Mafia Heir

Chapter 39

Luca

When I got back to my bedroom, Charlotte was fast asleep in bed. For a few minutes, I just stood there watching her and trying to convince myself that she was real. That the words she spoke tonight were the truth, and that no matter what came over the next few weeks, she was mine. 

I love you slipped off of her tongue so easily, but when she knew the truth, so would her hatred. The last thing I wanted was for her to hate me. For her to see me in such a disparaging light and as the monster I was deep inside. She wouldn't be able to forgive my heaviest of transgressions as easily as she overlooked most of the awful things about me, and I knew we were doomed. 

Jealous. Hot Headed. Controlling. Abrasive. Criminal. 

None of those would hold a candle to the one title that was forced upon me by Antonio. Liar. 

That very first night I met her on my rooftop, she told me how much she hated dishonesty, and how it ended her last relationship. I had no idea then that it could be the end of ours, too. I gave her my own deepest and darkest secrets, but kept her own from her. And I wasn't sure which was worse. 

It was a tough pill to swallow, as I crawled into bed next to her. I draped my arm over her body, my throat tightening with emotion as she leaned into me. Her legs intertwined with mine as she snuggled against me, resting her head on my bicep and settling in. She wasn't even awake, gravitating toward me subconsciously and it shattered my heart. I was a comfort to her. She felt safe to let her guard down with me. But I also held the power to blow her entire world up and she didn't have a clue. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Her eyes fluttered open and locked on mine. 

"What on Earth could you be sorry for, baby?" I assured her, combing my fingers through her dark curls. "None of this is your fault." 

"It's not you that I'm upset with. It's the situation. I want to be able to handle it. To be a woman worthy of your love who can shoulder all fo this with you. But there is just so much of this that I can't fathom. I can't let this be normal for me. It hurts too much." Soft tears trailed down her cheeks. 

"Charlotte, you don't have to be anything other than yourself for me. That is the woman I love. I know it can't become normal for you, and I'm okay with that. In fact, it makes me love you even more. Your gentle heart is one of the things I love most about you, and I swear I'll do whatever I have to in order to protect it." I pressed my lips to her forehead. "Whatever I have to." 

Whether that was from her father, from Grant, or from Silvano, I would protect it. I wasn't going to let anything ruin the one real and meaningful thing I ever had in my entire life, and I would hold onto Charlotte with every last ounce of strength I had. 

She brought her lips to mine, kissing me with a renewed sense of ferocity. I groaned, melting into her kiss my hunger for her consumed me. It wasn't even a desire anymore, it was a need. I needed to feel her hands on my body, smell her scent on my skin. I needed to hear her sweet voice crying out my name. I needed her in the very best and worst of ways. She made me feel human in a world of monsters, and how I looked in her eyes was all that mattered. 

Charlotte climbed on top of me, straddling my hips and pushing my shoulders back, pinning me to the mattress. I was never one to give up control, especially in the bedroom, but something about the confident grin she gave me made me want to try. I laid back, letting her work her magic and relishing in the moment. 

Within seconds, her lips were on mine again. As she swept her hips across mine, she slipped her tongue inside my mouth, gently sucking on my bottom lip. Her sway was intoxicating, and even though the fabric of my boxer briefs, I could feel myself getting hard. It took intense restraint to not grab her hips and hold her place as she glided against me, fully aware of my erection growing underneath her. She liked the tease, and she was fucking phenomenal at it. She was raving me up in the most painfully pleasurable way, and my patience was wearing thin.