Page 14 of Saint (The Divine Ruin #2)

Lily

I stumble into my apartment, leaning against the door as it closes behind me. My legs are still trembling, my body aching in places I didn’t know could ache. The cab ride home was a blur—all I could think about was Luca. His hands. His mouth. The way he commanded me with just a look.

“Holy shit, you’re alive!” Zoe appears from the kitchen, coffee mug in hand. Her eyes widen as she takes me in. “You look... thoroughly fucked. You’re a nasty, nasty girl, Lily Moore.”

I can’t help but laugh, though it comes out sounding breathless. "That’s one way to put it.”

"Details. Now.” She grabs my arm and pulls me to our tiny couch. “You disappear without a word and stay out all night. I was about to call the cops."

“I was with Luca,” I say, unable to keep the smile from spreading across my face. “And... it was incredible."

“I knew it!” Zoe scolds. “I can’t believe you gave your V-card to a man twice your age. Who are you and what have you done with my sensible friend?” She pauses for a moment, then narrows her gaze. “Was he any good?”

Good doesn’t begin to cover it. I close my eyes, memories washing over me. Luca’s mouth between my thighs. His voice in my ear, telling me I’m his. The weight of him pressing me into the mattress. The way he seemed to know exactly what I needed before I did.

“Earth to Lily,” Zoe waves her hand in front of my face. “That good, huh?"

“You have no idea,” I murmur, heat rising to my cheeks. “He wants me to move in with him.”

Zoe chokes on her coffee. “I’m sorry, what? After one night?"

“I know it sounds crazy."

“It doesn’t sound crazy, Lily. It is crazy. You barely know this guy!”

I stand up, suddenly restless. "I’m going to take a shower.”

In the bathroom, I catch sight of myself in the mirror and freeze. My lips are swollen, my neck dotted with faint bruises. I look... claimed. The thought sends a shiver down my spine that has nothing to do with fear.

Under the hot spray of the shower, I try to make sense of what’s happening to me. One night with Luca Ravello and I’m considering upending my entire life. Moving in with him. Becoming his... what? Girlfriend? Mistress? Property?

That last word should disturb me, but instead, it sends a pulse of heat straight to my core. The way he looked at me, touched me, spoke to me—like I was precious and yet completely his to command—awakened something in me I never knew existed.

I’ve never been submissive. Not once. I’m the daughter of Governor Jackson Moore. I was raised to be independent, strong-willed, and to never let anyone dictate my choices. Yet with Luca, all I want is to surrender. To give him everything he asks for and more.

By the time I step out of the shower, my mind is racing. I wrap a towel around myself and head to my bedroom, where I begin pulling clothes from my closet.

“Are you seriously packing?” Zoe asks from the doorway, disbelief written across her face.

“I don’t know,” I admit, sinking onto my bed. “Part of me thinks I’d be insane to go back to him.”

"And the other part?"

“Feels like I’d be insane not to.”

Zoe sits beside me, her expression softening. “Lily, I’ve never seen you like this over a guy. What’s so special about him?”

I try to find the words to explain. “It’s not just the sex, though, that was... mind-blowing. It’s the way he looked at me. Like he could see right through me, right into my soul. Like he knew me better than I know myself.”

“That’s called lust, honey.”

I shake my head. “No, it’s more than that. When I’m with him, I feel... safe. Protected. Like nothing bad could ever happen to me."

“After one night?"

“I know how it sounds.” I stand up, resuming my packing with less certainty. “But there’s something between us, Zoe. Something I can’t explain."

“Did he say anything about what he does? Besides being rich and hot?”

I pause, Luca’s cryptic words echoing in my mind. The man your father has been doing business with for years, though not the kind of business that makes the society pages.

“He has a foundation and does charity work, but he also implied he’s involved in something... not entirely legal,” I say carefully.

Zoe’s eyes widen. “Like what? Drugs? Weapons? Oh my god, is he in the mafia or something?”

The question hits too close to home. I remember the way his eyes hardened when he spoke about protecting me, the absolute authority in his voice when he said I was his.

“I don’t know exactly,” I admit. “He said he’d tell me everything tonight.”

"Tonight? So you are going back?”

I sit back down, my legs suddenly weak. “I told him I would. But now I’m not so sure."

“Lily, think about this. Your father is the governor. If this guy is involved in something illegal and you’re living with him, the scandal could destroy your dad’s career."

She’s right, of course. My father’s political opponents would have a field day if they discovered his daughter was involved with someone connected to organized crime. Not to mention what it would do to my mother and my brothers.

But even as these thoughts race through my mind, all I can see is Luca’s face, feel his hands on my body, hear his voice in my ear. I’m already falling for him. Hard and fast, in a way that terrifies me.

“I need time,” I say finally. “Time to think this through.”

I reach for my phone, my heart pounding as I type out a message to Luca:

Last night was incredible. You’re incredible. But I can’t just move in with you. Not yet. I need time to figure things out. I hope you understand.

My finger hovers over the send button for what feels like an eternity. Then, taking a deep breath, I press it.

The response comes almost immediately:

You have until midnight, Lily. Not a minute more. After that, I’ll come for you myself.

A shiver runs through me—part fear, part excitement. This isn’t a man who takes no for an answer. A man used to getting exactly what he wants.

And God help me, I want to give it to him.

“Lily?" Zoe’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “What did he say?”

I lock my phone screen, not wanting her to see his message. "He’s giving me time to think."

It’s not exactly a lie, but it’s far from the whole truth. Luca isn’t giving me time—he’s giving me an ultimatum. And the most terrifying part is how much I want to surrender to it.

“Good,” Zoe says, relieved. “Take all the time you need. Get to know him properly before you make any big decisions.”

I nod, but my mind is already racing ahead. To midnight. To Luca, coming for me if I don’t go to him. To what that would mean—for me, for my family, for everything I thought I knew about myself.

I glance at the clock. Fourteen hours until midnight. Fourteen hours to decide whether to follow my head or my heart. To choose between the life I’ve always known and the man who, in just one night, has made me question everything.

There’s no way I can decide today. Instead of packing for Luca’s, I stuff my favorite cashmere sweaters and worn-soft jeans into my leather weekender bag.

My fingers tremble as I call my mother, whose lilting voice brightens at the mention of a visit.

In typical fashion, she doesn’t probe—just promises fresh-baked snickerdoodles, the ones that made the Albany Times feature her last Christmas.

Within minutes, she’s arranged for a sleek black town car to collect me.

Two hours north on the winding Hudson Valley roads, past autumn-gilded trees and colonial estates, the governor’s mansion awaits—a white-columned fortress where Luca Ravello’s dangerous hands can’t reach me while I make up my mind.