Page 19 of Saint
The consequences will be severe. Moore will come for me with everything he has when he discovers what I’ve done. But as I look down at Lily’s flushed face, her lips swollen from my kisses, I find I don’t give a fuck. Let him come. I’ve faced worse odds and emerged victorious.
“When?” she asks softly, her fingers tracing patterns on my chest.
“Today,” I reply, leaving no room for argument. “Go home, pack what you need, and come back to me by nightfall.”
She hesitates, and I can see the war raging within her—duty to her family versus the pull between us that’s already too strong to deny.
“What about school? My friends? My life?” she asks, but there’s resignation in her tone. She already knows she’ll do as I say.
I cup her face, forcing her to meet my gaze. “You can continue your education. I’m not trying to cage you, Lily. But you’ll live here, with me. Your safety is my priority now.”
"My safety?” she echoes, confusion clouding her features. “What do you mean?”
Shit. I’ve said too much. She still has no idea who I really am, what I do. She knows the public version of Luca Ravello—successful businessman, philanthropist—not the man who controls half the city’s criminal enterprises with an iron fist.
“The world can be a dangerous place,” I say carefully. “Especially for someone connected to me.”
Her brow furrows. “Connected to you how? We barely know each other.”
I laugh, the sound harsh even to my own ears. “After last night, after what we just did, you think we barely know each other? I’ve been inside you in every way possible, Lily. I’ve tasted every inch of your body. I’ve made you come so hard you fucking squirted all over my cock. That creates a connection.”
She blushes, but doesn’t back down. “That’s sex, Luca. Great sex, incredible sex, but still just sex. It doesn’t mean you get to upend my entire life.”
I sit up, pulling her with me, my hands gripping her upper arms perhaps too tightly. “This stopped being ‘just sex’ the moment I decided you were mine. And trust me, baby girl, I don’t make that decision lightly.”
Fear flickers in her eyes, quickly replaced by defiance. “And what if I say no? What if I walk out that door and never come back?”
Something dark and possessive rises within me, a side of myself I’ve always kept carefully controlled. But Lily Moore has a way of stripping away my control, leaving me raw and exposed.
“You won’t,” I say with absolute certainty. “But if you tried...” I pause, choosing my next words carefully. "Let’s just say I’d find you. And I wouldn’t be pleased.”
She shivers, and I can’t tell if it’s from fear or arousal. Probably both. The line between the two is often blurred, especially in relationships like the one I’m forging with her.
“What are you?” she whispers, studying my face as if seeing me clearly for the first time. “Who are you really, Luca Ravello?”
I consider lying, spinning her some sanitized version of the truth. But something tells me Lily Moore needs honesty from me, even if it’s a dangerous thing. Even if it sends her running.
“I’m the man who’s going to protect you, cherish you, and fuck you senseless for as long as you’re mine,” I tell her, tracingthe curve of her jaw with my thumb. "I’m also the man your father has been doing business with for years, though not the kind of business that makes the society pages.”
Her eyes widen as understanding dawns. "You’re... you’re connected. Organized crime. That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it?”
I don’t confirm or deny, but my silence is enough of an answer.
To my surprise, she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she leans in, pressing her lips to mine in a kiss that’s gentler than any we’ve shared before.
“I’ll come back tonight,” she says when she pulls away. “But I need to know what I’m walking into, Luca. The whole truth, not just pieces.”
I nod, relief washing over me. “Tonight, then. I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”
She slides out of bed, gathering her scattered clothes from the floor. I watch her dress, memorizing every movement, every curve of her body. When she’s finished, she turns to me, looking surprisingly composed for a woman who’s just agreed to move in with a man she barely knows.
“If I’m not back by midnight,” she says, her voice steady, “don’t come looking for me. It will mean I’ve made my choice.”
I rise from the bed, not bothering to cover my nakedness, and cross to her. Cupping her face in my hands, I kiss her with a possessiveness that leaves no doubt about my intentions.
“You’ll be back,” I say against her lips. “You’re already mine, Lily Moore. You just don’t fully realize it yet.”
She leaves without another word, the soft click of my penthouse door the only indication she’s gone. I stand at the window, watching as she emerges onto the street below, hailing a cab with the confidence of a born New Yorker.
