Page 186 of Mine Again
I tip my head back to meet his eyes. “Matters to whom? You or her?”
His fingers flex against my spine.
“To me,” he says without hesitation. “But it would also matter to her. She needs to believe it so she sleeps at night. You wouldn’t want to take that away from her, would you?”
I roll my eyes at him, the heat of my anger shifting into something heavier and harder to name. The tension is still there, but no longer sharp enough to cut.
“Don’t guilt trip me,” I mutter, letting my head fall against his chest. He pulls me closer, and despite myself, I let him, breathing in the scent that’s more like home than I want to admit.
“You wouldn’t want to be back in Sicily or in Chicago with your mother and sisters, would you? Without me?”
I draw back, needing to see his face. It’s rare for Luca to let anything resembling insecurity slip through, but it’s there now, etched faintly in his eyes.
He kidnapped me… drugged me and took me to his island without my consent.
My gaze falls on my ring finger, where he marked me like he owned me. But the truth is, he does. My heart, at least.
And then last night? That was something else entirely.
That pull between us was back, fiercer than before. It hadn’t faded with time. It had grown, honed itself, until now it burned hot enough to consume everything else, leaving only hunger behind.
Before I can stop myself, I lean into him, my annoyance loosening its grip.
“I’d still rather be here with you than anywhere else,” I admitquietly. “Even when you throw new revelations at me before I’ve had any coffee.”
His mouth curves against my hair. “I’ll make sure there’s an espresso waiting for you next time, so you’ll forgive me faster.”
I can’t help it. My lips twitch, and the fight I had prepared melts into something warmer.
What’s the point of being annoyed with Luca?
I wouldn’t change him for the world. I love him exactly as he is. Not that I’d tell him that right now.
Pulling back, I break the moment before he can read too much in my face.
“I need to call my mother.”
I pause, my fingers hovering over the phone. “Can it be traced to here?”
“No, I’ve taken every precaution.”
I glance toward the screen showing the feed from my bedroom.
“Is there any aspect of my life you don’t know about?” I ask, looking back at him. “Did I ever have any privacy?”
Instead of replying, he asks, “Do you truly want any?”
The question stops me. I rub my chin, buying time because I don’t have a ready answer.
The logical response would be yes, of course I want privacy. But do I?
To have someone who knows you so completely, who sees every side of you and still loves all of it. Someone who quietly smooths out the rough edges of your life before you even notice them. Why would I object to that?
I remember the time when I wanted to trade crypto but didn’t have the funds. After I set up an account, the trading company miraculously offered me a thousand dollars in credit to get started.
At the time, I thought my stars had aligned. Now I see it for what it was. Luca’s quiet support, the safety net I never had to ask for. I don’t even need to confirm it. I know, deep down, it was him.
God, I love this man so much.
