RUTHLESS KING

27 A GRAND GESTURE

Stella
The roar of the motorcycle engine cuts off, and I peel my body from Luca’s.
My arms are sore from holding him so tight and still, I find it hard to pull
away. He’s parked the bike in front of a sprawling empty lot in an upscale
part of Eastchester. Only thirty minutes outside the city and already I can
breathe better.
“What are we doing here?” I tug off my helmet and eye the stretch of
green over his shoulder.
“Just needed a change of scenery.” He hooks his helmet on the handle
and jumps off before offering me his hand.
I slide off and my legs are still buzzing from the engine’s vibrations, my
knees shaky. I wobble a little, and Luca’s arm laces around my waist as
naturally as if it belonged there. He holds me for an endless moment, eyes
pinned to mine. The leader of the Kings is a complete enigma, a monster
one minute and a chivalrous gentleman the next. A few hours ago, he was
devouring me like an animal, and now the gentleness in his touch has my
heart pinching. “Come on.” He tugs on my hand and breaks the spell that dark gaze
casts over me.
“Um, isn’t this trespassing?” I ask as he weaves us through the towering
evergreens scattered across the property.
“Trust me, princess, trespassing is the least of my sins.” The corner of
his lip hitches up, that mischievous smirk more tempting than one of Mrs.
D’s cannoli.
I can’t decide what I want more: to kiss that smile off his face or just
bask in its beauty. I should be satisfied with myself for forcing him to break
one of his precious rules, but now that I’ve had a taste of those lips, I only
want more. Would he let me have it? Or would he really make me beg?
As we reach the edge of the property, the woods thicken. Already, my
breaths are coming hard and fast from our jog across the clearing. Luca
must notice because he slows and throws a concerned gaze in my direction.
“Almost there,” he murmurs.
The gnarled, climbing trees part and reveal a small clearing beside a
rippling pond with a rickety old dock. A red-and-white checkered blanket is
spread out on the grass and a cute wicker basket sits beside a champagne
bottle immersed in an ice bucket. Next to it, is a bouquet of pure white calla
lilies.
My breath catches, and this time my asthma has nothing to do with it.
“You did this?” I rasp out.
He shrugs, and a flash of crimson coats his cheeks. Dio, I didn’t think it
was possible. The mafia boss blushes? And cazzo, it only makes him more
gorgeous. Waving a nonchalant hand, he mutters, “I had Tony pick up a few
things.”
The idea of Luca’s righthand man setting up a picnic sends a fit of the
giggles cramping my belly. I do my best to suppress the laughter, but I
finally buckle over as a laugh escapes. Luca’s cheeks burn brighter and damn it, he’s so beautiful my heart
reels. “What’s so funny?” He’s trying his best to hold in a smile, but the
amusement sparks across his dark eyes.
“I’m sorry, but the idea of big, tough Tony setting all of this up is just
hysterical.”
“I’ll be sure to tell him you laughed at his grand gesture.”
“His grand gesture?”
Luca rocks back on his heels and drags his palm down the back of his
neck. “Or mine, whatever.”
I take a step closer. “Is this all part of our business arrangement?”
He nods. “I have to find some way to keep my arm candy happy, right?”
My lips pucker. Each day that passes, the lines between us grow
blurrier. I want more from him, so much more. But I know how ridiculous
that sounds. “Right,” I finally mutter.
“Sit, we don’t want the champagne to get warm.”
I fold down on the colorful blanket and run my fingers over the delicate
calla lily buds. “Why do you like these flowers so much? They’re the only
ones I’ve ever seen in the penthouse.”
Luca shrugs as he strips the bottle of the gilded foil covering. “I like
their simplicity.”
“You know they’re a symbol of resurrection and rebirth, right?”
“Um hmm.” He nods, eyes avoiding mine.
Could the infamous mob boss be secretly hoping for redemption? A
new life?
Luca pops open the bottle and the cork flies across the blanket. The
Dom Perignon bubbles out, and he brings the tip to my mouth. I wrap my
lips around the rim and swallow the fizzy liquid.
“Mmm, that’s my good girl.” His eyes lock on my lips as I swallow it
down, and all thoughts of redemption vanish. Once it stops foaming over, I run my tongue around the rim. His heated
gaze bores down on me with each slow circle. My lusty vixen has already
joined his dark thoughts, imagining my mouth on his cock. Licking him,
tasting him.
“Stella …,” he warns, a jagged edge to his tone that wasn’t there a
moment ago. “Hand over the bottle before I lose what little is left of my
sanity.”
I release the rim and throw him an exaggerated pout. “Maybe I like you
better when you lose control.” The bubbles must have gone straight to my
head because I had no intention of saying those words out loud.
He clucks his teeth as he reveals two crystal flutes from the basket and
fills them with champagne. “You have no idea what you’re asking for.” He
hands me the glass, and smoldering irises find mine.
I take a long pull, nearly draining the flute in one gulp.
“Easy, princess.” He brings his glass to his lips and takes a small sip. I
reach for the base of the stem and tip it back, forcing him to drink more.
“Now who’s trying to get whom drunk?” Mischief sparkles through the
dark abyss of those soul-penetrating eyes.
“I told you I like it when you let loose.”
A deep chuckle vibrates the air between us. “You haven’t seen me when
I let loose, princess. I’m not sure you would enjoy it.”
“Maybe you have no idea what I like, Signor Valentino.” I drop the
empty glass and crawl closer until I’m kneeling between his powerful
thighs. I curl my hands around the collar of his shirt and pause, a
hairsbreadth from his lips. “I like you,” I whisper.
And just like that, a dam bursts.
Luca’s hand wraps around the back of my neck, and he jerks my mouth
to his. Our lips crash in an explosion of fury and raw desire. His mouth
engulfs mine, his lips punishing, teeth gnashing against my own. He draws
my lower lip between his teeth and bites down. Hard. “Ow,” I squeal.
“This is what you wanted, right, princess?” he pants against my mouth.
“You wanted me out of control, now you’ve got me.” His hands clamp
around my thighs, and he winds them around his waist so I’m straddling
him.
Even through our jeans, I can feel him rock hard against me. I grind my
hips into him, reveling in the friction.
He captures my mouth again, hand fisting my hair to position me to his
liking. His other hand travels down my back and curls around my ass. His
fingers slip past the frayed edges of my shorts and dig into my bare flesh.
Then his thumb finds my slick heat, and he runs it through my wet folds. I
moan at the unexpected invasion.
He grinds me into his erection, and another groan fills his hungry
mouth. “You want me to fuck you, princess? Is that what this is about?”
God, yes. Thank goodness I somehow manage to keep my stupid
thoughts to myself this time. Mostly because I can’t seem to form a single
cohesive sentence with his cock between my legs.
His thumb circles harder, bordering on the precipice between pleasure
and pain. “You want me to strip you bare right here and nail you to the
ground?” I let out a whimper. “You want my cock pounding into your sweet
pussy in the middle of fucking suburbia for any nosey housewife to see?”
“No,” I finally pant out.
He freezes, eyes widening.
I lace steel into my tone despite the growing tremors. “Because that’ll
be it, right? Just one time and then you’ll be done with me. Like Caroline
said.”
He withdraws his finger, and I barely resist the urge to growl in
frustration. His dark brows knit as he regards me with the fire of a thousand
suns. Endless seconds pass, then torturous minutes. He doesn’t utter a word
as a battle plays out in his mind. I don’t understand why his rules are so important, why he refuses to give in. He wants this as bad as I do,
somehow, I’m certain.
Unthreading his hand from my hair, he slides it down to my ass and lifts
me up as he rises.
“What are you doing?”
“We need to cool off.” His long strides carry us off the blanket, and
before I have a chance to scream, he runs across the old dock and leaps into
the pond.
Icy water envelops me, only the warmth of Luca’s arms driving away
the chill. I splutter as he straightens, and we’re wading in the middle of the
shallow pool. “Sei pazzo?” I shriek as I push out of his hold. This man has
completely lost his mind. “Why would you jump into the lake?”
A ridiculous grins splits his lips, softening the typical tight set of his
jaw. “I told you we needed to cool off.”
“Maybe you did!” I shout. “I was perfectly fine.”
“Please, I would’ve had you coming on my lap in a few more seconds.”
“Bastardo,” I snarl.
“And don’t get me wrong, I’m going to make you come again, just on
my terms.” He shoots me a wicked grin, and it’s a damned good thing I’m
already soaked.
I smack the water and send a wave across that stupid smirk.
He shakes his head out like a wet dog and runs his hands down his face.
“Behave or I’ll dunk you again, princess.”
“I’d like to see you try.”
That smile morphs into something truly wicked. Those eyes flash, and
he’s on me before I blink. His arms wrap around my torso and pull me
under. I struggle against him as the icy water tingles across my skin, but my
blood still burns from his touch.
He pulls me back up to the surface, and I gulp in a breath of air. With
his arms still enveloping me, all I get is a lungful of Luca. That spicy, musky scent of bergamot and hot pepper does nothing to quell the burning
in my chest.
He licks his lips as he watches me. “You know, you forgot to beg.”
“What?” I squeal.
“Back there—” He jerks his chin at the blanket. “You kissed me without
having to beg for it per our previous conversation.”
“First of all, you kissed me. Second of all, like I said before, I’ll never
beg for anything from you, Luca Valentino.” Liar. A dark voice in my mind
calls me out on the complete and utter bullshit. I was already so far gone for
this man I’d done a number of idiotic things, and I had a nasty feeling this
was only the beginning.
“Never say never, princess.” A devious smile pulls at those perfect lips.
“I also said I’d follow my rules till the day I died until you blew back into
my life.” He wades closer, and I take a step farther. Confusion at his words
freezes me to the spot.
“Back?”
His dark brows slam together. “What?”
“You said back into your life?”
His jaw clenches, a faint tendon pulsing beneath the five o’clock
shadow. “Yeah, after the day I met you at Nonna Maria’s.” That cool mask
slips back on, and I’m certain I’ve missed something. “Who knew my cute
waitress would end up as a bargaining chip at the pawn shop?”
I regard him for a long moment, but his expression is unreadable.
“Come on, we better get you out of those wet clothes.”
I eye him, my soaked t-shirt clinging to my skin. “You brought us a
spare set?”
He nods. “Of course, I did. I used to be a boy scout, the Italian version
anyway. Always prepared.”
A laugh tumbles out because never in a million years could I picture the
mob boss as an innocent twelve-year-old boy, let alone a boy scout. The murmur of approaching voices sends Luca’s gaze darting over my
shoulder. His jaw tenses, and he mumbles a curse. I whirl around to find
Dante and an older woman walking toward us.