28. Luca

Chapter twenty-eight

Luca

" I 've worked out a schedule with Rome's men for round-the-clock monitoring." Rafael informs us as he enters my office and heads for the sidebar. Robert, or anyone else, didn't make a move last night. I gave up around 3 am and left it in Rome's and Rafael's hands. As much as I wanted to wake Kylie, she was fast asleep and never woke as I got ready for bed and joined her. She probably needed a break, anyway. We went at it hard on Sunday.

I asked Rafael and Gio to meet me after hours at the downtown office for a bit of privacy, and I texted Kylie, letting her know I'll be working late again. Joseph will get her at nine and take her to my home, same as last night. As much as I wish I could be there myself, we have more to hash out in our plan to stop this other syndicate from fucking with my business.

Setting my reading glasses down, I stand and move to the glass wall to look out over the city. "I called Margaret first thing, letting her know Betty quit and that I would handle her replacement."

"She won't be happy we kept her out of the loop on this." Gio sits causally in the guest chair at my desk. He's already helped himself to the scotch.

I turn to Gio knowing he's right about Margaret. "I want her annoyance at the inconvenience to be real. Just in case. "

"It's best this way. Margaret wouldn't be able to hide her worry over the girls if she knew someone was trying to infiltrate the business." Rafael moves to sit next to Gio with his whiskey, slouching down with his legs spread. He's had fun with this spy shit. I don't think I've seen him happier.

Sighing, I head to the sidebar, snatching my empty glass on the way to refill it. "I'd prefer she never found out, but I don't want her to have any hard feelings toward Betty when she's able to return to work."

"What are you going to do about Kylie?" Rafael asks.

"What do you mean?" Lifting my drink, I glance at him as I move back to my desk.

"You announced that she's just a fuck toy. I know it was to keep their eyes on you and not her." Rafael raises his eyebrow.

My gut clenches when he reminds me. Hating that those words were even necessary. "I did. I want to keep their attention off her."

"To be convincing, you need to limit your time together. Have her over at night only and go about your day as if she isn't even a thought. Otherwise, they'll never believe it."

Rafael is right, but fuck, I hate to do that to her. I look at the couch where we had our first real conversation. This will hurt her if I do this.

Resigned, I sigh. "You're right. I just don't like it."

"If it makes you feel better, it won't be for long. Rome said he thinks they'll move quickly now that they're aware you know about the plant." Gio rubs his chin. "It would have been ideal if they did it last night, but we all agreed it was probably too soon for them to strategize the break in."

"I agree. I think at the earliest, it will be Friday or Saturday night. If they're smart, they'll wait for Sweet Connections office to close for the weekend." Rafael uses his knee to nudge Gio. A smirk on his face. "You okay with entertaining Lisa for another week or two?"

Gio grins as he raises his glass to his mouth, not responding until after he takes a sip of his drink. "I didn't realize how awesome it is to have a fuck buddy so convenient at hand. I'm thinking about contracting my own sugar baby when this is all over."

Rafael and I just stare at him.

"What? Look at you." Gio tips his head to me. "You're giddy like a school boy getting it on the regular. You know what I'm talking about. And you should do the same." Gio turns to Rafael. "When was the last time you got laid?"

Rafael just shakes his head, exasperated.

"Your loss. I, for one, like having my dick sucked anytime I have the urge without having to work for it."

Rafael shifts his focus back to me. "Do you want to hang around to view the monitors this weekend?"

"I think I should for a time, just to occupy myself when I can't go to Kylie. I'll tell her I'm on a work trip so she can stay home this weekend while we monitor the feed." Scrubbing a hand over my face, I lean my head back against the chair, already tired of this entire ordeal. "Who's monitoring the feed now?"

"Tony. He and Leo have been helping me monitor the offices from my place." Rafael confirms.

"I'll come too. It'll be like a sleep over." Gio grins.

With a plan in place, I send the guys off and return to approving the invoices for the hotel. I have plenty to keep me busy and away from Kylie this week, thanks to the renovations. Maybe this is for the better. Her finals are coming up and if I back off, she'll have time for her studying.

***

I stayed in the office until ten, but knowing Kylie arrived at my house at nine made the last hour hard to concentrate. It was time to call it a night and head home.

As I climb the stairs to the third floor, the soft melody of piano music drifts toward me. Intrigued, I stop at my bedroom door to find Kylie wearing one of my t-shirts with her bare legs crossed, sitting on my bed. Her papers are spread out like an arc around her while her phone sits beside her playing music .

Enjoying the scene in front of me, I cross my arms and lean against the door jamb. Her hair's piled into a messy knot on top of her head as she concentrates on what she's reading with a pencil in her mouth.

She catches sight of me when she goes to turn the page and whips her head toward the door. She straightens abruptly and puts her hand over her heart. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"I noticed—no, don't." I command when she starts gathering her papers. She snaps her gaze to mine with furrowed brows. I walk over and smooth the frown lines away. "Continue with your studying. I'm going to take a shower."

"Okay. I'm almost done." She smiles shyly at me.

Moving to the nightstand, I remove my watch and set it down, along with my wallet and phone, before heading to the bathroom.

Eager to put my hands on Kylie, I shower quickly. If she wasn't studying, I'd pull her in with me.

I don't bother getting dressed, just walk back into the bedroom, using a towel to rub my hair dry. I glance up, hearing Kylie suck in a breath and smirk at the hunger in her eyes.

She flicks her gaze at my mouth. Her eyes narrow at my smug expression before relaxing and shaking her head. "I can't get over how comfortable you are nude."

I toss the towel behind me to land on the bathroom floor. "You will. My goal is for you to be just as comfortable, so the next time I come home to you studying on my bed, you'll be doing it naked."

"Not likely. It's too … exposed." She laughs, gathering her papers and moving everything to the dresser.

I pull back the covers and straighten when she walks to her side of the bed. "Come here."

She pauses as she looks over at me, face flushing at my command. When she's standing in front of me, I grab the hem of her shirt and pull it off before tossing it to the floor. Running my eyes down her body, I appreciate all that she has to offer. I run my finger from her lips past her throat, taking my time as I travel a path to each nipple—already hard from her arousal—before dragging it down her stomach to the band of her panties. Her breathing picks up, and I'm mesmerized by the quick rise and fall of her chest.

I lean down to place my lips on hers and when she brings her arms up, I stop her. "Don't touch. I want you to just stand here and take what I give you." She does as I ask, while lust blazes in her eyes. Her cheeks are red and her mouth is parted. I mentally snap a picture to remember this moment. She must assume I'm waiting for her acknowledgement because she nods. Her eyes on my mouth.

Before I continue, I undo the knot and let her hair fall around her shoulders.

"So fucking beautiful." I arrange her hair so that her nipples peek out between strands of hair. "If only I could take a picture and blow this image up to hang on my wall." I confess. "Maybe someday you'll let me." I gauge her reaction and find a war waging in her eyes. Cupping her jaw, I lean in. "Relax. I'll never ask you to do anything you don't want, remember?" When she nods, I pull back, dropping my hand from her face.

Putting my finger back in the waistband of her panties, I move to sit on the edge of the bed and pull her close until she stands in between my legs, placing her tits in front of my face.

"Perfect." I move her hair back and take my time to lavish each nipple with my tongue, alternating between suckling and biting. I want her so wet she'll beg for my cock, which is already hard and ready for her. When I can't take much more myself, I slide her panties down her legs and command her to step out of them. When I straighten, I stop at the apex of her thighs and lean in to slide my tongue between her lips. Kylie's shuddering breath answers how much she's loving my attention. "You taste as sweet as candy." I go in with another swipe of my tongue, wanting more.

"Fuck." She puts her hand on my head, but snatches it back before I have to tell her to.

I continue the attack on her pussy, sliding my tongue back and forth until she's on the edge of an orgasm and my dick is begging to be buried deep inside of her. I pull back and take a condom from the nightstand. Rushing to put it on, she stands there, fists at her sides, and gives off little whimpers as she waits. I'm not sure she's even aware she's doing it.

I slide back and turn to position myself on the bed with my back to the headboard, then pull her on top of me. "Ride me, Angel." This is quickly becoming one of my favorite positions with her. It's also one that tests my patience the most. I want to pound into her until I shove my dick so far inside her, she cries out my name. But nothing is better than watching her fuck herself on my cock. It's in these moments that she's no longer shy about her body.

It doesn't take her long before she's crying out from her orgasm. After giving her a moment, I shift her onto her back and take what I need from her until my release comes.

Fuck, is there anything better than this?

So that I don't crush her, I move to take care of the condom. When I come back into the room, she's in the same position I left her, spread out on the bed sideways.

I fucking love seeing her like this.

Grabbing her legs, I arrange her correctly and then slide in next to her, pulling the blankets over us before gathering her into my arms.

Deciding now's the time to discuss the upcoming week with her, I kiss her on the forehead before tucking her head between my shoulder and chin.

"Angel, things are going to be hectic this week, with final approvals for construction on the hotel. I'm going to arrange for Joseph to drop you off here at nine every night. You'll be free to do what you want until then. I've got to head out-of-town Friday and Saturday, so those nights are free for you as well." I stroke her back, hating that I'm lying to her even if it's for her safety.

"Okay." She rubs her thumb along my chest where her hand lies, but says nothing more.

I hold in a sigh, hoping this week will go by fast.

"Tell me something random." I don't know why I asked her that, except for the fact that I hate ending the night with me telling her I'll be too busy for her for the next few days .

"I want a tattoo." Her voice comes out sleepily.

When she stays tucked under my chin and continues to make small caresses on my chest, I prod her for more.

"What would you get?"

"Cherry Blossoms, but I haven't decided where yet." She yawns and I should let her sleep, but I want to know more.

"Why cherry blossoms?" I run my hand up her back and into her hair, my eyes getting heavier with the lack of sleep from the night before.

"They're my favorite flower." She leans in and places a small kiss on my chest. "Have you ever thought of getting one?"

"Many times. But I haven't thought of anything I like enough to make it permanent," I confess.

"It's your turn. Tell me something random." She yawns again.

"I'm afraid of heights." Fuck. I don't know why I told her that. I already know her next question and I'm not ready to answer it.

"Always, or did something cause it?" She pulls her head back, but I stop her with my hand in her hair.

"That's a longer story. I'll have to tell you another night when we aren't both exhausted." I kiss the side of her head to soften my denial. "Night, Angel."

"Night, Luca."

I feel guilt at the disappointment in her voice and despite how tired I am, I'm unable to relax until she falls asleep first, so I continue to stroke her hair until her breathing evens out. Only then do I succumb to sleep.