Page 34 of Tempt Me
“Hey,” Luca’s voice penetrates the darkness. “What’s going on out here?”
“Nothing,” Antonio says blithely, letting me go. “Just getting some air with my fiancée.”
Luca’s eyes go hard as he looks from Antonio to me. “Everything okay?” He asks this directly to me.
Thinking only of Isaac, I nod slowly. “Yes, everything is fine.”
Chapter20
Luca
She’s lying.
She is lying, but the question is why? Who is she protecting?
I saw this dickhead Antonio with his hands on her. I can see the darkened marks on her beautiful skin. I want to kill this asshole for touching her. She is a gorgeous, delicate creature not to be touched by the likes ofhim. I know she can hold her own, she is vicious, but she has backed down from this fucker, and I want to know why.
“Rue, come back inside,” I say firmly, in that tone that not many people ignore.
Antonio looks like he is about to snap and pounce on her when she tries to step away from him.
“I just want a few minutes with my fiancée,” Antonio says, smiling down at me. “That’s not too much to ask, now, is it?” He grabs her chin in his fingers and lifts it up to kiss her. She doesn’t return it. If anything, she appears to look sick.
“Get your fucking hands off her,” I growl.
“She is mine,” Antonio hisses.
I’m about to throw down, and I don’t give a flying fuck what her parents have to say about this. No one owns Rue, and if he is blackmailing her or hurts her in any way, I’m going to kill him painfully slowly so he can remember who he messed with.
She pulls out of his grasp again when he squeezes too much and seems to remember my question from a second ago.
“Everything is fine, Luca,” she says, her dark eyes filled with gratitude but also a warning.
A warning for me to stay away. Whatever the fuck this is, Antonio is threatening her to be with him, and she is going to get herself into trouble over it. It’s my job to protect her, but I can’t do that if she won’t let me. Pulling out my weapon and shooting Antonio in the face right now would be a bad move. Something is going on here, and I need to find out more before I act. I’m usually the hot-headed one. The one who dives in where others fear to tread, but not this time. That one gaze from Rue is telling me to back off, and I trust her judgment.
But I don’t trust this dick, and while I’m standing here, Antonio will keep his hands off her. I don’t know what has possessed her father tohave put her in this situation, but it has pissed me off to my core. I have been waiting for years to get a chance with Rue, and then this creep swoops in out of nowhere and is trying to force his tongue down her fucking throat.
Not on my watch.
He can get fucked if he thinks I”m leaving them alone for even a second. I’m going to be the annoying presence that pisses him off, so he shows his cards to Vik, to everyone.
Even though I want to get my hands on him and rip his arrogant smile off his fucking face with my bare hands, I will smile and play nice for now. I am not going away that easily, especially when Rue is involved. It’s just not happening.
I glare at them, waiting for someone to make their next move. It's not going to be me. No, I'm going to stand here like a spare part for the rest of eternity if I have to so I can ensure this dick doesn't touch her again. Rue is avoiding my eyes, but she doesn’t back down from me either. She puts her hands on her hips and puts on a blank face for me, but I can see deep down that she is pissed off to be in this position and pissed at whatever it is Antonio has on her.
Mimicking her movement, I place my hands on my hips, keeping that simple smile on my face but making sure that Antonio can see the gun shoved into the shoulder holster. Glancing away from them for a moment, I see Isaac still inside, looking miserable as all fuck. I guess he and Rue aren't going anywhere yet. It doesn't surprise me that she has put an end to whatever was happening with them. Her father would throw a shit fit if she so much as looked at another man while she is supposed to be engaged to this asshole in front of me.
I wish I could get her away from him, and soon. He's too fucking close to her. She is marrying him in name only, if that, and this prick is touching her like she is his, like he owns her. It's not right.
"Let's head back inside and see if we can get you a drink, hmm?" I say, drawing my gaze back up to hers.
Rue shakes her head. She knows what I'm doing, but her eyes plead with me to forget about it and let it go. She is afraid of what Antonio has on her and whatever he might do if she doesn't comply with his demands.
"I think it's time you left," Antonio says, his eyes finding mine again. I know he wants to prove a point and show that he is in charge here. He doesn't want to let her go, not that I am going to go along with that shit. Antonio's eyes narrow as I sneer at him, but I don't move a muscle. Don't rise to the gamble that he just threw my way. If I give up right now, he wins. He gets a fatal blow against Rue, so she is forced into doing whatever the ruck he wants her to.
"Honestly, Luca, I'm fine," Rue says, her eyes hard now with impatience at my presence. "You can go back inside."
Her don't-fuck-with-me exterior and spine of steel is so fucking hot. Just her presence in the same room as me drives my cock wild with want and need for her body, regardless of the feelings inside that scream at me to step away from her right now before I do something so fucking stupid it will ruin everything.
