“I can’t believe I’m home. I’m so fucking lucky.” His eyes dropped to my lips.
I wrapped my legs around him, tilting my hips up. “We’re both lucky. Let’s never forget that.”
“Never,” he whispered against my lips as he thrust into me.
We moaned, and his forehead fell to mine. Our breath mingled together, the lack of oxygen making me lightheaded, creating a bubble I never wanted to leave. I kissed his cheeks, nose, and chin, nipping his jaw before Luca claimed my mouth.
The taste of him on my lips and the feel of him between my legs were intoxicating. Every passing second sent me deeper and deeper into Luca bliss.
For the first time in months, we knew we had the time to enjoy each other, to appreciate each other’s bodies without fear of being interrupted. I basked in the high of having him back and all to myself.
Luca’s thrusts were slow and deep, his hips rocking against my clit, making me tingle. I fought his hold, the desire to touch him overwhelming me.
“Luca,” I panted, our eyes meeting. “I love you.”
His brown eyes glowed, and he let go of one of my wrists to cup my face, his thumb caressing my cheek. “I love you, Sasha.”
I grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down, unable to keep myself from kissing him. Trailing my fingers down his spine, he shuddered against me and pulled back. “Do that again.”
I dragged my nails across the expanse of Luca’s back, and he groaned. He let go of my other wrist and planted his hands next to my head, giving me complete access to his body. With all the gentleness he needed, I caressed every inch of him I could reach.
Luca shut his eyes for a moment, and when they opened, they were glossy. “Never again. I can’t survive without you.”
My heart cracked wide open. All the walls I’d built up while he was away came tumbling down. To the outside world, we were cold-hearted murderers, but here, together, we could be soft and vulnerable. I finally understood Luca in a way I never dreamed I would.
I framed his face with my hands. “You’ll never have to.”
Luca smiled down at me, and the dam inside me broke. Wave after wave of exhilaration rolled over me, my body trembling under him. His deliberate movements prolonged my orgasm, his eyes watching my face contort in pleasure.
Leaning down, he pressed his lips to mine, his hips stilling as he groaned.
We lay in a useless heap, neither willing to break apart.
“We need to shower,” I said, nuzzling his neck.
“Mhm.”
Rosa and I organized the yearly Moretti Christmas dinner a couple of weeks early so it could coincide with Luca’s release. Morettis from St. Louis, Chicago, and New York were seated along the extended dining table. Unlike the previous dinner I’d attended, there were no children or women besides myself and Rosa.
Luca stood, and the room fell silent. “Thank you all for coming. The past year has been a chaotic one for our family. From the loss of my father to my arrest to the very real betrayal committed by blood, it’s become clear to me that some of you are confused about who is in charge.”
The room became still as Luca focused on some of the men at the table.
“I tried to ease you all into the changes that were necessary to see the Morettis forward. That was my mistake. So now we’ll do it the way my father would’ve.” Luca mindlessly twisted his father’s ring on his finger as he surveyed the Morettis.
Marco glared down at the table, every bit the underboss Luca needed. Tootsie sat beside him with a busted lip and a scowl on his face. Earlier, the three cousins went into the basement and came out an hour later, Tootsie sporting a bloody mouth and laughing. Now the three sat as a formidable force to be reckoned with.
Rosa grabbed my hand under the table. Her expression may have been blank, but a tremor went down her arm. She’d questioned Luca about having us at the dinner but, in the end, trusted him to do what needed to be done.
Squeezing her fingers, I tried to lend her some of my calm.
Luca zeroed in on his father’s former underboss, Giuseppe Moretti. “Gus. While I was in prison, you made moves to back my cousin Lorenzo in his bid to take over the family—sneaking him into St. Louis and tipping him off when we were closing in. You risked the lives of all the people in this room. You jeopardized everything we’ve built.”
Chairs creaked as the men shifted in their seats, eyeing Luca as he pulled a gun from his side.
Joey looked at his father with contempt, the frown on his face making the Moretti family resemblance complete.
Gus stood, his hands out, “Luca—”