Page 41 of Broken Innocence
"Swimming calms my mind."
"And what was on your mind? Your half-brother? That warehouse fire I overheard Mathias and Jonah talking about? Your dad or my parents?" The list could go on, and I grimace at all the...bullshitwe've dealt with lately.
No wonder he needs an outlet to relax.
“Actually, I was thinking about what you said earlier. About letting go of this plan for revenge,” he admits.
“Really?”
He rests his chin on his forearms and grunts in confirmation. “Yeah… I’m not sure I would have been opened to the suggestion before meeting you. I want you safe, and our current trajectory doesn’t lend itself toward peace. Then, there’s my dad.” He sighs, a far off look entering his blue eyes.
“What about him?” I leave the lounger and settle beside him on the concrete ledge, dangling my bare feet in the pool. Luca shifts to float between my spread legs and circles my waist with his wet arms. My thin nightgown is soaked, but I don’t mind, running my fingers through his slicked back hair.
“I don’t know.” Another afflicted exhale. His shoulders tense, and automatically, I begin massaging the hard muscles. “His whole demeanor lately. Welcoming me back with open arms.Giving me a family heirloom of my mom’s. I never would have expected him to keep those. It’s like I get glimpses of myPapàbefore Conrad and The Syndicate. Before he abandoned me.”
“And you’re wondering if there’s a relationship worth saving. If you can forgive him for the past?”
“I guess so.” He’s quiet for a moment. “Then I remember how he hired someone to kill me in Paris, and it all goes out the window. I mean what kind of game is he playing where he acts like I’m a beloved son but also secretly wants me dead?”
I understand his frustration. My parents aren’t the most demonstrative of people, but at least I know they love me in their own way. They’d never hire people to kill me. Their top concern is always safety.
“This is going to sound crazy, but have you thought about asking Enzo about that drive-by in Paris? I mean it’s an open secret between you guys how there’s resentment towards him and The Syndicate. Maybe laying everything out on the table will help you both move forward.”
“You want me to ask my dad why he tried to have me killed.” A lopsided grin blinks up at me.
“I told you it would sound crazy, but we’re not exactly living in your run-of-the-mill world. Maybe Enzo would appreciate you taking the lead to get answers.”
“Maybe… Or he’ll pull a gun on me right there once he realizes his long game is ruined.”
“Always so optimistic,” I say sarcastically.
“Don’t you know me by now, Butterfly? I’m a ray of fucking sunshine.”
A surge of laughter bounces off the walls before it's cut off by a yelp of surprise. Luca’s grip on my body tightens as he pushes away from the wall and tumbles me into the water.
“Luca!” My hand slaps his chest as I splutter to the pool surface. We’re on the deep end, which means my feet can’t reach the bottom and I’m reliant on him to stay afloat.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help it. You were too much of a temptation sitting there all pretty and too dry for my liking.”
“That’s because I didn’t come for a swim. I came to get you to come back to bed,” I grumble.
“In a minute. For now, I want to recreate our time in Italy, where we just floated together on the sea. No worries. Nothing but you and me.”
My ire softens at the sentiment. Luca can be so romantic sometimes. When he’s not being filthy asfuck.
Expelling a breath of resignation, I loosen my hold on him and let him do the work of keeping us above water. “Fine, but you might have to carry me up to our room. I could probably fall asleep like this.”
Warm water. An even hotter man cradling me in his arms.
It’s a recipe for relaxation.
“I’ve got you, baby.” A kiss to my forehead. “I’ve got you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
LUCA
The restaurant’s twinkling lights create a glow around my wife. Her blonde waves are organized in a complicated design on the back of her head with soft tendrils framing her cheeks, and the intimate lighting from above blankets her in gold.
