“Luca,” I moan, breathless.
He grunts and kisses me harder. “Yes,” he growls. “Just like that, baby. I want my name on your lips, just like that. No one but me.”
I roll my hips against him, and he repositions his arms, holding me up with one arm while using the other to tease me.
He pulls away a little to look at me, and heat rushes to my cheeks. I have no doubt I look like a complete mess. My lips feel swollen, and my hair must be all over the place, yet he looks at me like I’m the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. “Fuck,” he whispers, his fingers moving quicker, his touch more merciless than before.
I look away, suddenly feeling shy and wanting to escape his intense gaze, but he won’t let me. “Look at me,” he orders, his fingers pausing.
I obey, and he smiles in satisfaction, his gaze heated.
“You want to come for me, don’t you, Valentina?”
I nod and bite down on my lip.
“Then look at me, baby.” His thumb swipes over my clit, and my lips part as soft moans fill the air between us. “Good girl,” he whispers. “Don’t take your eyes off me, Valentina. You’re mine, baby. Your moans, your pleasure, your body. It’s all mine.Only mine.”
He smiles as I struggle to hold on and shakes his head. “Come for me, baby. I’m right here to catch you. Just let it happen.”
I can’t remember the last time a man was able to bring me such pleasure. It requires too much trust, and I don’t have a lot of it left to give. “Please,” I whisper.
His touch becomes rougher, and my moans turn more wanton. He makes me unable to recognize myself as he pushes me over the edge. “Luca,” I moan as my muscles tighten around his fingers, pleasure rushing through my body in a way it never has before.
He smirks, and then he leans in to kiss me, his touch gentler now. He kisses me so sweetly and leisurely that my heart can’t help but skip a beat. My hands run over his chest and up, until I’ve got my arms wrapped around his neck, the tips of my fingers at his nape. I pull him closer, desperate for more, but he pulls away, the smile melting off his face.
“The next time you want this, you come to me,” he tells me, his expression hardening. “Stay away from Joshua. He’s not for you.”
I blink in confusion as he lowers me to the floor and cages me in, his forearms on either side of my head. I look into his eyes, my racing heart beating in a different rhythm than before. “What are you… what are you talking about, Luca?”
He smiles humorlessly and brushes my hair out of my face, his gaze cold. “If you want to become some rich guy’s mistress, then do it in your own time. Do not use my network for personal gain, especially not at an event like this. It’s fucking embarrassing to see you flirt with him so blatantly, when you’re here representingme. Do I really need to remind you of the contract you signed? If I ever catch you behaving this way again, I’ll fire you. Not even my grandmother will be able to save you.”
My heart sinks, and I look away to hide the sudden pain his words inflict. It’s rare for Luca to render me speechless, yet that’s exactly what he’s done. Everything that happened between us just now… what was that? Did he touch me just because of Joshua?
Luca glares at me and closes the distance between us, his eyes on mine. “Tell me, Valentina. Are you tired of working? You’re just like all the women around me, huh? The very same ones you were supposed to shield me from today.”
I look up at him, my pain slowly morphing into anger. “Are you seriously calling me a gold digger? Because Idancedwith someone? You truly have lost your mind, haven’t you?”
“You call that dancing?” he snaps. “His hands were all over your body, and you seemed to be enjoying every second of it. He’s one of our biggest competitors, and you know it. Do you really think he approached you for a simple dance? Or did you know that’s not all he wanted? How far were you going to take it? How much would you have given him? Had it been Joshua that led you out here, would you have kissed him the way you kissed me?”
I stare at him, my heart sinking. I truly am nothing but a possession to him, a toy he doesn’t want to share. He has no real interest in me, other than wanting to prevent me from falling into anyone else’s hands.
“Is that why you touched me the way you did?” I ask, my voice soft. “Because you thought I’d walk out of the reception venue with Joshua instead? Because you thought he’d be able to seduce me, and I’d leak corporate secrets?”
We’ve worked together for years, and I’ve had countless opportunities to betray him, most of them lucrative to a point I’d never have to work another day in my life. Throughout it all, I remained loyal and stayed by his side, because even if he didn’t seem to like me, he seemed to respect my work and treated mefairly. I thought we’d developed a mutual level of understanding of each other, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Luca looks away, and his silence speaks volumes. He still truly doesn’t trust me. I run a hand through my hair and take a calming breath before pasting a smile onto my face.
“It looks like you misunderstood, Luca. I’m not sure what I could do or say to make you believe otherwise, but quite frankly, I’m tired of having to prove myself to you. I genuinely thought you knew me better than this.”
I push against his chest, and he takes a step away from me, his expression unreadable. “But you don’t, do you? Eight years, and you still don’t know me at all.”
I turn and walk away, my eyes filling with tears that I refuse to spill. How could I have thought that Luca Windsor wanted me, for even a single second? I should’ve known better.
Chapter Eight
Luca
Valentina isn’t at her desk when I walk into the office, and I check my pocket watch, my head throbbing. It’s nine in the morning, so she’s likely in a meeting by now.