43. Luca

Chapter forty-three

Luca

T he last week was spent at my brownstone working out of my office while Kylie and Gio recovered from their injuries. Neither one makes a great patient, but their extended time together has bonded them further if the giggling coming from the living room is anything to go by.

I refuse to leave Kylie's side, so Rafael continues to be the contact between Rome and me. The raid took place while we were all in the hospital. It made for a better alibi than our planned trip to Miami. Without going into detail, Rome assures me the syndicate is gone and will not return. The latest news is that the two families in Italy have also come to an agreement not to get involved since Rome handled everything so brilliantly.

I can now breathe easier knowing Kylie is safe and we can all go back to normal. I've also decided to break the contract. She deserves so much more from me and I can no longer deny I want anything other than a real relationship with her. I just hope she can forgive me for my deception.

When I first contracted with her, my intentions were mutually beneficial. She would receive the money she needed and I would pursue my attraction, ultimately purging her out of my system with both of us going our separate ways at its end. Therefore, she never needed to know about my ownership of the company.

I was a fool .

And now I have to confess my sins if I want a chance at a future with her. I've never been more nervous in my life.

Giggling penetrates my thoughts again. I owe Gio for some of her healing. He's been a great distraction for her.

And that's the rub.

I want to be the one bringing a smile to her face, not Gio. I'm thrilled he can make her laugh, but it's distracting as hell and my emotions war between relief and jealousy. It means Kylie's trauma isn't as bad as I feared, but there's still work to be done to get her back to herself. The nightmares at night are a concern, which is why her laughter—especially after last night's nightmare—gives me hope she will recover.

To help her along, I've found a therapist who specializes in kidnap victims. It took some convincing, but Kylie agreed to go when I pointed out she hadn't gone one night without waking in a panic and shaking.

I glare toward the living room when Gio barks out a laugh at whatever Kylie said.

Again.

I'm tempted to hand things off to Rafael, but I've planned a trip to Tahiti as a graduation present for Kylie and need to get the business in order before we leave.

I run a hand through my hair in agitation when a chuckle has my glare swinging toward Rafael.

"Your jealousy is showing, boss." Rafael smirks as he shuffles the papers on the desk.

"Stop calling me boss. I told you that's not necessary. And I'm not jealous of Gio—"

Rafael snorts.

"I'm not. It bothers me that I can't be there for her." I wave my hand toward the living room. "If I wasn't planning on taking her on this trip, I would be the one on the couch with her right now." I throw the resumes Tim sent me for the club down and lean back in my chair .

"It's not like you aren't with her every night." Rafael shakes his head. "I never expected this day would come."

"What are you talking about?" I snatch my glass as I contemplate Rafael's expression.

"You've been weird about the girl since you laid eyes on her. You're …" He looks toward the ceiling, searching for the right word. "fascinated with her. I've never seen you like this with anyone else."

It's true, I am fascinated. Almost to the point of obsession. It’s an emotion I've been battling since the beginning.

"Don't forget, I was there when you first saw her. Looked like you took a punch to the gut." Rafael leans back in his chair.

"So." I shrug. "The moment I saw her, I wanted her."

"I assumed that's all it was, even when you lingered in the car, watching her. I wonder how long you would've sat there if she hadn’t turned to leave." He raises his eyebrow at me.

"I enjoy looking at her." The right side of my mouth tips up.

"Yeah, I can tell since you can't stop looking at her whenever she's in the room." He shakes his head. "It's more than that though, isn't it? You still look at her like you want to devour her, but your eyes," he waves his hand at me, "they go all soft now." He looks down at the desk, brows furrowed. "I never thought I'd see the day that the great Luca Morelli would fall for a woman. And not just any woman. My first impression of her hasn't changed. She's as sweet and innocent as they come."

My smile grows the longer Rafael looks baffled. Kylie's been breaking through his hard exterior piece by piece and worming her way in. Knowing he’s not ready to be teased about it yet, I rest my arms on the desk and change the subject.

“Have you thought of a name for your company yet? I want to order the signage for your floor as soon as you decide.”

I finally had a talk with Rafael and Gio about becoming partners. Rafael’s partnership will focus on opening his own security and investigation firm. I've given him a floor in our building for his headquarters. He agreed to focus on our business with the option to expand to other customers when he feels his company is ready. He's already hired the men who helped investigate the mole.

Rafael rubs his chin as he stares down in thought. “I’m considering keeping it simple. RSI for Rafe Securities and Investigations.”

“I like it. You’ll need a logo.” I tap the desk with my pen as I contemplate a few ideas. “You could do a shield with the RSI chiseled into it.”

Rafael tilts his head at me. “I like that. Do you think Sally in marketing can create something for me?”

I snort. “Are you kidding? She'll do anything you ask of her.”

His brows lower at my comment. “Why do you say it like that?”

“Dude. She’s been trying to get in your pants since you stepped in with her ex-boyfriend. You’ve been her hero ever since.”

It’s Rafael’s turn to snort. “Her ex went too far. I would've intervened for anyone in that situation.” He shakes his head, turning his attention back to his documents.

Kylie’s laughter floats into the room, pulling my gaze to the door.

“Jesus, Luca. Just go to her. You’re no good to me right now.”

Rafael stands to gather his papers and I don’t have it in me to insist we finish. I throw my pen down on the desk and take his suggestion.

When I step into the living room, I stop and place my hands on my hips as I stare at Kylie and Gio. They’re slouched down on the couch with a large bowl of popcorn sitting between them. Neither are aware of my presence, as they're both trying to throw popcorn into each other's mouths. When Kylie catches hers, she shrieks in celebration and then busts out laughing as Gio’s popcorn bounces off his nose and lands in his beer.

Shaking my head, I move to sit next to Kylie.

“I swear, whenever you two are together, you turn into children." I maneuver Kylie onto my lap, not bothering to hold back a smile at her infectious giggling. When she turns her face to mine, I lean down and kiss her, swiping my tongue over her lips. "Mmm, salty butter." I go back for more, sucking on her lip.

"Aaand, I'm out." The couch moves as Gio stands .

"As am I." Rafael murmurs as he walks out of the office.

Cradling Kylie's head, I alternate between sucking and biting her lips. They're one of my favorite spots to focus on because of their plumpness.

I refused to take her the first few nights after the attack. She needed the comfort of my arms more than she needed my dick. I may have needed it as much as she did because the image of her as Rafael carried her out of that apartment will forever haunt me. I swore then and there no one would ever hurt her again.

As much as I want Kylie, I want to clarify a few things first. Initially, I wanted to give her space after the attack, but I can't rest until she agrees to my plans. So as much as I want to lay her down on this couch and fuck her until she can't think straight, I pull back instead.

Kylie, with her eyes closed, tries to follow my retreat while tugging my head back down. I give in and kiss her before pulling back again. Her brows pucker in the most adorable display of frustration before she opens her eyes to search my face. They zoom in on my smile and her eyebrows relax as she lays her head on my chest and traces my lips with her finger.

"Why are you stopping?"

I grab her hand and hold it to my chest to keep her from distracting me further. "I want to discuss a few things with you."

Her gaze snaps to mine, and her body tenses.

"Only good things. I promise." I kiss her nose, making her eyes cross.

"Okay." She nods. "I'm ready."

I shake my head. "You've been spending too much time with Gio. He's rubbing off on you."

"You want me to stop spending time with Gio?" She glares.

Shaking my head, I chuckle. "No, Angel. That's not what I want to talk to you about. You can spend as much time with Gio as you want, even if he is corrupting you."

"I'd like to think I'm corrupting him." She says in all seriousness.

"I have no doubts that you are, Angel." A smile tugs at my lips .

She beams as if I paid her the greatest of compliments. It's no wonder I fell for her. She's the breath of fresh air in my life I never knew I needed.

That we all needed.

I've seen a change in the guys, more Gio than Rafael, but for her to even have the smallest impact on Rafael is a minor miracle.

Kylie's smile dims and her gaze lowers to the button on my shirt where she plucks at it. "So …"

"I want to break the contract."

Her gaze snaps to mine, the hurt evident in her features. Then she pushes against my chest, almost falling off my lap when I realize how that sounded. I tighten my arms around her before she can scramble away.

"Let me go." She narrows her eyes, still pushing against my chest, but I won't let her go.

"Stop pushing away from me." I rip the blanket off her to get a better hold on her.

"What do you expect? You just said you wanted out of the contract." She shouts. Her glare intensifying.

"That's not what I meant. Damnit." I lean down and kiss her.

Hard.

When I pull back, she's no longer trying to push me away, but her confusion is clear, as well as the hurt in her eyes.

"I'm fucking this up." I sigh. "Please, just give me a moment to explain."