Page 123 of Diary of a Mafia Princess

He shrugged. “Call it temporary insanity. Or maybe I just get off on pain. Hey, for all you know, I enjoyed everything I got down there.”

But nobody enjoyed this sort of torture. He had blood in places nobody should have blood, and his nails were ragged, like he’d been clawing them against something.

“Luca,” I said softly.

He quieted. “It’s not a big deal.”

Except it was to me.

I leaned in and pressed my lips on his.

He winced in pain and jerked away.

I blinked in surprise both at his rejection and at the fact I’d kissed him in the first place. “Shit, I’m so sorry. I—”

He grabbed the back of my head and kissed me hard.

Feeling swelled inside me. Relief and gratitude for this man who’d endured something awful, and all for a woman he claimed he didn’t like or trust. I cupped his face, holding him to me, our lips moving together for the briefest of moments before he pulled away.

He groaned and tipped his head back again, staring at the ceiling.

“What is it?” My hands hovered over him, not wanting to touch him again for fear of hurting him. There didn’t seem to be a single spot on his body that wasn’t covered in a cut or a graze or a bruise. “Did I hurt you again?”

“No.” The hint of a smile flickered over his lips. “I just really wanted to slip you some tongue, but my mouth probably tastes like an ashtray.”

I slapped his arm, not caring this time if I hurt him.

He laughed weakly, then winced, settling back again and sighing heavily. Any jokes disintegrated in the air around us.

“Thank you,” I said quietly. “I don’t know why you did that for me. But thank you.”

He nodded. “You’re welcome.”

We didn’t discuss the kiss. We both knew it had happened out of gratitude, and it didn’t mean anything. My brain shouted warnings, that he could still be trying to set me up.

But my gut already knew that he wouldn’t. That a man who took a three-day punishment for me wasn’t suddenly going to tell his father I’d kissed him.

Or that he’d kissed me back.

Luca looked at me. “Well, I’m going to crawl my way into the shower. So unless you want to see me naked again, I suggest you maybe go back to your own room now.”

I hesitated.

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you not leaving because you do want to see me naked again, princess?”

I rolled my eyes. “More like because I’m scared you’re going to pass out and die before you get there, and our rooms share a wall so the stench of your rotting corpse will probably permeate through the drywall pretty quick.”

He snorted. “Right. I’ll attempt not to die then.”

I grinned. “That’d be good of you.”

“Bye, Nyah.”

“Bye, Luca.”

I stood and left him, even though everything inside me screamed to stay and help. But it was clear he didn’t want it. That he needed to do this part himself.

I went downstairs and in quiet whispers told Virginia what had happened in Luca’s bedroom.