Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 48585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
I curve my pelvis against him, wanting to draw him in even further, and he moans in response. It makes me feel empowered knowing that I can cause his body to react to mine. Luc makes me feel like I can do anything.
“You have my heart, Valentina,” he whispers against the side of my face as he kisses the lobe of my ear. “My heart, my body, even my soul—it’s yours.”
His words send me cascading over the tipping point in a crashing, nearly violent seizure of pleasure that grips my entire body and causes me to lose control. No sooner do I erupt into climax than Luc follows, clawing one hand against the side of the plane over my shoulder to keep us both from falling. I don’t know if the pilot can hear us, but the sound Luc emits as he presses his cock into me to soak up the last seconds of orgasm is a primal growl.
After that remarkable in-flight encounter, I put on the robe, curl up against Luc’s in the wide leather seat, and rest my head on his chest. I let my eyes close and feel his hand stroking the side of my hair.
“This won’t be easy,” he whispers as he wraps one arm around me to pull me close. “Being near each other, keeping the emotional tension between us a secret from everyone else, all while dealing with the fallout of what we just did.”
“I know,” I say as I feel myself drift off into an exhausted, but comfortable sleep that falls over me.
“But at least I’ll be free of Leonardo Conti, and with you instead.”
CHAPTER 4
LUC
“Do you have any idea what you’ve fucking done?” Vincent bellows.
Even without seeing Vincent’s expression over the phone, I can practically hear the bulging, angry vein at the side of his neck. I knew that taking his plane would cause some drama between us, but in my defense, I sent it right back to Italy after Valentina and I disembarked.
“My apologies for taking your plane without asking,” I say, avoiding the real reason he’s pissed off at me.
“You know that taking the plane is the least of it,” he hisses. “Leonardo Conti is livid. He’s beyond livid. He’s fucking seething with rage. I’ve got no love for that asshole, but this is going to cause trouble not just with the Conti family but with all the leaders of other mafia families as well. Conti is a master manipulator, and it won’t take him long before he passes around threats like Halloween candy.”
“I’m not the one who left him at the altar,” I say sarcastically, knowing full well that the remark is going to earn me Vincent’s ire.
“No, that’s true,” he matches my sarcasm and adds a helping of bitter reality to it. “You’re just the one who helped his bride escape. Leonardo is obsessively possessive of what is his. He sees that girl as the ultimate prize, a symbol of his dominance over anything he sets his sights on. You and I both know that marriage wasn’t about love or even convenience or a lucrative transaction between families—it was about control, and you’ve just helped Valentina Ricci fracture his carefully controlled image. It’s going to ignite retaliation on his part.”
“I’ll deal with that if it happens.”
“Oh, there’s no if—only when. You can expect it. You’ve wounded his ego, Luc. If he disliked you before, you can now expect him to hate you with a violent fervor.”
“I don’t think Leonardo Conti is as mighty as everyone thinks he is,” I counter. “He’s a desperate man. Only desperate men try to force women to marry them.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I wish they hadn’t. Vincent essentially did the same to Isla back when they first entered the marriage. It was a transaction.
“Vincent, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“It’s fine,” he interrupts. “What happened between Isla and me was unique. And I don’t disagree with you that Leonardo likely has nothing more than a twisted obsession and control complex over Valentina. But that doesn’t change the fact that even desperate and insecure men can be dangerous, especially after rejection. Let me know if anything changes. Isla and I can take the plane back to Vegas if a situation erupts.”
“No, you two enjoy your time there. I have a handle on things here,” I say, not wanting to strain the already tense relationship with my cousin after what I’ve just done.
After hanging up with Vincent, I glance over at Valentina, who is sitting at the bar of the casino, talking with Alonzo. To his credit, the underboss isn’t freaking out yet, which is contrary to his usual impatient and overly aggressive demeanor.
“You know she can’t stay here, right?” Alonzo asks when I walk over to them. “You may be in hot water with Vincent, but I intend to stay out of this debacle. You are both nothing more than lovesick puppies.”