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“The night he jumped from the cliff,” Luca said as he shoved a curl behind my ear, “Aiden was meeting The Serpents on the other side of the bay. He was running late for a job. They wanted him to use the parachute so there wouldn’t be any tire tracks. It was the middle of the night. Only people with our view of the bay could see him. But the parachute was faulty. He was lucky I saw him hit the beach, or he would have died.”
“I had the right to know my brother was alive and in a coma.”
“Baby, you were out of your mind.” He brushed my cheek with his fingers. “You didn’t even recognize me the night you stabbed me. And the night Aiden fell, you were so far gone that not even Sonny or Marcello could reach you. It was like your brain had reset to your childhood.”
“I didn’t forget you,” I shot back. “I spent nine straight months hating you, wishing you were dead.”
He nodded. “I know, baby. But that was because your brain hadn’t healed from the trauma. That’s why I brought you back to Devil’s Creek. You needed to get better.”
“You could have told me Aiden was alive after I moved back here.”
“No, that’s not how this works. Aiden agreed to become a Knight.”
“So,” I shot back.
“We didn’t want to keep this from you. I thought it was better this way.”
I placed my hand over his heart, feeling the steady beat.
Luca's hand covered mine, and a smirk tugged at his mouth. “You said you loved me when you thought I was sleeping.”
I pressed my lips together. “It’s true. I love you, Luca.”
Luca slipped his fingers through my curls as his eyes met mine. “I loved my mom more than anything. And when I lost her… I never thought I would feel that way again. Ten years later, you wandered into my bedroom and changed my life. I thought I would spend the rest of my miserable life without caring about anything until I met you.” He kissed me. “I love you, Drea. I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you. I was so afraid of my feelings that I pushed you away. I hated my feelings for you. I thought they made me weak and reckless.”
“Love is unpredictable. You can’t control it or contain it.”
“Show me how much you love me.” Luca moved me on top of him, careful not to touch the worst of my bruises. “Ride my cock, baby girl.”
Straddling his thighs, I fisted his cock through the slit in his briefs and shoved my panties to the side. I gave him a few strokes, and Luca groaned, his eyes meeting mine as I lifted my hips. His hand fell to my waist, fingers digging into my skin. I took all of him in one swift thrust, and my eyes slammed shut from how quickly he filled me.
“Damn, baby,” he grunted. “You feel so fucking good.”
I gave him a cheeky grin. “You saying you missed me?”
He tugged on my hair in response.
I leaned forward and pressed my palm to his chest, rocking my hips to meet his. Because I was in control, I wanted to make love to him. I took advantage of this moment and lost myself in him.
I kissed his lips, sucking his bottom lip into my mouth, and he parted my lips with his tongue. My body felt as if it were on fire. I was so close to my orgasm, chills rolling down my arms as a wave of heat swept over me. Luca pumped his cock into me, taking control of our orgasms as they spilled out of us, one after another.
I came hard and fast, Luca right after me. We kissed long after our bodies stopped trembling. He bit my bottom lip, tugging on my skin with his teeth. I rolled off him and lay on my side, staring at my handsome Devil.
With a wicked smile, he reached into the drawer beside his bed and pulled out a small box. Cracking open the black box, which held a massive yellow diamond, he knelt on the mattress.
“Drea, you’re the only person who makes my black heart beat. I can’t live without you. Marry me.”
I moved in front of him, my heart slamming into my chest. “Say the words.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“You know which ones.”
“What binds us will destroy us.” Luca lifted the diamond from the box. “Be my wife, my queen. Take your rightful place beside me.”
I glanced at the round-cut diamond that was at least thirty carats. It was his mother’s ring. I grew up dreaming of becoming like Evangeline Franco, and now… I was following in her footsteps.
“Yes,” I whispered. “I’ll marry you.”