I cried out in surprise more than pain and froze, exhaling slowly to get over the feeling of utter fullness.

“Aria,” Luca rasped. I met his gaze. A hint of uncertainty flickered in his eyes.

I forced my lips into a smile. “Give me a moment.”

He nodded, his hands resting lightly on my waist as he watched me. I released another breath, then shifted my hips experimentally. There was a twinge but there was also pleasure. “Help me?” I whispered, gazing at him through my lashes.

He clasped my waist, his fingers splaying across my butt and guided me into a slow rhythm of rocking and rotating. It was exhilarating to feel the strength of his body beneath my hands, to feel his pectoral muscles flex under my fingertips but even better was the look in his eyes as he watched me on top of him. The hunger and admiration mixed with another emotion I didn’t dare to guess. Luca’s chest heaved under my palms, his breath coming faster as he started thrusting upwards, driving himself into me harder and faster. His thumb flicked back and forth over my clit as he drove into me. I cried out. Luca gripped my hips in a bruising grip and thrust faster. I threw my head back, riding through my orgasm as I felt Luca tense beneath me and release into me with a low moan.

I shivered helplessly on top of him as I came down from my high. I slumped forward on Luca’s chest and pressed my lips to his. His heart pounded against my breasts. He slung his arms around my back and pressed me against him tightly.

“I won’t lose you,” he growled, startling me.

“You won’t.”

“The Bratva is closing in. How can I protect you?”

Why would the Bratva have any interest in me? “You will find a way.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

A couple of weeks had passed and sex got better every time we did it. I had a feeling Luca was still holding back quite a bit but I didn’t mind. Sometimes I wondered if maybe he needed the gentle lovemaking as much as I did after all the stress he went through with the Bratva.

Lovemaking? No matter how much I tried to ignore my feelings, I knew I loved Luca. Maybe it was natural to fall in love with the person you were married to, the person you shared intimacy with. I wasn’t sure why I had fallen for Luca despite my best intentions before our marriage not to let him into my heart, I only knew that I had. I knew what men like Luca thought of love. I hadn’t told him about my feelings, even though a few times the words had been on the tip of my tongue after we’d lain in each other’s arms, sweaty and sated after sex. I knew Luca wouldn’t say it back and I didn’t want to make myself vulnerable like that.

I watched the sun set over New York from my position in the lounge chair on the roof terrace. Romero was inside, reading a sports magazine on the sofa. A few times I’d considered asking Luca to stop Romero’s constant presence. Nothing could happen to me in our penthouse but then I couldn’t go through with it. I would have felt more alone without Romero in the apartment, even if we didn’t talk all that much. Marianna only came in around lunch time to clean and prepare lunch and dinner, and Luca was gone most days. I still hadn’t met any of the women from the Familia for coffee. After Cosima’s betrayal I really wasn’t keen on meeting more of Luca’s family anyway.

My phone vibrated on the small table. I snatched it up, seeing Gianna’s name flash on the screen. Happiness burst in my chest. We had only talked this morning, but it wasn’t unusual for my sister to call more than once per day and I didn’t mind.

The moment I heard her voice, I sat up, my heart pounding in my chest like crazy.

“Aria,” she whispered, her voice thick with tears.

“Gianna, what happened? What’s going on? Are you hurt?”

“Father’s giving me to Matteo.”

I didn’t understand, couldn’t. “What do you mean he’s giving you to Matteo?” My voice shook and tears already burnt in my eyes as I listened to Gianna’s heart-wrenching sobs.

“Salvatore Vitiello spoke to Father and told him that Matteo wanted to marry me. And Father agreed!”

I couldn’t breathe. I’d worried that Matteo wouldn’t let Gianna get away with her rudeness toward him. He was a man who didn’t like to be refused, but how could Father have agreed? “Did Father say why? I don’t understand. I’m already in New York. He didn’t need to marry you off to the Familia too.”

I stood, couldn’t sit still anymore. I started pacing the roof, trying to calm my racing pulse with low breaths.

“I don’t know why. Maybe Father wants to punish me for saying what I think. He knows how much I despise our men, and how much I hate Matteo. He wants to see me suffer.”

I wanted to disagree but I wasn’t sure Gianna was wrong. Father thought women needed to be put in their place and what better way to do that with Gianna than bind her to a man like Matteo. Behind his grins lurked something dark and angry, and I had a feeling Gianna wouldn’t have the sense not to provoke him until he lost it.

“Oh, Gianna. I’m so sorry. Maybe I can tell Luca and he can change Matteo’s mind.”

“Aria, don’t be naïve. Luca knew all along. He’s Matteo’s brother and the future Capo. Something like that isn’t decided without him being involved.”

I knew she was right, but I didn’t want to accept it. Why hadn’t Luca told me about this? “When did they make the decision?”

“A few weeks ago, even before I came to visit.”

My heart clenched. Luca had slept with me, had made me trust him and love him and hadn’t bothered to tell me that my sister was being sold to his brother.

“I can’t believe him!” I whispered harshly. Romero was watching me through the windows, already getting up from the sofa. “I’m going to kill him. He knows how much I love you. He knows I wouldn’t have allowed it. I would have done anything to prevent the agreement.”

Gianna was silent on the other end. “Don’t get in trouble because of me. It’s too late anyway. New York and Chicago shook hands on it. It’s a made deal, and Matteo won’t let me out of his clutches.”

“I want to help you, but I don’t know how.”

“I love you, Aria. The only thing that stops me from cutting my wrists right now is the knowledge that my marriage to Matteo means I’ll live in New York with you.”

Fear crushed my heart. “Gianna, you are the strongest person I know. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid. If you hurt yourself, I couldn’t live with myself.”

“You are much stronger than me, Aria. I have a big mouth and flashy bravado, but you are resilient. You married Luca, you live with a man like him. I don’t think I could have done it. I don’t think I can.”

“We’ll figure it out, Gianna.”

The elevator doors opened and Luca stepped into our apartment. His eyes darted from Romero to me, his brows drawing together.

“He’s here. I’ll call you tomorrow.” I hung up as fury burnt through me. I hadn’t thought I could ever hate Luca again, not even for a moment but in this second I wanted to hurt him. I stormed inside, my hands balled to fists as I headed toward Luca. He didn’t move a muscle, only watched me with calm scrutiny. That calm more than anything else fueled my rage. I wasn’t sure what he thought I was going to do, but it wasn’t attack that was obvious from his reaction. My fists hammered his chest as hard as I could. Shock flashed across Luca’s face, his entire body exploding with tension. From the corner of my eye I saw Romero take a step in our direction, obviously unsure if he was supposed to do something. He was my bodyguard but Luca was his boss. Of course, Luca didn’t have trouble handling me. After a moment, he gripped both of my wrists in his hand. I hated that he could overpower me so easily. “Aria, what—”