Page 75 of Ruined

This felt surreal. One moment, I was shutting him down in front of the family. The next, I was sitting here, wondering what the hell I was supposed to do with whatever this was.

“You don’t make it easy, you know that?”

His brow furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You make me want to strangle and kiss you until you stop acting like a stubborn asshole.”

Luca’s jaw twitched. “So I’m the problem?”

“Half of it. The other half is me, trying to figure out how to deal with you without losing my mind. I won’t lose you to whatever that’s making you run.”

He kept driving, his silence doing more to unsettle me than any smart-ass comment could have.

“I want to see you tomorrow night.”

He flicked the turn signal. “For what?”

I touched his thigh, and he tensed. “I want to fuck you. I keep seeing my cock in your mouth.”

He flushed. “Jesus.”

“Nobody’s around.”

He gritted his teeth. “Dom.”

I stroked higher on his thigh, dangerously close to his zipper. “What are you afraid of, baby? That they’ll find out? Or that I’ll find out just how much you need me?”

His breathing hitched. His dark eyes blazed with conflict, his lips parted. His hand slipped from the wheel and grabbed mine, his grip firm.

I squeezed his fingers. “I want you. You want me. The only thing standing in the way is you.”

He stared at me. His chest rose and fell with quick breaths before he exhaled sharply and yanked the car to the curb. The brakes squealed as he slammed it into park. He turned, grabbed me by the collar, and crushed his mouth against mine.

The kiss was rough. His teeth scraped my lip, his tongue pushing past with a desperation that sent heat rushing through my veins. My hand shot to the back of his neck, gripping tight as I pulled him closer.

The center console dug into my side, but I didn’t give a shit. The way his mouth moved against mine made everything else disappear. His hand slid down my chest, tugging at the fabric as if he wanted to tear it apart. My fingers found their way to his jaw, holding him steady as I deepened the kiss.

He broke away, his forehead dropping against mine. I didn’t say anything, but something settled in my chest. He was letting me in, piece by piece, and I wasn’t about to let go.

His eyes stayed closed like he was still steadying himself.

“Tomorrow night,” I murmured, my hand slipping down to grip his thigh again. “You’re mine.”

NINETEEN

DOMINIC

Luca ghosted me again.

He drove me to the meeting, dropped me off, and said he needed to run an errand. He never came back.

I stormed through the casino, a dull throb pounding behind my eyes. The shrill laughter at the tables grated on me. I threw nods at familiar faces, but my focus stayed locked on the same thought:Where the fuck did he go?

Iwasfurious. If anyone else pulled this shit, I’d have dragged them back by their collar and reminded them whose leash they were on. We were supposed to be laying low, but my stubborn employee had somehow convinced Santino he was healed enough to keep working. Santino called me this morning, telling me that staying at Luca’s was no longer necessary.

Did Luca really want me to leave? He could’ve had the balls to say it to my face, not use Santino like some shield. Passive-aggressive even for him.Fuck that.If he wanted me gone, he could’ve thrown my shit out on the curb.

“Boss.” One of the floor supervisors jogged up to me, his expression tight. “We’ve got a situation.”