Chapter 23

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

“YOU BETTER HURRY up or I’m gonna leave without you.” Dom slid his sunglasses on and leaned against the side of his car as he waited for Luca to join him so they could get the day started.

Well, not started—they’d done that when Dom woke this morning to find Luca’s sweet ass pressed up against his cock. Damn, the kid had really gotten to him last night. Between his laying out his family’s tragic history and the beautiful way Luca came undone for him, Dom knew he was in so much deeper than he should be.

But he wasn’t going to think about that today. For the first time in his life, he was away from the violence and chaos that usually surrounded him, and he was going to take advantage of that—if Luca ever got his ass downstairs.

“Five! Four!” Dom looked up at the open doors of his bedroom balcony where he’d left Luca to get dressed. “Three! Two—”

“I’m here. I’m here,” Luca said as he jogged out the front door with a leather backpack slung over one shoulder. “Sheesh, what’s the hurry?”

Dom ran his gaze over Luca’s khaki shorts and white fitted tee. “No hurry. I just wanted to see if you’d still do what I told you to.”

“Ah, I see. You mean now that I know I could use my body against you?” Luca smirked as he made his way across the courtyard. “Don’t worry, I’ll only resort to those kinds of tactics if I find myself between a rock and a hard…place.”

Dom grabbed his hand. “This better be the only hard place you find yourself up against right now, or I’ll have to resort to some tactics of my own.”

Luca chuckled. “Oh, I’ve seen your tactics—”

“And lived to talk about it.”

“And lived to talk about it.” Luca bit at Dom’s lower lip. “So I’d say that my weapon is more effective than all yours put together.”

Dom couldn’t argue with that. He’d had every opportunity to put an end to this young man’s life. But every time he’d thought about following through on the order, he hadn’t had the heart to.

Now here he was in one of the most romantic places in the world, about to take Luca to a goddamn winery. It’d be laughable if he wasn’t enjoying himself so much.

Dom pushed off the car and took Luca’s chin in his hand. “Get in the car or I’m going to pull out my biggest weapon right here and use it on you.”

“In that case—”

Dom cut him off with a fierce kiss. “Get in the fucking car, Luca.”

Luca chuckled as he took a step back, then he ran his eyes down Dom’s loose linen shirt and pants.

“The car. Now.”

Luca held his hands up. “I’m going.” As they slid into the convertible, Luca pulled a pair of sunglasses from his backpack. “So where are we going today?”

Dom headed out of the drive toward the main road. “You’ll find out when we get there.”

“Seriously? We’re back to the non-answers?” Luca sighed. “I thought we were past that.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Maybe because you were actually nice to me last night…and again this morning.”

“I’m not telling you because it’s a surprise.”

“A surprise…? For me?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. In that case, I don’t want to know a thing.”

Dom shook his head and glanced over to see a joyful smile on Luca’s lips. He had the crazy thought that he wanted to be the one to always make Luca smile like that.

What the hell?

This damn place, it could make a romantic out of anyone, apparently.

“A WINERY? YOU brought me to an Italian winery?” Luca’s jaw all but fell into his lap as Dom drove them through a set of wrought-iron gates and under an archway covered in vines.

“Not just any Italian winery. This is a Rossetti winery.”

Luca’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “You’re kidding.”

“Do I look like the kind of man who kids around?”

“You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Luca looked out at the rows of olive trees lining the gravel road and started to laugh. “You own a winery. Wow. You know, for all your faults, this one certainly makes up for a lot of them.”

Dom smirked as he pulled the car around to the main house and parked. It was a beautiful old-style villa made out of sandstone bricks and terracotta tiles, and had a wraparound balcony with spectacular views.

“So let me get this clear,” Luca said as he pushed open his door and climbed out. “Your family doesn’t only deal in dangerous and illegal stuff, they also own legitimate businesses like this winery?”

“What makes you think this place is legitimate?”

Luca opened his mouth as if to respond but quickly shut it again.

“I’m just fucking with you. The winery is one hundred percent legitimate. A lovely couple runs the place, and as far as I know, we don’t use it as a front for anything nefarious.”

Luca looked over the top of his sunglasses, eyeing Dom suspiciously. “As far as you know.”

“Yes.” Dom pushed the glasses back into place then started up the stairs. “And I know everything.”

One of the first things that had attracted him to Luca was the fact that he was brave enough to talk back. Whether it was asking one hundred and one questions or pushing Dom to open up about things he’d never told anyone, Dom found his attraction to the kid growing more and more with every day that passed, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

“Dom, this place is…” Luca passed by him at the top of the stairs and walked over to the side of the house that overlooked the miles of vineyards covering the sprawling property. “It’s beautiful.”

Dom couldn’t agree more, both about the view and Luca. The last twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind of emotions, and as he tried to make sense of them, he just became more confused.

“Dom?”

“Huh?”

Luca grinned at him. “I said, don’t you think it’s beautiful?”

Dom bit back the impulse to say, No, I think you’re fucking gorgeous, and instead looked out at the view. “Yes. It’s gorgeous.”

“So green and lush. Look at all those grapes.” Luca pointed to the vines closest to them and then turned around to look at the main house behind them. “Okay, where do we go to start this tour?”

“Tour?” Dom cocked his head. “Who said anything about a tour?”

“All wineries have a tour. They teach you all about how they make the wines and then show you the cellar where they store them, then they ply you with the good stuff at the end.”

Dom chuckled. “Done a lot of these, have you?”

“A few. But never in Italy.”

“Well, prepare to be disappointed. There are no tours today.”

“Oh.” Luca tried to bank his disappointment, but Dom could see it on his face. “That’s okay. Looking at the grounds is fun too.”

Dom grabbed his hand, then walked them to the front door, which had been left unlocked for them.

“There are no tours today because we are the only two here, and I don’t know shit about making wine.”

Luca stopped in his tracks. “We’re the only two here?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I asked the owners to shut it down to the public today.”

Luca took off his sunglasses. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you ask them to shut it down today?”

Dom sighed, took his own glasses off, and hooked them over the top button of his shirt. “Because it was the safest thing to do.”

Luca screwed his nose up and shook his head. “Nope. Try again.”

“Because I don’t like people.”

Luca’s lips twitched. “Okay, that’s probably true, but not the driving factor, in my opinion.”

“No? And what do you think was the driving factor?”

Luca placed his hands on Dom’s chest, and Dom’s heart began to beat so hard he wondered if Luca could feel it. What the actual fuck?

“I think you did it because you want to be alone with me.”

“I’m always alone with you.”

Luca nodded. “True, but this time you planned it that way to please me. Not to scare or intimidate me.”

Not wanting to admit that he’d called ahead and planned this day with Luca in mind, Dom took Luca’s hand again and led him through the house to the kitchen.

“One night in my bed and you think you know everything about me, huh?”

“One morning, too. And I know enough to know that there’s no way you’d be holding my hand right now if you didn’t feel the same connection I did last night. Something changed, and you know it.”

Dom came to an abrupt standstill in the old-style kitchen and turned to face Luca.

“Don’t try to deny it. I won’t believe you.”

God, how had Dom let this get so far out of hand? He had no fucking idea. But he pulled Luca into his arms and whispered across his lips, “Who said I was going to deny it?”

Dom dove in for a taste of that sweet, sweet mouth. He rubbed his tongue up against Luca’s. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so consumed by another, so drawn to someone that nothing else mattered but getting him alone. But when it came to Luca, Dom was hyper-focused. He wanted to know everything, touch everything, be everything when it came to this kid.

Enemy, lover, torturer, protector. He didn’t want anyone else near him, and yet he knew he couldn’t keep Luca. Was that his punishment for all that he’d done to him? It certainly seemed fitting that the first person he’d ever wanted to create some kind of balance with, the first person who moved him, was the one person he couldn’t have.

With that sobering thought, Dom raised his head and took a step back.

“Dom—”

“Do you want to stomp grapes?”

Luca blinked, clearly taken off guard by the question. “We’re going to stomp grapes?”

Dom grabbed the picnic basket that had been left for him and read the note attached wishing them a lovely day, then he picked up the two glasses on the counter and turned back to Luca. “What can I say? I have to have at least one aggressive activity a day or I go crazy.”

Luca chuckled and reached for the glasses. “Was that a joke?”

“I can be funny.”

“Uh huh.” Luca followed him out of the kitchen and to a set of double doors that led to the other side of the balcony. “Is that like me saying I can be scary?”

Dom pushed open one of the doors. “You’re the scariest person I’ve ever met.”

“Why?”

Dom could’ve lied, but it seemed pointless at this stage. Luca was too smart. “You know why.”

Luca reached out to cradle Dom’s cheek. “I’d never do anything to hurt you. You know that, right?”

Dom reached up and curled his fingers around Luca’s, closing his eyes. “It’s the fact that you could that scares me.”

He drew Luca’s hand free, headed out to the balcony, and took in a deep breath of fresh air. Jesus, what the hell was happening to him? He needed to get them back on track, because this path they were taking was too damn dangerous.

Behind him, Luca cleared his throat. “So, stomping grapes?”

It seemed Luca had finally picked up on the fact that this wasn’t a smart course either. Deciding to ignore the giant elephant on the balcony with them, Dom turned to face him.

“That’s right. You up to getting a little dirty?”

Luca looked down at his flip-flops and bare legs. “Sure am. You, on the other hand”—he pointed to Dom’s pants—“I’m not so sure.”

Dom smirked and headed to the stairs leading off the balcony. As they made their way down to a picnic table, he spotted two huge half-barrels a little ways from it. He placed the basket down.

“Stomp first and eat later, or—”

“Stomp first!” Luca set the glasses on the table and dumped his backpack on the seat, then took off toward the barrels. When he reached them, he let out a loud, boisterous laugh. “Oh my God. This is just like that episode of I Love Lucy. You’ve seen it, right?”

Dom strolled over to the other barrel and looked inside at the bunches of grapes. “Can’t say I have.”

“What?”

“I’ve never watched that show.”

Luca shook his head, clearly disappointed in Dom as a human being. In fact, he seemed more disappointed by that than he had when he found out Dom was part of the Mafia.

“You’re missing out. It’s hilarious. And there’s this episode where she’s stomping grapes and it’s a big old mess.” Luca laughed as he kicked out of his flip-flops.

“Is that the kind of thing you like to watch in your free time? Comedy?”

Luca fell silent and stared at Dom.

“What?” Dom asked as he crouched down to start rolling up his pant legs.

“Nothing. I… It’s just, that’s the first time you’ve ever asked me anything personal about my life.”

“No it’s not.”

“Yes it is.”

Dom paused and thought back over their time together, and realized Luca was right. “So, is it?”

Luca grinned and shrugged. “I guess. I like a little bit of everything. Comedy, love stories, crime dramas. Although that last one I might skip for a while when I get back to it, you know, all things considered.”

With his pant legs rolled up just under his knees, Dom straightened. “That makes sense. And what else do you like to do, you know, for fun?”

Luca looked to the barrel beside him and then back to Dom. “Is that what this is all about? Giving me some fun?”

Not intentionally, but now that he thought it through, Dom figured it had to be a small part as to why he’d picked this activity for the day. He’d wanted Luca to have a good time, relax, and, yes…have fun.

“I suppose it is. And you didn’t answer the question.”

“In all honesty, I don’t really have a lot of free time. My school schedule is jam-packed, and anytime I’m not in class, I’m busy studying.”

“Sounds stressful.”

“Not as stressful as being kidnapped and shot at. But I suppose that prepared me for you…in a way.”

“Touché.”

Luca pointed to Dom’s pants. “You’re really rocking that look, by the way.”

Dom looked down at his haphazard rolling job. “This isn’t a fashion contest smartass, it’s a grape-stomping one. Now get in.”

Luca grinned and lifted his first foot over the barrel and into the grapes. As the fruit burst and squished between his toes, he pulled a face that made Dom laugh.

“Okay, this feels really, um, weird.”

That made Dom laugh even harder. “In a good way?”

Luca wriggled his feet around. “In a really fucking…weird way.”

Dom snorted. “And you were so excited to get down here and try this.”

“Oh, it feels good, just…unexpected, that’s all.”

“That sounds familiar. Didn’t you say something like that last night?”

Luca chuckled. “You’re hilarious.”

Dom climbed into his barrel and winced as the juicy grapes popped between his toes.

“See—weird, huh?”

He began to move around, trying to get used to the feeling and texture, but Luca was right: it was just weird. Good…but fucking weird.

That seemed to be the theme with them. Because God knew Dom shouldn’t be standing in a vineyard laughing and enjoying himself with a Fiore. But as he looked over to see Luca’s smiling face, that was the only way he knew how to describe what was happening between them—good but fucking weird.