Chapter 22: AN UNEXPECTED KISS
The air between them had grown dense with silence, not the kind that offered comfort but the kind that clawed at the skin, demanding to be broken. Aria stood by the balcony doors of Luca’s study, staring out into the moonlit garden where the shadows of olive trees swayed gently. She wrapped her arms around herself, unsure if she was shielding from the cold or from the storm swirling inside her.
Luca’s presence behind her was unmistakable, his footsteps were measured, his breathing calm, yet charged with an energy that pressed against her back like invisible heat.
"You’re avoiding me," his voice finally broke the silence, deep and low.
Aria turned slowly, meeting his steel-gray eyes. "Avoiding you? No. I’m... giving you space. Isn’t that what you wanted?"
His jaw tightened. "What I want and what I say aren’t always the same."
She laughed, but it came out hollow. "That much is obvious. One moment you’re ice, the next you’re fire. I don’t know who I’m dealing with anymore."
"You’re dealing with me," Luca said firmly, stepping closer.
Aria’s chest rose and fell sharply. "And who is that? The ruthless Don who terrifies his enemies? Or the man who....." she faltered, lowering her gaze, "...the man who holds me like I’m something fragile when he thinks no one’s watching?"
Luca stopped just a breath away from her. His cologne, dark cedar and spice, wrapped around her, dizzying. "Maybe I’m both. Maybe I don’t know anymore."
Aria bit her lip, unwilling to let his words undo her. "You can’t keep pulling me in, then pushing me away. I’m not your game, Luca."
His hand shot up, not roughly, but with the force of restraint barely held in check. He cupped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. His eyes burned like tempered steel. "You think this is a game? You think I want to want you? You’ve been in my house for weeks, and every day it gets harder to keep control. Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?"
Aria’s breath caught. She wanted to pull away, to resist the way his words threaded straight into her chest. But her body betrayed her, leaning ever so slightly toward him.
"Then don’t fight it," she whispered before she could stop herself.
Luca froze, his thumb brushing against her lower lip almost absently. He looked at her as though she were the one holding power now, though they both knew it wasn’t true. "Don’t tempt me, Aria."
She tilted her head, her voice trembling but steady. "Maybe I already am."
The seconds stretched like a taut string, ready to snap. Then Luca moved—swift, decisive. His lips crashed onto hers with a force that stole the air from her lungs.
Aria gasped, but the sound was swallowed by his kiss. It wasn’t tender, at least not at first. It was hungry, desperate, the kind of kiss born from weeks of denial and smoldering tension. His hand slid into her hair, tangling in the chestnut strands, anchoring her to him as though letting go would undo him entirely.
Her hands, almost of their own accord, pressed against his chest. She felt the rapid thud of his heart beneath the expensive fabric, matching her own frantic rhythm.
For a moment, she gave in, let herself drown in the heat of him, the taste of wine and danger on his lips. The world beyond his arms ceased to exist.
But then fear laced with desire flared in her chest. She broke the kiss, pulling back just enough to speak, though her lips still brushed against his. "Luca, we shouldn’t..."
He growled softly, his forehead pressing against hers. "I know. But I can’t resist you anymore."
Her eyes widened. It wasn’t just the kiss, it was the admission, raw and unguarded, that shook her. "You mean that?"
He closed his eyes, exhaling as though the confession cost him everything. "You drive me insane. I’ve built walls around my life, around my heart. And you...." his voice cracked, rare vulnerability seeping through, "...you’ve broken through every damn one of them."
Aria swallowed hard. "Then why keep fighting it?"
"Because wanting you makes you a target," Luca snapped, though his hand still held her face as if he couldn’t bear to let go. "Every rival, every enemy will use you against me. Loving you is a weakness I can’t afford."
The word loving made her chest ache, even if he hadn’t meant it fully. She searched his face, the sharp lines and shadows carved by years of control, and for once, she saw not the Don, but the man.
"You think I’m weak?" she whispered.
His eyes flashed, sharp and fierce. "No. That’s the problem. You’re strong enough to stand against me, to make me feel things I swore I buried. And I don’t know if that will save us or destroy us."
Aria’s lips trembled. She could feel the gravity of the moment, the pull between destruction and salvation. She leaned forward, barely brushing her mouth against his. "Then maybe we destroy together."
This time, the kiss was different. Softer, slower, yet no less consuming. Luca’s lips moved against hers with reverence, as if he was memorizing her, branding her into him. His hand traced the line of her back, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them.
Aria melted into him, her fingers curling around the lapels of his suit. She felt his restraint unraveling, thread by thread, and with it, her own defenses shattered.
When they finally parted, both breathless, Luca pressed his lips to her temple, lingering there. "You’re going to ruin me, Aria Valencia."
She closed her eyes, her heart pounding. "Maybe I already have."
He chuckled, low and broken, pulling her tighter against him. "And maybe I’ll let you."
For the first time since stepping into his world, Aria didn’t feel like a pawn or a prisoner. In his arms, she felt terrifyingly powerful—and utterly powerless, all at once.
The night stretched before them, heavy with unspoken promises and the knowledge that nothing would ever be the same again.