by Aven Ellis
My body tightens in response. I get out of the car, and Luca grabs my hand as we race toward his building. The crisp air swirls around us, but I don’t register a chill. I feel nothing but heat, nothing but desperation to be in Luca’s arms.
We enter his brownstone and race up the stairs. Luca unlocks the door and ushers me inside. He shuts the door behind us, throws the lock, and strides over to me with purpose. In an instant, his hand is wrapped around mine and he’s leading me down the corridor.
He stops outside the bathroom door. “I have protection,” he says, reassuring me that he will take care of it if needed.
“You don’t need it,” I answer. “I’m on the pill.”
I wait for him to take me to his bed, but instead he flips on the bathroom light and leads me inside, shutting the door behind us and pressing me up against it.
“You wanted a kiss in the rain,” Luca says, his voice deep with desire. “And I’m going to give it to you.”
He lifts my hands over my head, holding them against the door, and lowers his mouth to mine, kissing me deeply.
Oh, God. I melt against the door, my tongue matching his, my lips taking passionately from him. Luca releases my hands and skims down my coat before moving it aside so he can touch my waist. His large hands span around me as his mouth moves against mine.
I reach for his suit jacket and remove it to reveal a vest and white dress shirt hugging his massive chest. I continue to kiss him as I undo the knot in his silk tie and cast it aside. Luca removes my coat and drops it to the floor.
His hands move over my black blouse, skimming my breasts, and I arch against the door in response. His mouth finds my neck, but instead of kissing me, he breathes against my skin in a move that completely undoes me.
“I want your scent on my sheets,” Luca murmurs against my ear. “I want your scent on my skin. I want you.”
I whimper against him. “I want you, too.”
Luca lifts his head. “Let me give you that kiss in the rain.”
He leads me over to the shower and turns the faucet on so the water cascades down from the shower head.
I slip out of my boots, and Luca removes his shoes. I take off his vest. He reaches for his belt buckle, and I can’t breathe as he slowly, torturously, undoes it. I place my hand over his on the button of his pants.
“Let me help you,” I say softly.
Luca removes his hand, and I take over undressing him. I slowly unbutton his suit pants, unzip them, and allow my hands to find the waistband and lower the material over his hips.
Luca stumbles back toward the tiled wall when my hands graze his hips, and my heart slams against my ribs as I move them down over his massive thighs revealing his black boxer-briefs.
He’s gloriously huge.
Everywhere.
I allow myself to feel his powerful legs, and I tremble in response. I drop his trousers to the floor then begin the process of undoing each button of his dress shirt, one by one, starting from the top and working my way down. I follow the fine trail of hair that leads down his chest to his chiseled abdominals. His body tapers down into a sexy V-shape, and my body once again burns hot from the sight of him. I run my hand over his abs, and Luca shivers against my touch.
Just as I’m about to pull off his boxer-briefs, Luca reaches for my waist. His mouth closes over mine in a slow, sexy kiss as I feel the button of my jeans being undone and his fingertips on my zipper, slowly tugging it downward.
“Luca,” I murmur against his mouth. “Please.”
I bury my head against his chest, feeling his hot skin against mine as he slowly removes my jeans. I hold on to him as I step out of them, and his hands skim over my black silk string panties, cupping my bottom with his massive hands.
“You’re so beautiful,” Luca whispers.
Steam is now pouring out of the shower. Luca removes my blouse, and I stand before him in a sheer black bra and panties. He stares at me, his eyes moving over my breasts.
“Beautiful.” He cups my breasts in his hands and lowers his mouth to my bra, kissing each of them gently.
Need pours through me as his teeth nip at the edges of my bra. I cradle the back of his head with my hand, gently pulling on his hair, and a groan escapes him, reverberating against my skin.
He stands up, and I start to remove his shirt, but instead he opens the shower door and brings me inside. Hot, steamy water pours over us, and Luca lifts me so I’m wrapped around him. His white dress shirt clings to his broad chest, his hair is soaking wet, and I lock my arms around his neck, shaking violently.
Luca gazes up at me as the water pours down on us. Our wet bodies are entwined, our skin burning hot, and we’re about to become one right here, right now.
“You’re trembling,” he says, his eyes showing nothing but concern as he stares at me.
I can’t find my voice to speak. I’m hit with a range of emotions, from passion I’ve never felt before to tenderness for the man holding me in his arms giving me the fantasy I desired.
I nod, my eyes locked with his.
“If you’re not sure, sweetheart, it’s okay,” he says, tightening his hold on me. “It won’t change anything between us if you want to wait. I promise.”
Luca has misinterpreted my shaking for fear.
As I see the truth in his eyes, his concern for my emotional well-being over his physical needs, I realize what I’ve found in Luca.
He’s not just a man.
Luca is the man I love.
This is what love is. It’s passionate physical connection, but it’s also putting another person’s needs ahead of your own.
Like he is doing for me right now.
Tears of joy fill my eyes. I swallow the happy lump in my throat.
I lower my head and kiss him deeply as the water continues to cascade down on us. I slide my hands down to his wet dress shirt, gripping it and vowing to never let this man go.
I tear my mouth away from his. “I’ve never been more sure of anything. I want you, Luca. Now.”
Luca doesn’t need any more reassurance. I will give myself completely to him tonight.
But not just tonight.
I vow to give myself to him forever.
Because he’s the man I was meant to love.
Chapter 22
Always make people feel special . . .
I have never experienced anything like this.
I close my eyes as Luca kisses my neck and collarbone, his breath warm against my skin. Love for this man surges through me.
I curl my fingers through his damp waves, breathing in the scent of sandalwood soap on his skin and shivering in delight from the sensation of his full lips caressing my body in the sweetest of kisses.
Tears prick my eyes as his mouth moves gently against my skin. Luca’s kisses tell me I’m revered and cared for. While our sex in the shower was the absolute hottest, most orgasmic lovemaking I’ve ever experienced, I loved our second time just as much. That time we went slowly. It was deliberate, sensual, and full of deep, meaningful kisses and touches that brought me over the edge more than once. I was able to give him the same pleasure he gave me.
Now I understand what can happen when you have amazing chemistry and you are with a partner who enjoys giving pleasure as much as receiving it. When you are with someone who truly cares about more than the physical moment but the emotional connection as well.
It was perfect.
Luca lifts his head and gazes down at me, and I see nothing but tenderness reflected in his eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asks softly, brushing a stray lock of hair away from my face.
“Yes,” I say, caressing the back of his head with my hand. “I . . . I’ve never been with a man in the way I was with you. I . . .” My voice grows thick. I don�
�t want to get all emotional on him, but something tells me I don’t need my mask. It’s okay to be vulnerable entwined in each other’s arms, skin on skin, after what we shared together.
I swallow before continuing. “I’ve never felt so connected to anyone as I did when I was with you.”
To my surprise, a single tear escapes my eye and rolls down my cheek. I realize how much I have let my walls down. I am being emotionally raw with him.
I trust Luca.
Luca doesn’t flinch. Instead, his eyes grow watery as he gazes down at me. He lifts his hand and delicately brushes my tear away with his fingertips.
“I’ve never been with a woman in the way I have with you,” he whispers to me, his voice thick.
I stare up at him, and I know he’s feeling everything I am. We’ve both discovered how love can be when you are with the right person.
The One.
“I didn’t think you could be any more beautiful, Cinderella,” Luca says, “but right now, you are.”
I smile up at him. “I’m glowing.”
Luca grins and drops a kiss on my lips, easing them open, and I eagerly taste his tongue as I kiss him back.
He breaks the kiss and props himself up again so he can study me. Luca begins tracing his fingertips down the bridge of my nose, across my cheeks, and to my chin.
“I will always love your freckles,” he says, brushing his finger over the corner of my lip, “not only because they are beautiful but because they led me to you.”
Swoon.
He reaches for my hand and links it in his, and I notice how perfectly they fit together.
We fit together.
And I want this forever.
“I’m going to have to tear myself away from you and go eat soon,” Luca says, holding my hand to his chest. “You’ve managed to distract me from my post-game meal.”
“You need your calories?”
“Yep.” Luca flashes me a wicked smile. “I’ll have to add a hell of a lot more considering how many I just burned with you. I guess I should plan on adding more food to my shopping list in the future.”
Warmth spreads across my cheeks. “You definitely should.”
He laughs softly.
“Along with Coffee-mate,” he adds.
Oh!
“Because if you’re going to be spending the night here on a regular basis, you’ll need your Coffee-mate,” Luca says.
I grin. “Yes.”
“Four bottles?”
“You remembered,” I say, amazed.
“I did.”
“Impressive, Prince Charming.”
I watch as Luca’s face lights up upon hearing my nickname.
“I would be a shitty Prince Charming if I didn’t pay attention to what you liked.”
He releases my hand and pushes himself up. “Let me get you a shirt to wear.”
“My underwear is still wet,” I say, thinking of our sexy trip to the shower.
“You’ll have to go without while it’s in the dryer.” He flashes me a wicked grin. “Lucky me.”
As he gets up, I am taken aback by Luca’s body. He is beyond gorgeous naked. I have never seen muscles like his. Ever.
I sit up as he opens the closet door. I glance over at the nightstand next to me and find an artist sketchbook and a collection of graphite pencils stacked neatly on top.
He must draw.
I love discovering new things about him. Knowing all the pieces that make up the man I’ve fallen so hard and so fast for makes me eager to learn more.
“Luca?” I ask, turning to find him stepping into a pair of sweatpants.
Oh, that’s a nice view. If I could draw, that is what I’d be drawing. Luca’s bare back, his muscles tapering down to that sexy, sexy V-shape that—
“Yes?” Luca asks, tying the knot on his pants.
I shake my head, forcing myself to focus on something other than his smoking-hot body.
“I didn’t know you’re an artist.”
Luca turns around. I incline my head toward the sketchpad on the nightstand.
“I’m not an artist,” Luca says, going back to his closet and rummaging through his shirts. “I just like to draw.”
He grabs a T-shirt and comes back to the bed, sinking down next to me. “Here you go. Although it might be better to coordinate no bottoms by wearing no top.”
I playfully smack him on the arm. “Wouldn’t you like that,” I say, unfolding the plain white T-shirt and tugging it over my head.
Good Lord, the shirt is HUGE. It’s a dress on me!
“I would,” Luca says, running his hand down my thigh.
“Careful. You need to have dinner.”
“I’ll load up on calories and have you again after that,” Luca says suggestively.
Oh, I’m so on board with that plan.
I clear my throat. “You like to draw?”
“I do,” Luca says. “I don’t show my work to people. It’s nothing great, but it’s like therapy for me. When I want to clear my head, I sketch. When I’m inspired, I do some of my best work.”
I glance at the sketchbook, dying to see what he has drawn but wanting to respect his privacy.
“There’s one in particular I’d like to show you,” Luca says. “Can you hand the sketchbook to me?”
My heart sings with joy as I move the pencils aside and retrieve his book. I hand it to him and snuggle in closer, then rest my head on his bare arm as he flips it open.
I’m stunned by what I see.
Luca is an incredible artist. The first picture is of downtown Milwaukee, skyscrapers sketched along the shores of Lake Michigan. The detail blows me away.
“Here, you can skip ahead.” Luca begins to flip the page, but I stop him.
“No, no, I want to see all of them,” I say. “Downtown Milwaukee. I recognize the art museum,” I say, gesturing toward the iconic building. I take the pad from him so I can study it.
“Yeah,” Luca says, nodding. “If you flip the page, you’ll see I did a sketch of the Quadracci Pavilion, too. I love that structure.”
I turn the page and gasp as I see Luca’s rendition in fine detail, down to the people walking on the pedestrian bridge to enter the building.
“Luca, this is amazing,” I say, studying all the work he put into the sketch. I lift my eyes from the picture. “You’re an incredibly talented artist.”
Luca rakes a hand through his hair, tousling his already-messy waves. “Nah, it’s only a hobby. I go downtown and walk around and take pictures of things I think will be interesting to draw. A lot of times I draw after games when I’m eating my dinner. It’s meditative.”
I nod and flip the pages revealing Chicago icons: the Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, the Wrigley Building, boats dotting Lake Michigan. Then I come across one of a beautiful husky dog sitting in the grass.
“Oh, that’s my family’s dog, Boomer,” Luca explains. “I drew that when I was home this summer.”
“Are you a dog person?” I ask, studying Boomer’s picture.
“I love dogs. I miss Boomer, but he’s not mine. He’s my dad’s dog. I’d love to have one of my own. They’re such good companions. Dogs make a house a home.”
“Why don’t you get one?” I ask.
Luca shrugs. “I don’t have time for one. I’d have to find, interview, and hire a pet sitter, and that’s something I don’t have time for. It takes a lot of time to bond with a dog, and I’m gone too much. It will have to wait until the timing is better.”
Once again, Luca has put something he wants behind hockey.
Yet Landon has a cat, and I know other guys on the team have dogs. There is a way for Luca to balance it. It’s almost as if he hasn’t even
tried to find the time.
I’m about to argue that he can have a dog if he wants one, but Luca distracts me by taking the sketchbook from my hands.
“This next sketch I need to explain first,” Luca says. “I drew this after Landy and Livy’s party,” Luca explains, slowly flipping the page. “I was inspired that night, more than I ever have been. I drew you.”
I glance down at the sketchpad and see Luca has drawn me with Major. My hand flies to my mouth as it is the exact likeness of the picture on Livy’s website of me modeling bracelets while touching Major’s head.
“Oh my God,” I whisper, stunned at the work of art in front of me.
“That was the first time I saw you,” Luca explains. “I couldn’t get your image out of my head. I wondered what you were like and if you could be as beautiful inside as you were in your picture. When I had my chance at the party, I knew I was going to talk to you to see what you were like. You have no idea how anxious I was to find you. When we talked on Beckett’s lawn, I knew you were someone I had to know better. I came home and started drawing, and I didn’t stop until I was finished. I’ve never done that before.”
I’m touched beyond words. I swallow down the lump in my throat and stare into his eyes. I see his vulnerability. Luca is letting me in and showing me something he’s never shared with anyone before. He’s letting me into the life he has reserved for the sport he loves. He is making room for something else for the first time.
Me.
“I absolutely love it,” I say, blinking back tears. “I’m so happy you shared your gift with me.”
“There’s no one else I want to share it with,” Luca says, his voice thick. “Only you, Collins. Only you.”
As I stare up into his eyes, I appreciate what a gift this man is in my life. Luca is the reason why I was ambivalent about moving forward with Gabe. I had to know if there was something more.