Page 62 of Worth the Risk
“I am.”
“Apartment 3108.”
I’m out of the car before I even check to see if she’s ended the call.
Hannah
He’s here.
He came for me.
I can’t believe he actually came for me.
And when I throw open Claire’s apartment door to see Luca, for the first time in weeks, I almost cry. My heart is screeching at me. This is it! This is our story!
We stand still for a moment, staring at each other. Luca’s eyes are bloodshot, with dark bags under his eyes. He looks as haggard and lost as I feel.
“Hi, Pix,” he says quietly with a lopsided smile, and I lose it. A sob breaks through, and I crumble into a mess of tears, sobs, and a flurry of incomprehensible words. Luca jumps into action before I can fully slide to the ground, scooping me up, kicking the door closed, and carrying me over to the couch. He sits, positioning me in his lap, as I sob.
I owe him an explanation, but I don’t even know where to start. How do I explain all of this? If he knows everything, will he hold it together and stay away from Woodward? If Woodward gets wind of this, will he release the video?
I’ve been in touch with the attorney Dominic suggested, and he’s currently reaching out to some of his contacts to determine a course of action. He’s advised me to keep Luca at arm’s length, but I can’t do it anymore. Luca has slowly infiltrated my heart, and even through my tears and hysterics, I know I’ve never felt more at peace, and at home, than I do at this very moment.
Once my sobs subside and I can breathe normally, I raise my head from where I had it buried in Luca’s neck. He reaches up and wipes away my tears.
“It’s okay, baby. It’s okay,” he whispers as he caresses my cheeks.
“I’m so sorry,” I say brokenly.
Luca studies me momentarily. “What are you sorry for?”
“For pushing you away. For not explaining everything to you. For thinking I could do this by myself. But I can’t, Luca. I can’t. Because …”
“Because what?”
I look into his deep brown eyes, and know it’s now or never. Maybe I can’t tell him the entire truth about what Woodward is planning, but I can at least tell him my truth. “I’m in love with you, Luca. I love you. I’m lost without you. And that scares the shit out of me, because I probably ruined my only chance with you, and I wish I could go back and change how I pushed you away —”
My speech is interrupted by Luca smashing his lips against mine. I moan immediately as his familiar taste, what I’ve tasted in my dreams, floods my senses. His tongue slides between my lips and circles mine as one hand reaches around my neck to latch in my hair. I manage to maneuver my legs so I’m straddling him, wrapping my arms tightly around his shoulders.
Luca breaks off the kiss breathlessly, resting his forehead against mine. “Tell me again, Pix.”
“I’m sorry,” I respond.
He chuckles. “Not that part. The other part.”
It takes me a moment to realize what he’s referring to. “Oh. I love you, Luca.”
He squeezes me tighter as a groan vibrates through his body. “Fuck, Pixie. No woman has ever said that to me before. Well, other than family. I didn’t realize what that would do to me.”
“What does it do to you?” I ask softly.
Luca smiles against my lips, and I swear it’s the most exquisite feeling in the world. “I’ve never been this happy. I’ve missed you so much.”
“Does that mean you forgive me?”
“I don’t think there was ever anything you needed to be forgiven for, but we definitely need to talk about what happened. I figure you did what you thought was best in whatever the situation was.”
I sigh. “I did. I was just trying to keep you safe.”