Nodding, Evie released a moan when Luca moved his lips to her cheek and trailed kisses down her throat. Letting out a cry of protest when Luca removed his mouth from her body, she settled again when he took hold of the end of her shirt and pulled it over her head. “You are addictive, Evie.”
Then his lips were back on her neck. Dropping her head back, Evie felt his hand move to her breast and massage over her bra.
Arching her back, Evie reached down and cupped him. He was rock hard. Gently massaging, Luca released another groan as his hand reached inside her bra and squeezed and tugged at her sensitive nipple.
Crying out, Evie writhed as a throbbing started deep inside her core. In tandem, his mouth lowered to her breast as his hand reached inside her underwear. Using his thumb to massage her clit while his mouth suctioned her nipple, Evie squirmed beneath him. Gasping when a small pain hit her ribs. Luca went still.
“Are you okay?” Luca started to move away, even as she nodded.
Not bearing the thought of him ending his exploration, Evie reached down inside his underwear and wrapped her fingers around him. Stopping in his tracks, Luca hung his head and released a guttural growl.
Empowered by her effect on him, Evie began to move her hand up and down. Feeling him swell in her grip, the muscles on his arms bunching.
“Evie,” his voice was hoarse.
“I need you, Luca.”
Gripping the sides of her underwear, he quickly removed them. Moving his body down, he positioned his head above her center. At the feel of his mouth on her clit, Evie buckled, almost exploding right there and then.
As the intensity of her pleasure hit her, she tried to move her hips. Whether she was moving them away from or closer to Luca she wasn’t sure, but she was stopped by his firm hold on her hips, keeping her in place.
Luca’s tongue swiped across her clit. Evie’s fingers latched onto the sheets around her. The pleasure was overpowering. As Luca found the sensitive spot, his mouth started to suction and pull.
Trying to squirm but held too firm, Evie’s head thrashed to the side. She felt drunk with lust.
“Please, Luca, don’t make me wait.” She gasped the words, wanting him inside her.
Finally releasing her, Luca reached over to the bedside table and covered himself with a condom. Moving his body back over the top of hers, Luca’s hips spread her thighs.
Placing himself at her entrance, Luca slowly slid inside Evie. She shut her eyes at the intense pleasure of having him fill her so completely.
Once they were fused together, Luca stopped, waiting for her muscles to relax. Veins were bulging at his evident self-restraint, Luca held still.
Not wanting to wait any longer, Evie reached her mouth up to his and nibbled on his lip. Pushing her tongue into his mouth, she silently pleaded for him to move.
Then Luca lifted his hips before lowering himself again. His pace was agonizingly slow. Trying to move her hips up to meet his, she was stopped by Luca’s hands on her waist, holding her firm.
Evie released a whimper as Luca moved his hand down to massage her clit. Evie felt like she was dying a slow death as the heat built in her core.
Dropping his head to Evie’s neck, Luca gently bit the sensitive spot beneath her ear. His mouth, in combination with his constant thrusts, was tormenting.
Quickening his pace, Luca’s thrusts became harder and deeper. Evie’s tenacious fingers latched onto Luca’s skin.
Just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, her body shattered. Crying out, Luca kept thrusting, prolonging the orgasm. Shutting her eyes, Evie heard Luca’s groan just as he stiffened and shuddered at his own climax.
Breathing heavily, there was a moment of silence between them before Luca’s eyes raised to Evie’s. Still connected, something passed between them. No words were needed, but the emotions were strong. Placing a gentle kiss on Evie’s lips, Luca moved to lay beside her, pulling her close.
Coming down from the high, she felt something new inside of her. Peace. This great protector next to her cared about her, and she cared about him. Luca had seen her even when all she had done was run and hide from him.
It was like a weight had been lifted from her chest, and she could breathe again.
Snuggling closer to Luca, she prayed that this could be her happy ending.
Closing her eyes, Evie began to drift to sleep, Luca’s arms like a shield against everything wrong in the world.
Maybe everything would work out. Maybe she would be okay, after all.
“Thank you.” Evie whispered the words.
“For what?”
“Everything.”
Arms tightening around her, Luca pulled her closer. “No, thank you, sweetheart, for letting me in.”
Body relaxed, Evie started to drift off, never feeling more safe.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
AS LIGHT FILTERED into the bedroom, Evie reached across the bed for Luca. When her hand felt nothing but cold sheets, her eyes popped open, and she shot up. Grimacing, Evie’s hand went to her ribs.
Even though it had been a few days since the attack, she knew the pain of fractured ribs would linger for a while.
Slowly climbing out of bed, Evie wrapped her robe around her shoulders, grabbing the laptop on her way before heading downstairs.
Stepping into the living room, Evie stopped in her tracks. There was a very large muscular man in the room, but it wasn’t Luca. Or anyone she recognized. He looked to be as big as Eden, both in height and breadth.
Turning, the man had a small scar above his right eyebrow, but it didn’t detract from his looks. The man was gorgeous, with his almost black eyes and midnight hair.
Realizing she was staring, Evie shot her eyes back to his face. She should probably be scared, but being in Luca’s house, she felt safe, knowing he would be here if there was trouble.
“I was wondering when the alluring Evie Scott would rise and shine.”
Raising her brows, Evie found herself at a loss for words. Then she heard the back door open and shut as Asher walked in.
“Yo, bro, Luca needs to sort out that garden situation, a whole SWAT team could hide in those bushes and never be seen.” Turning his head to Evie, Asher cracked a smile. “You’re up! Finally, we were considering breaking Luca’s ‘no one goes in the bedroom’ rule.”
Smoothing her hair, Evie finally remembered that she hadn’t actually looked at herself in the mirror yet. God, she must be a mess.
Feeling self-conscious, she pulled her robe that bit tighter.
“Darlin,’ you look fine,” the stranger gave Evie a wink before dropping his gigantic form into Luca’s couch.
Asher walked up to the man and hit him on the back of the head. “Don’t be rude, introduce yourself to Evie.”
Turning his gaze back to Evie, the man gave her another confident smile. “I’m Kye, but the guys call me Cage. I’m also the best looking of the bunch as you’ve probably noticed.”
At the intensity of his gaze, she felt her cheeks turn pink.
Just then, the front door opened, and Luca and Wyatt walked in. Spotting Evie immediately, Luca walked straight up to her, wrapping his arm around her waist.
“Morning, sweetheart. Wyatt and I just went for a run,” Luca said, then turning his head, he indicated to where Kye was standing. “Did you meet Cage?”
“Oh, we met, Rocket,” Kye gave Evie another wink.
Luca let out a growl. “Get your damn eyes off my woman.”
Putting up his hands, Kye cast his eyes to the side window. “Whatever you say, man.”
Turning to face Luca, Evie put her hand on his chest. “I’m going to go get changed.”
Rubbing his hand up Evie’s arm, Luca nodded. “Okay.”
Turning to go, Wyatt’s voice stopped her. “Can I just borrow the laptop. This guy doesn’t have a decent piece of technology, and I just want to check something.”
Looking down, Evie had forgotten she was holding the thing. “Oh, sur
e.”
Handing it over, Evie headed to the bathroom to shower. Once she was standing under the stream of water, she closed her eyes and let the warmth soothe her body. About ten minutes in, the glass cracked opened, and Luca stepped inside.
Too surprised to say anything, she stood still as Luca’s arms wrap around her waist. His powerful body took up almost all the space in the shower cube.
Lowering his head, Luca’s mouth began to nuzzle the side of her neck.
“Luca, the guys are right out there.”
Trailing his mouth down Evie’s shoulder, a small shiver ran up her spine. “Negative, I sent those assholes home.”
Reaching down, Luca grabbed Evie’s legs and pulled them around his waist. As he held her bare body against his, Evie lay her head against his shoulder.
At some point, the embrace changed from being sexual to something else entirely.
Evie wasn’t sure how long they stood under the stream of water like that, but the position felt intimate. Skin against skin. This was the closest she’d ever felt to another human.
Too soon, the water started to chill. Reaching over, Luca turned it off.
“How are your ribs, sweetheart?” Luca asked, breaking the silence.
“They’re okay.”
A growl released from Luca’s chest as he stepped outside the shower with Evie still in his arms.
“I hate that you’re in pain.”
Pulling a large towel from the rack, Luca wrapped it around both of them. Once in the bedroom, Luca placed Evie on the bed, giving her a kiss before moving away.
“What should we do today?”
Evie knew what she wanted to do. Seeing Luca wearing nothing, water droplets dripping from his naked chest, had her feeling flushed. But she knew she needed to heal. She would settle for watching for now, even if it was pure torture.
“I’m fine with a day at home. I need to work on my laptop a bit anyway.”
Motionless for a moment before continuing to open his drawer, Luca questioned Evie. “What do you need to work on?”
Spinning around, Luca watched Evie closely. “I’ve just been working on something. Once it’s done, I want to share it with you.”
Well, it wasn’t the full story like he was probably hoping, but at least she hadn’t made something up like the previous times he’d asked.
Luca pulled on the last of his clothes before walking back to Evie. Bending down, only a couple of inches separated their faces. “I would love for you to share, sweetheart.”
Placing a kiss on her forehead, Evie prayed that she could crack the file soon so that no secrets separated them.
It was midafternoon when the sound of Luca’s phone ringing pulled him away from his workout. Dropping the weight to the floor of his workout room, Luca reached for his phone.
“Striker, what’s happening?”
“Team meeting in ten. I’m a couple minutes from your place. I’ll stay with Evie and be part of the meeting over the phone.”
Frowning, Luca was already pulling a shirt over his head.
“What’s the meeting for, and why’s it so important I’m there when you’re not?”
“Not sure, man, just doing what Jobs asked.”
Already hearing Asher’s car pull up out the front, Luca hung up the phone and headed into the bedroom. Evie was sitting on the bed working on her laptop.
When her green eyes met his, Luca almost forgot what he’d entered the room to say. It would be easy to say screw it all and just stay and get lost in her.
Reluctantly, Luca walked over to Evie. “There’s a meeting at Marble. Asher’s on the couch. Be back soon, okay?”
“Okay.” Evie smiled as Luca bent down to kiss her. He stayed a moment longer than he intended.
“You’re too damn enticing, you know that?” His words were spoken against her lips.
Eyes twinkling, Evie turned back to her laptop. “If that were true, you would be under the covers with me right now, ditching this meeting of yours.”
With a growl, Luca exited the room. Damn, he wished he could do exactly that.
When he reached for his keys, he noticed Asher lying back on his couch eating chips. “Watch the crumbs, asshole.”
“Come on, Rocket, I know how much you love cleaning. Consider my sloppiness a favor.”
Rolling his eyes, he heading for the door. “Whatever, be back soon.”
“I’ll be listening!”
As Luca made his way to the car, his mind wandered. What the hell was going on? Why would the team be meeting after they only just spoke last night?
They still didn’t know what Troy wanted. It was more than just Evie, otherwise, he would have taken her when he had the chance.
The team was sure of one thing, Troy knew more about Project Arma than they did. That meant that for whoever got him first, the objective wasn’t to kill him, it was to get information.
The trip was quick. As soon as Luca stepped into the office, he knew he wasn’t going to like whatever was said. Wyatt sat at the end of the table, laptop open in front of him. Mason and Bodie were next to him, looking more disappointed than anything else. Eden leaned against the wall looking murderous.
“What is it?”
Wyatt looked up at Luca. “You should sit, Rocket.”
Stopping at the end of the table, Luca crossed his arms. “No. Tell me what’s going on.”
Wyatt held Luca’s gaze. “It’s Evie.”
Pausing, Luca tried to hide the shot of anxiety. “What? Did Troy show up again? Did you find out what he wants?”
Mason ran his hand through his hair. “Jobs found something on her computer.”
What the hell? “When? This morning? You snooped through her shit?”
Raising both his hands, Wyatt pushed back from the table. “Rocket, I wasn’t looking. It was open when I opened the laptop.”
Knowing he didn’t want the answer to the question, he asked it anyway. “What was?”
Wyatt fixed his eyes on Luca’s as he spoke. “The Project Arma file we’ve been trying to crack. She’s also working on it.”
Luca’s world fractured slightly. No. That wasn’t possible. “She can’t hack files.”
“Well, she’s trying.” Mason’s voice was solemn.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Wyatt said looking disappointed.
Knowing there was no way Wyatt would call the meeting and say it unless he was a hundred percent sure, the truth cut into Luca. A hundred more questions then popped into Luca’s mind. How could she hack? How did she get the file in the first place?
Turning, Luca ran his hands through his hair before facing his team again. “Okay, so what does this mean. That she knows about the project we were part of?”
Eden broke his silence. “It means that she knows a lot more than she’s let on. She knows how to hack. She probably knows about the project. She also knows what we’re capable of.”
Wyatt cleared his voice. “There’s more.” Swallowing, the dread inside Luca intensified. “When I saw that she could hack, I decided to dig deeper into her past. I didn’t dig very deep the first time because I didn’t actually think she was a threat. This is what I found.”
Wyatt pushed the laptop across the table to sit in front of Luca. He stared at the damn piece of technology for a moment like it was a bomb about to go off before pulling it in front of himself. A file sat open about an Evaline Scali.
Evaline.
Taking a breath, Luca started to read the information. Graduated top of her class and offered scholarships to study Information Technology at a dozen top colleges across the country. Went to a college close to home but dropped out a couple of years in.
Wyatt’s voice drew Luca’s eyes off the screen. “She tried to erase that. That alone would have taken extremely advanced IT knowledge. I had to dig deep, and I mean deep, to find it. She created the new profile of herself as Evie Scott. Looks damn real too.”
Mason stood up and put his hands in
his pockets. “We knew she was hiding something. That something has now connected to us. We need answers, Rocket.”
He was right. He needed to think of the safety of his team. His brothers. “I’ll get them.”
Eden’s gaze swung to Luca. “I don’t think she’s a threat, but I think we need the truth.”
They needed the truth as much as Luca did.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
SHUTTING DOWN HER laptop, Evie stretched her sore muscles. Sitting in the same spot all day was not good for her recovering body.
Glancing at the time, she noticed it was already late afternoon. Shifting off the bed, Evie headed into the kitchen. Passing Asher on the way, she noticed he had an earpiece in and seemed to be listening intently.
“Staying for dinner, Asher?”
Looking up, he shook his head. “Nah, Rocket will be back soon.”
Hesitating for a moment before continuing to the kitchen, Evie’s brows pulled together. There was something about Asher’s response that had her pausing. Typically, he would joke around with her a bit before going into the kitchen and eating all the food.
Taking the earpiece out, Asher started fiddling with his phone. Evie waited a moment for him to join her, but when he remained where he was, she eventually started preparing dinner.
Mentally shrugging off his unusual behavior, Evie took out everything she needed to make roast chicken. She wasn’t a good cook at all, but she knew Luca appreciated her efforts.
Glancing over at Asher’s back, she wondered again what might be going on with him. Maybe he was fighting with Lexie?
Now that Evie knew the secret Luca had been keeping from her, she’d bet it was the secret Asher kept from Lexie.
Starting to peel potatoes, Evie glanced up at the sound of the door opening. As Luca stepped inside, she couldn’t stop the sudden rush of giddy excitement she always felt when she saw him.
Evie tried to tamper the disappointment when he gave Asher a nod before heading into the bedroom.
Strange. He didn’t even acknowledge her. Evie tried not to let it bother her.
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