Page 168 of Mine Again
Maybe it’s a balloon.
Albeit a giant one. Like a zeppelin, carrying all this emotional baggage. And it’s tethered to me by ropes I’ve been gripping so tightly I forgot I could let go.
But Ican.
I just have to choose to.
Untie the knots. Release it. Watch it rise and float away.
And in its place?
Clear skies. Warmth. Sunlight.
And Luca.
The bathroom door opens, and he steps out. Barefoot, damp hair tousled, wearing nothing but a pair of black boxers.
Despite the emotional wringer I’ve been through today, despite how bone-deep my exhaustion runs, my hormones clearly didn’t getthe memo.
The moment I take him in with his tanned skin, defined muscles, and that sharp V leading straight to territory I know I’d enjoy, something low in my stomach almost growls.
My nipples turn into hard points, my breasts aching with need. Suddenly, all I can think about is his mouth on them.
Down, girl!
I pull the sheets up a little higher to hide how much the sight of him affects me.
He doesn’t say a word, but I’m sure he saw. The slight upturn at the corner of his mouth gives him away.
Luca lifts the covers and slides into bed beside me. The mattress dips with his weight, and the heat of him curls instantly around my side.
Now, sleep is the furthest thing from my mind.
Chapter Sixty-One
Isabella
Luca settles beside me, the warmth of his body pulling me in like gravity. I can’t do anything but give in to the pull.
His arm slides beneath my neck, and he tugs me closer until my cheek rests against the solid wall of his chest. His heat radiates through my skin. Every inch of me prickles with awareness, my muscles softening against the steady rise and fall of his breath.
But there’s nothing soft about the ache building low in my belly. Nothing gentle about the way my body reacts to the scent of his skin, the strength of his hold, the knowledge that if I shifted just an inch, I’d feel him fully against me.
Still, I try to play it cool. “What, no sleeping on your bed of blankets at my feet tonight?”
“Nah,” he murmurs, his lips brushing the top of my head. “Turns out I sleep better when I’m touching you.”
The flutter in my chest isn’t subtle this time. It takes full flight.
But I manage a smirk. “How would you know? We’ve never spent a whole night sleeping in the same bed together.”
Back when we were engaged, we only ever had fragments. Expected to wait until we were married, we only ever had fleeting hours snatchedbetween shadows and behind locked doors.
The risk of being caught always loomed. We dreamed of the day we could fall asleep and wake in each other’s arms.
He exhales softly, his voice dipping. “Your first night here, I held you until dawn.”
He did. Though I thought he was Sebastian.
