says and watch Luciano’s reaction. “Take him to the bunker,” Luciano says. “We will meet you there.”
“I’m coming with you,” I say.
“No,” he growls. “You’re going back to the house.”
I try climbing out the car, but he blocks me in. He turns to our soldier in the front seat—a man I’ve seen around the estate. “Take her home and make sure she enters.” He grabs my legs and pushes me back into the car. I claw at him desperately as he slams the door. I reach for the handle and tug, but it’s locked.
“Let me out,” I demand the soldier.
“Sorry, the Don gave me orders.” He turns back before driving away from the shipment yard. I look out the back window and see Luciano staring at our car as we drive away. His eyes flicker with the usual protectiveness he has for me, along with a flicker of something else that’s too quick to recognize.
The wait at the mansion for Luciano and the brothers to get back feels endless. Rosa has me get looked over by our doctor and tries to make me sit and watch a movie, but how can I sit still? I don’t know where Luciano or the brothers are. How am I supposed to know if they’re okay or not?
It’s early into the morning when the front door slams open and I bolt to the foyer. “Finally!” I leap into Luciano’s arms.
“Principessa,” he murmurs, but his arms hang by his side, not hugging me back. His clothes feel wet, and when I pull back, he’s covered head to toe in blood.
“Are you hurt?” I ask. I start patting him all over, trying to find where it’s coming from.
“It’s not mine,” he growls, his cold eyes locking on me.
“Thank fuck for that.” I take his hand and lead him upstairs towards his room.
“What are you doing?” he asks as we enter his bathroom.
“What does it look like?” I start to undress him, but he pushes my hands away and continues to undress himself, chucking his bloodied clothes in the bin. He steps into the shower without a glance in my direction.
He’s not going to push me away. I strip off and climb into the shower with him. Turning on the second shower head, I let the water fall over me, keeping my eyes locked on Luciano. He stands still, his back to me, his arms and head leaning against the wall. His mind iselsewhere. I slowly move closer to him, wrapping my arms around him so my naked body touches his, and I rest my head on his back.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask softly.
“No.”
“You don’t have to do this alone anymore,” I remind him, sliding my hand down to his cock, stroking him slowly.
He catches my hand with a firm grip to hold it against him. The silence stretches between us. He lets go, turning around to face me. His big hands grip my cheeks, pulling me into him. His kiss is different; there’s more urgency behind it. His hands start to roam all over me.
“I need to fuck you,” he breathes between kisses.
“Yes.” He lifts me and I wrap my legs around his waist as he slams me against the shower wall. His mouth finds my nipple and plays with my piercing, teasing me. I grab a fistful of his hair and pull his head back until his eyes lock with mine.
“Principessa,” he growls.
He needs to release whatever is eating him up, so I whisper, “Use me.”
His eyes darken instantly. He lowers me back to the floor and steps out of the shower, dripping wet. Fuck. I follow him into the bedroom, both of us leaving a wet trail behind.
“Luciano.” When his gaze draws back to me, I step closer, uncertain how he’s going to react. “Use me, Luciano. Fuck me raw. Take your anger out on me.”
