Page 29 of The Prices We Pay (Vittori Enterprises #1)

Josephine

I have no idea what time I wake up on the couch, my head resting on Luca’s lap like Dante was on mine mere hours ago.

I can feel Luca working his fingers through my hair, and when I peek my eyes open, I see Sebastian running his hand up and down my legs, which are resting across his.

Luca’s arm is outstretched along the back of the couch, and his fingers trace small circles on Sebastian’s neck.

I haven’t outright asked them, but it’s clear to anyone with eyes that there’s more going on between the two of them than meets the eye. And if my suspicions are correct, I would love to get a front-row seat to that hot-as-fuck show .

Without moving from my ridiculously comfortable position, I do a quick scan of what I can see in the rest of the room and realize Dante and Enzo aren’t here.

Between everything that happened this morning and rehashing everything about my dad, I felt completely mentally and physically exhausted.

After the guys ordered us some sandwiches and soup for lunch, I snuggled up on their couch and queued up the next Harry Potter movie.

I was in no mood to haul myself across town and back to my apartment, and they didn’t seem like they were in a rush to kick me out.

The last thing I remember is Luca and Sebastian coming to sit next to me and Ron and Harry pouting at the Yule Ball.

Considering it was light outside when that happened and The Deathly Hallows is now playing, I think it’s safe to say I have been asleep for a significant amount of time.

“Hey there, Sunshine.” Leave it to Luca to know I’m awake even though I haven’t moved an inch, and I’m ninety-five percent positive he can’t see my eyes .

Rolling over on my back so I can look up at him while ensuring my legs stay firmly tucked against Seb’s lap, I smile up at him. “Hey there. What time is it?”

Something about the fact that Luca checks the time on his watch instead of his phone sitting on the couch next to him warms my insides. “Almost eleven. None of us had the heart to wake you. You were obviously exhausted.”

“Yeah.” I try and fail to stifle a yawn. “Rehashing a childhood’s worth of trauma will do that to a person.”

Seb pinches my calf in response to my dark humor. “Ow!”

“Not funny, Love. Not funny.”

“Ever heard of a coping mechanism, smarty pants.” His eyes narrow, but I see those dimples fighting their way through. “Where are Dante and Enzo?”

Luca’s fingers trace the skin on my stomach where my T-shirt rode up.

I asked if I could borrow some of their clothes before we ate lunch, not wanting to get cheddar and broccoli soup on my Dolce & Gabbana blouse.

I wasn’t entirely sure whose clothes I was wearing, but judging by the way Sebastian’s eyes darkened when I strolled out in a simple pair of black sweatpants and white T, not to mention the rich sandalwood scent, I think it’s safe to assume they’re his.

“They went to go get ice cream.”

“Ice cream?” I chuckle.

“Enz had a craving, and we didn’t have any. Dante didn’t want him going out alone with all of this stuff with the Brava going on.”

“If I didn’t have to go home, I’d tell him to bring me some.”

“So stay,” Sebastian says without hesitation. “It’s late, and we have an extra room. We’ll drive you back to your apartment first thing in the morning. I’m sure if you’d ask your boss, he’d be fine with you coming in a little late.”

I coyly smile up at Luca, who shoots me a wink. “I’m sure it could be arranged.”

I don’t have to think twice. “Okay. I’ll stay. ”

Sebastian unlocks his phone with one hand, the other still running up and down my calf. “What flavor?”

“Oooo. Chocolate fudge brownie, please.”

“Done.”

Luca’s fingers continue rubbing along the bare skin of my stomach, then stop on one of my scars. He rubs at it for a moment before asking, his tone now slightly rougher, “Are these burn marks?”

“Sometimes, he didn’t have the energy to hit me. Cigarettes were easier.” Sebastian wraps his hand around my ankle protectively while Luca gently grabs a handful of my hair. “They don’t hurt anymore. Some of them I can’t feel at all, and some are super sensitive.”

“Never again,” Luca growls.

Reaching my hand up, I run my fingers over the stubble on his face, silently reassuring him that I trust he will do everything in his power to protect me.

“Can you feel this one?” he asks, his finger making circles around the small scar.

“Yeah. ”

His finger moves to the one close to my belly button. “What about this one?”

My stomach tenses, and I let out a small giggle. “Yes, and that tickles.”

My foot must dig into Sebastian’s groin because he yanks my foot into the air with a groan. “Easy there, killer.” He brings my foot to his mouth and bites down playfully on the side of my toe.

Spotting the small scar that’s peeking out from the waistband of my sweats, Luca trails his fingers downward. “And this one?”

I see him rubbing his fingers along it, but I don’t feel anything. Regardless, the sight of his fingers being so dangerously close to disappearing beneath my pants sends a rush of heat to my core. “Nope. Not a thing.”

“What about the one on your thigh?”

He inches his finger further beneath my pants as Sebastian lowers my leg, fisting the cotton material in his hand, pulling them down a fraction of an inch. Just like last night with Enzo, I know that what I say next has the potential to change everything .

But hasn’t everything already been changed?

Hasn’t just knowing them… wanting them irrevocably changed the course of my life forever?

For all of these years, I have been hell-bent on ensuring that the life I made for myself stayed perfect.

There was no room for error, and I could not let anyone in at the risk of paying a price.

And while I know I have every right to stand by my decision and continue to chase my hopes and dreams, when I look at them, I realize that I want more.

I dream of having a life worth sharing with someone.

I hope to be lucky enough to be loved so fully and so deeply that I never have to worry for one moment about being hurt.

I dream of a time when the only ache I ever feel in my cheeks is from smiling at the memories I have made.

And above all else, I hope that I have the chance to feel free.

Free of the chains that have bound me my entire life.

Free of the fear that has stopped me from wanting more.

Free of the idea that the only way my life can be perfect is because I have made it so.

I want someone to create that life with me.

Realizing I want to take this leap with them as much as they want to take it with me, I say, “Hmmm. I’m not sure I remember. Guess we’ll have to see.”

Seb and Luca exhale deeply, sharing a look filled with so much heat that I can feel it deep in my core.

Sebastian tugs at the leg of my pants. Lifting my hips slightly, I allow him to pull the sweats down.

Just when I think he’s going to stop once my ass is free, he continues pulling them down my legs and over my ankles until they’re all the way off.

He shifts slightly so he’s facing me a little more, and he runs his large hands back up my legs and over my black lace panties, stopping once he reaches where Luca is playing with the lace at the hem.

The two of them intertwine their fingers. My breath hitches at the sight of them touching one another as they touch me.

Bringing one hand down, Seb trails his fingers over the large scar on my thigh.

My entire body shivers at the touch, just like I knew it would.

“I think that answers that question,” he says as he lowers his head.

And when his lips place a gentle kiss on the raised skin, I can’t help the moan that falls from mine.

“Shit.” Luca hisses at the sound. “Is this what you want, Vita Mia?”

I know he’s not only talking about this moment with the two of them.

He’s talking about the potential of a life with all of them.

To be wrapped up in a life full of danger and secrets.

Suddenly, for the first time in my life, I make a monumental decision without analyzing all of the possible outcomes and the way they will impact my life.

For the first time in my life, I just choose. “Yes. But one thing first.”

With my head still in Luca’s lap, I reach down, grip the front of Seb’s shirt, and pull his face to mine. To my total surprise, Seb kisses me with a forcefulness I have never experienced. He owns our kiss entirely, taking my mouth for himself, guiding every movement… every taste.

Luca covers one of my hands with his. Moving them to Sebastian’s head, Luca threads our fingers through his blonde hair.

Sebastian works one of his hands under my shirt and moves it up my side until he’s cupping my breast through my thin lace bralette.

I can feel Luca growing harder beneath me as he watches the two of us sink deeper into our kiss.

With our hands still tangled together, Luca grabs hold of Sebastian’s hair and pulls his mouth from mine.

Sebastian gasps for breath and smiles down at me.

In one perfectly in sync motion, Sebastian somehow climbs off of me as Luca manages to pull me on top of him, so I’m now straddling his lap facing him.

He holds my face in his hands and slants his lips over mine. He kisses me for a moment before moaning against my mouth, “Fuck, I can taste him on your lips.”

Whimpering, I raise my arms in the air, prompting him to pull Sebastian’s white T over my head, and he does just that. My hair cascades down my back, and Luca’s eyes trace my body, now only dressed in a matching bra and underwear. “I mean…” he groans out, grabbing handfuls of my ass .

From behind me, Sebastian tugs on the clasp of my bralette. “Can I take this off, Love?” My head barely nods a fraction of an inch before he undoes the hooks and slides the lace down my arms.

“How does she look, Baby?” My eyes grow wide at Sebastian’s use of the nickname, instantly knowing he’s not talking to me but to the man underneath me.

Moving his eyes from my bare breasts to my eyes, Luca looks me dead in the eye as he answers, “Absolutely fucking perfect, Mio Re.”