Page 49 of Heir of Darkness

“Me too,” she said. She stared out the window, her brows furrowed in thought. “You should know I would never leave you like that.” She would never let him find her body one day, completely void of life. It would be too cruel, especially for him.

“I would never stop you from doing what you want in life,” he told her. “Whatever career, however much schooling you want to do, if you want children or not, I’ll never force you.”

She turned toward him with a small smile. Maybe they would defeat the odds after all.

Valerio pulled into the valet of the hotel, put the car in park, and turned it off. He turned to face Luna. “Are you still up for that swim?”

“You promised me a pool,” she said, unbuckling the seatbelt. “I want my pool.”

He let out a small laugh and got out of the car. He made his way to the other side, opening the door for her. “Then let’s go for a swim, baby.”

He took her to the elevator, pulling out his wallet to retrieve the key from it. Luna didn’t pay any mind to the grandiose hotel, too busy ripping off her heels once they entered the elevator. Her feet were stinging and she was sure there was a blister already forming.

“What are you doing?” he asked. “You can’t be barefoot.”

“Is that a rule?” She raised her brows in defiance. “Am I going to get kicked out?”

“Let me carry you. I don’t want you accidentally stepping on something dangerous,” he said, moving toward her.

“I’m fine,” she said, pushing him away. She wasn’t the smallest girl ever, and she didn’t feel like dying of embarrassment if Valerio couldn’t carry her. He was incredibly built, sure, but still.

“Don’t think so deeply about it. Let me carry you,” he said. His voice held no options, and besides, her feet were killing her.

She swallowed harshly under his intense gaze. “Fine, I’ll accept a piggyback ride but only because I don’t want to bring dirty feet into the penthouse.”

He accepted his win, kneeling down so she could hop on. She lifted her dress, allowing her legs to stretch apart farther, but it didn’t work unless she lifted her dress all the way up her waist,which wouldn’t have been an issue if Valerio hadn’t stolen her underwear.

“Get on, Luna.”

“I can’t without exposing everything,” she said, pushing the dress down. “You never gave back my underwear from earlier or from the other night, by the way.”

“And I’m not going to,” he said, standing. He turned toward her, putting one arm around her lower back and the other under her knees, lifting her into his arms bridal style. She yelped, wrapping her arms around his neck to balance herself.

“What are you doing with all my underwear you’ve been taking?” she asked.

“Are you sure you want to know?” He looked down at her with a smirk that promised it was something naughty. The elevator finally opened on the right floor. Valerio got out, still carrying Luna.

“Well, now I’m curious,” she said.

He leaned in until his lips were grazing her ear. “I wrapped it around my cock and jerked off imagining it was you instead.”

“Oh,” she squeaked. She cleared her throat. Immediately, the thought of him laying back on his bed, muscles out and flexing as he worked his hand up and down his cock, entered her mind. She assumed he was probably big, veiny.

“It’s okay if you’re picturing it in your head right now,” he told her, knocking her out of the daze. They had arrived at the door, but it didn’t stop Valerio’s dirty mouth. “I imagine you touching yourself to the thought of me. Now reach into my pocket and grab the key from my wallet.”

Luna reached down to try to find his front pocket. She realized her mistake when she brushed against his zipper instead. “Oops,” she said, quickly, navigating her hand to the right. She reached in, grabbed the wallet and pulled her handout. She didn’t bother looking at his face as she took out the key and unlocked the door for them.

“What? You’re not gonna return it back to my pocket?” he asked.

Valerio set Luna down, letting her feet touch the cool wood floors. “I wanted to snap a few pictures of your credit cards first,” she said, taking the wallet with her as she walked through the penthouse.

The floors were a dark mahogany, spanning the length of the room. Floor-to-ceiling windows covered two full walls, with thick black velvet curtains drawn halfway over them. A brown leather L-shaped sectional sat in the center of the room. There was a set of stairs by the piano on the right side, leading to an additional floor upstairs. On the left side was what Luna assumed to be the kitchen hidden behind a small wall and then another dark hallway.

“Where’s the pool?” she asked.

He grabbed her hand. “Down the hall.” He led her down the hallway, letting her eyes graze the abstract art that lined the walls.

“What’s upstairs?”

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