Page 130 of Ruined
He smiled.
“It hasn’t been a cakewalk for me either. I haven’t been able to shake this mess you left me with.” The truth clawed its way up my throat. “The weeks without you have been hell, Luca. Absolute fucking hell. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I’d sit in my office, staring at my phone. Every time I thought about texting you back, I’d stop myself.”
“Why?”
“Because I need more. You don’t get to trail me like some lovesick stalker and then act like I don’t matter when the rest of the world is watching.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he whispered.
“I know, sweetheart.”
He looked up, his eyes raw.“I’m in love with you, Dom.”
That knocked the air from my lungs.
Luca swallowed hard. He dropped his gaze like he couldn’t bear to look at me any longer. “I love you. I have for a long time, even if it took me forever to admit it. I can’t keep lying to myself.”
My chest tightened painfully.
“But I’m terrified. I’m scared of whatyou’lllose if you’re with me.” He finally looked at me again, his dark eyes burning.“I want to be with you, Dom. I want to stop hiding.”
He loves me.
Luca, my smart-ass employee with a constant chip on his shoulder, loved me. He’d given me his heart even though it scared the shit out of him.
I leaned forward, my ribs groaning. I cupped his face, forcing him to meet my eyes. “It’s okay to be scared. I’ll be brave for the both of us.”
Luca blinked. “Dom…”
“I don’t give a damn what it costs me.” My voice shook with the force of it. “I’ve spent three weeks trying to convince myself walking away was the right thing. That I was protecting you. But I’m miserable without you, Luca. You’ve got me completely fucked, and I don’t care who knows it.”
His breathing hitched, and he grabbed my wrists.
“You’re not going to lose me,” I promised.
Luca’s eyes brimmed with emotion. “I might.”
“You won’t. I love you, too.”
A choked sound escaped him, and he crushed his mouth to mine.
The kiss was desperate and messy. Luca clung to me like he was afraid I’d disappear, and I kissed him back fiercely. If he was ready to fight for this, so was I.
Luca turned on the light, his hands steady as he helped me sit on the closed toilet lid. The sound of running water filled the silence, and I watched as he tested the temperature with his fingers, adjusting it until he was satisfied.
“You don’t have to hover.”
Luca ignored me. He knelt beside the tub, his movements precise as he poured in soap from the bottle on the edge. Bubbles frothed at the surface, and the faint scent of lavender filled the room.
“You don’t seem like a lavender guy,” Luca remarked.
“It was a gift from Delilah. She thinks I need to relax more.”
“She’s probably right.”
I snorted. “You’re one to talk.”
He shot me a sideways glance but didn’t argue. He held out a hand to help me up. I gripped his arm, leaning heavily on him as I stepped out of my clothes. His jaw tightened as he seemed to notice the bruises across my torso. He guided me into the tub.