RUTHLESS KING

21 DIRTY DANCING

Stella
Luca’s fingers latch onto mine, his hold nearly punishing, as he drags me to
the dancefloor. For a second, I forget I’m supposed to play the role of
doting girlfriend, but a sharp tug quickly reminds me as he jerks me against
his chest. I crash into him, my hand escaping his, and both palms press
against the fine silk of his suit.
His breaths are uneven, ragged spurts vibrating his ribcage.
“What the hell is wrong?” I hiss.
“Nothing.”
“You just had an overwhelming desire to dance with me?” I tease, trying
to lighten the mood.
“Yes,” he growls. “You’re mine, remember? To do with as I please until
the end of the month.” Dio, this man’s mood swings are giving me
whiplash. He peels my hand from his chest and spears his fingers through
my own, then his arm tightens around my waist, bringing me flush against
him.
I clench my teeth to keep the faint gasp from escaping. He’s all over me.
His scent tickles my nostrils, his chest presses against mine, his arms caging me in. My body’s reaction to his is unfair. Perhaps, he’s not the only one
with an erratic mood.
He’s all I see, all I sense, all-consuming. I can barely focus on keeping
time with the music, not when each point of contact violently thrums
between us. Luckily, he’s a masterful dancer, another completely
unexpected quality of the mob boss, and he guides me across the gleaming
parquet like a puppet on a string.
Luca’s eyes are locked on mine, every twirl, every dip, they never
deviate. Heat consumes the minute space between our bodies. The anger
flashing across those bottomless irises slowly wanes, replaced by something
raw and far more dangerous. Something shifts between us, something I’m
too terrified to name. Because what I feel for this man is not normal. No
one should feel this way about someone who’s keeping them prisoner.
The melody continues in a blur, one song merging into another and
another. I’m held captive in that dark gaze, that firm hold that makes my
blood sing. Minutes or maybe hours pass. I have no concept of time beyond
this intense moment between us.
He leans his forehead to mine, our lips only a heartbeat away. “Oh,
princess…,” he murmurs, the rough edge to his tone accelerating my pulse.
Dio, I want to capture those lips, to taste him just one time. It’s fucked up,
and I’m well aware what that means for my own sanity, but I can’t seem to
bring myself to care.
With the shitshow my life has been over the past few months, I need
this. A little release. Who cares if I’m being reckless? I’ve been responsible
my whole life, and tonight, I want to lose myself in this man.
I press my body closer and grind my lower half against him. His arm
tightens like a vice around my waist, hand skating toward the curve of my
ass. I can feel him hardening against me, and fiery heat rages between my
legs. “You’re playing a dangerous game, princess,” he whisper-hisses in my
ear.
I rock my hips against his erection, too far gone to heed his advice, and
another sharp hiss seeps through his lips. Everything else around us
disappears, muddled in the background and drowned out by the mad roar of
my thundering heart.
Dio, I’ve never wanted anything more.
The tune morphs into a slow, sultry one, and he leads us into a smooth
transition. We sway to the sweltering rhythm, his cock rubbing dangerously
close to my center with the additional height the stilettos afford. He licks his
lips, our heated breaths mingling.
Luca’s hand digs into the hair at my nape and tugs, exposing my throat.
The scrape of his teeth across the sensitive flesh sends goosebumps
cascading down my arms. A faint moan escapes, and a wicked grin flashes
across that clean-shaven jaw.
“If you keep making sounds like that I’m going to lose it.” He runs his
hands down my ass and cups my soft curves.
It’s hard to remember we’re in public as I shamelessly grind against
him, but with his strong arms around me, I feel like no one can touch us,
like we’re in our own private bubble. Luca has that quality about him, that
all-powerful aura that no one can match. He oozes authority and
dominance, and Dio, it’s so damned sexy.
I lift my chin and meet that devastating gaze. “What if I want you to?” I
breathe out.
He slowly shakes his head, hard lines carving into his jaw. “Me losing
control wouldn’t be good for anyone.”
I press my chest against his, my breasts spilling over the top of the
gown. His eyes drop, and he lets out a groan. “Oh, Stella, what are you
doing to me?”
“Just playing the part of doting arm candy.” “You’re going above and beyond.”
I smile. Seeing the calm, collected Luca lose his cool because of me is
doing things to my insides that should be criminal. I grind my hips against
his cock to ease the fiery ache. Only it has the opposite effect, and I rub
harder. His fingers tighten around my ass and guide my hips over him.
There are layers of clothes between us and still, I’m fairly certain if we keep
this up, I’ll come right here on the dancefloor.
The smoldering fire in Luca’s eyes reveals the same.
“We should stop,” I pant out.
“Yes, we should.” But he doesn’t. Instead, he drops his head and flutters
kisses across the swell of my breast. He pauses, and I barely restrain myself
from shoving his mouth back to my burning flesh. He runs his finger over
the top of the heart tattoo peaking from beneath my gown.
“What’s this?” he murmurs.
“A tattoo,” I snap. My dead mother and brother are the last topics I want
to be discussing right now.
Pressing his lips together, his finger dips beneath the indecent neckline
and traces the outline of the interlocking hearts. His eyes meet mine, and
something unreadable flashes across the dark abyss. I’m certain he’s about
to spill something earthshattering, but instead, his lips find their way to my
chest again.
He resumes his exploration and the heat building below rises, rushing
across my cheeks. All thoughts vanish, and all I can do is feel. We’re in the
middle of a crowded dancefloor, in perfect view for all to see. I should be
much more embarrassed than I am. But it’s hard to form cohesive thoughts
with Luca’s warm tongue lavishing me.
I want that tongue everywhere.
“Ah, there’s the happy couple.” The voice splashes ice across the fiery
embers raging in my core. Luca glances up from his spot nestled between my breasts, dark eyes
murderous as they lance over his brother. “Dante,” he grits out. “And
Caroline, what a surprise.” The cool mask slips into place, and he releases
me. A frosty chill rakes over my body at the sudden absence of his.
The blonde squirms beside Dante, hand resting on his shoulder, but her
gaze is pinned to my escort.
“I didn’t realize you knew each other,” Luca says smoothly.
Dante wraps an arm around the woman and draws her into his side. “We
just met a few weeks ago at La Palestra.”
“Oh, imagine that.” Luca’s glare razes over his brother, and I know I’m
missing something. Which I hate. It’s bad enough he refused to introduce
me the other day at the penthouse.
I throw my hand out at the blonde who eyes it like it’s covered in dog
shit. “I’m Stella, Luca’s girlfriend.”
Her eyes nearly pop out of her head, and I’m incredibly satisfied by her
reaction. Dante looks like he’s about a second away from a heart attack. I’m
confused because wasn’t that the whole point of this arrangement, to be the
good little girlfriend?
“Girlfriend?” Caroline ignores my offered hand and glares at Luca. Her
cheeks redden, and her breaths come out in haggard spurts. “You really are
an asshole, Luca Valentino,” she hisses before spinning away and darting
off the dancefloor.
My escort doesn’t even make a move to stop her, instead lets out a
frustrated breath and whirls on his brother. “What the hell are you thinking
bringing her here?”
“What? I had no idea you fu—knew each other intimately.”
I’ve known Luca’s brother for all of a second, and even I can smell the
lie. I try to focus on that instead of the inappropriate pang of jealousy at his
insinuation. Luca shakes his head, irritation sharpening the hard lines of his jaw. He
turns to me and wraps firm fingers around my arm before bringing his lips
to my ear. “Meet me in the women’s bathroom in five minutes. I’m not
done with you.”
The rough edge to his tone sends a chill up my spine. I steady my
nerves and meet his hard gaze. “Why? Where are you going?”
“I need to talk to my fratello in private first.”
Dante stiffens beside him, and for the first time I take a good look at his
brother. He looks older, but not by much. They have the same dark eyes and
silky hair, but Dante’s expression is harder somehow. I don’t know anything
about him besides the obvious fact that he’s not Luca’s favorite person.
Before he showed up at the penthouse the other day, I didn’t even know he
existed. When Vinny was alive, he was all I talked about. He wasn’t just my
brother, he was my best friend, my hero ….
I bury the thoughts, this night chaotic enough without digging up dark
memories of the past.
“Go, Stella,” Luca grits out.
I shoot the bastardo a narrowed glare before spinning on my heels. I
march off the dancefloor, lifting my chin to keep my pride intact after being
dismissed like a dog. Cazzo, I will never survive this. This man’s mercurial
temper is enough to send me to an early grave. As I search for the damned
ladies’ room, I’m cursing myself for allowing Luca to touch me the way he
did when we danced. And Dio, I wanted it so bad. If Dante and that
Caroline woman hadn’t shown up, I’m fairly certain I would’ve had an
orgasm from rubbing against his hard cock in the middle of the crowded
dancefloor.
Merda, I’m a disaster.
Meet me in the women’s bathroom in five minutes. I’m not done with
you. Luca’s words echo across my mind as I traverse the grand ballroom
and finally spot the gilded restroom sign. What does that even mean? Is he pissed I introduced myself as his girlfriend or was that threat something else
entirely?
A tremor rolls through my body as his hands ghost along my hips,
hugging my ass, and those lips ….
Stop it! I blink quickly, but I’d have to carve those images out of my
mind with a knife before they ceased to exist. Pushing through the
bathroom door, I nearly barrel into a familiar blonde.
Ugh. Shit.
Caroline eyes me, her deep green irises scanning over every inch of my
designer wardrobe. I pull my shoulders back, refusing to be intimidated by
the woman. Sure, she probably bought her own Jimmy Choos and Dior
purse, but she has no idea my new ridiculously expensive accessories were
a gift from Luca.
“What?” I bark.
“Classy…,” she murmurs. “I’ve never seen you at one of these events.
What did you say your last name was?”
“I didn’t.”
Her lips screw into a sneer as she flashes pearly white teeth. “How do
you know Luca?”
I internally curse him for not letting me create a backstory before we
arrived. “Old family friends,” I blurt. I have no idea where that came from,
but it’s probably true. My Nonno was the don of all of Manhattan back in
the day. He must have known Luca’s father. “How do you know him?” I
counter.
“We fucked once. And you know Luca—one time is all you get. Right?”
My brows knit, a hint of an emotion I refuse to name settling in the pit
of my stomach. She must read the confusion on my face because a wicked
grin stretches across her face. “Oh, I get it. You haven’t fucked him yet.
Now, this makes more sense.” She leans against the vanity, her smile
growing. “I’m going to do you a favor and warn you to stay the hell away from Luca Valentino. He has all these rules when it comes to screwing: no
kissing, no face-to-face, and most important, only once. He’ll fuck you
senseless, leave you craving him like a drug, but he’s unbendable. And he
sure as hell doesn’t date. So do yourself a favor, little girl, run far away
before he ruins you.”
I stare at her, completely numb. All the words tangle in my throat, my
brain on overdrive. I shouldn’t be surprised by what she’s said. It seems
every bit in line with Luca’s controlling character, and still, it hits me like a
freight train. My heart stalls, my ribs suddenly too tight. I can’t drag in a
breath fast enough.
“Trust me, sweetie, you’re not his girlfriend, and you never will be.”
With that, she twirls on her stilettos and marches out.
The moment she’s gone, my knees give out and I barely make it to the
upholstered bench along the wall before I crumble. Heat burns the corners
of my eyes, and I hate that her words could have that effect on me. Because
that only means one thing … one thing that I refuse to accept. I’m falling
for my captor.
The bathroom door whips open, and Luca fills the entryway, his
overwhelming presence sucking all the air from the room. He slams the
door shut, and the click of the lock cuts through the thickening silence.
Blazing dark irises fix to mine, and he stalks toward me.