Chapter 17: SHADOWS OF WANT
The mansion was unusually quiet that night. Aria could hear the faint ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall and the restless hum of her own heartbeat in her ears. Sleep had been impossible since the firelit exchange with Luca hours ago, his words echoing repeatedly in her head: You are my danger. You keep me human.
She wrapped herself tighter in her robe, barefoot on the cool marble floor as she wandered toward the kitchen. A glass of water, she told herself. Just water, and maybe the voice in her head would settle.
"Can’t sleep either?"
The voice startled her. She spun, heart leaping, to find Luca leaning against the doorway. His shirt was untucked, sleeves rolled up, hair mussed as though he’d been pulling at it. He looked different, less Don, more man.
Aria narrowed her eyes. "Do you ever sleep at all?"
"Rarely," he admitted, stepping into the faint moonlight that streamed through the high windows. "Dreams aren’t always kind to me."
"Maybe that’s because you’ve given them too many reasons not to be."
A smirk tugged at his lips, though his eyes betrayed weariness. "Always sharp, aren’t you?"
"Someone has to remind you you’re not invincible."
He chuckled, low and genuine. "Careful, Aria. That almost sounded like a concern."
She turned away, moving toward the counter. "Don’t flatter yourself. I’d just prefer not to be left a widowed so soon."
"Widowed?" He raised an eyebrow. "So I guess you’ve accepted the title of a wife, then?"
Aria stiffened, realizing her slip. "Don’t twist my words."
He moved closer, each step deliberate. "Twisting words is my specialty. But tonight, I’d rather hear the truth from you."
"And what truth would that be?" she asked, her voice quiet but sharp as she poured water into a glass.
"That you think about me when you’re alone."
The glass trembled slightly in her hand. "You’re delusional."
"No I’m not ," he said softly, reaching out and to steady the glass with his hand over hers. "I’m observant."
The warmth of his touch sent sparks shooting up her arm, and she pulled away quickly, glaring at him though her breath came faster. "You see what you want to see."
"And yet you deny what you feel," Luca countered, his tone calm, almost tender. "We’re both liars, Aria. But only one of us is honest enough to admit it."
"Honest?" she scoffed, turning her back to him. "You’re the last person who should talk about honesty."
Luca leaned against the counter beside her, folding his arms. "You confuse secrecy with dishonesty. I keep secrets because my world demands it. But you , on the other hand..." He leaned closer, his voice brushing her ear. "You hide because you’re afraid of yourself."
She flinched at the accuracy of his words. "You don’t know me."
"Then let me." He said softly
Her breath caught. She turned to face him, meeting eyes so dark they seemed bottomless. "And what happens if I let you? What happens if I give you that part of me?"
Luca’s smile faded, replaced by something raw. "Then maybe I stop being the monster you think I am."
For a moment, the world narrowed to just the two of them, the pulse of her heart, the heat of his body drew closer and intense, the weight of a thousand unspoken truths pressing in on her. Aria swallowed, desperate to break free of the gravity pulling her closer.
"You make it sound so simple," she whispered.
"It is," Luca said. "Complicated lives. Simple wants."
She laughed bitterly, though it cracked in the middle. "You think want is simple? Want is the most dangerous thing of all."
"Not when you stop fighting it."
Her eyes searched his, hungry for weakness, for deception, for anything that might break the spell. But instead she found sincerity, frightening in its intensity.
"You’re wrong," she whispered again, though even she didn’t believe it.
"Then prove it," Luca challenged softly. "Walk away right now."
Aria froze. His words pierced deeper than any touch. Walk away. Leave the kitchen, the mansion, him. Every nerve in her body screamed for her to move, to run, to prove she was still in control. But her legs stayed rooted, like it was glued to the ground
"You can’t, can you?" he murmured, stepping closer until the air between them throbbed.
"Stop it," she whispered, though it was barely more than a plea.
"Say you don’t want me, and I’ll stop."
Her lips parted, but no sound came. He waited, eyes locked on hers, daring her, begging her, trapping her all at once.
Finally, she exhaled shakily. "I hate you for everything Luca."
Luca’s jaw flexed, but his smile was faint, bittersweet. "Then hate me honestly, Aria. Hate me with your whole heart. Just don’t lie to yourself about what else is burning in you."
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her heartbeat beating faster by every word he said and she felt the dangerous edge of surrender. To cover it, she shoved him lightly, forcing distance. "You’re impossible."
"And you’re irresistible my darling," he countered without hesitation.
She turned quickly, retreating to the doorway before her resolve broke completely. "I’m going back to bed."
"Alone?" he asked, voice laced with challenge.
She stopped, half-turned, glaring at him. "Don’t push me."
Luca’s eyes softened, almost a promise. "I’m not pushing. I’m waiting. You’ll come when you’re ready."
Her throat tightened as she disappeared down the hall, his words chasing her like shadows. Waiting. Wanting. Always too close, always too dangerous.
Back in her room, Aria closed the door, pressing her back against it, slipping slowly until she sat on the floor. Her pulse thundered, her body trembled, her chest tightening and for the first time she admitted to herself, at least in silence that maybe she didn’t hate him at all. Just maybe, terrifyingly, she wanted all of him and more than she could ever allow. But that was the cruelest prison of all.