POV: Aria
"Listen to the story. "Don't get caught." As I held on to the cold marble sink in Luca De Santis' luxury bathroom, the words kept going through my mind like a chant. My reflection looked like a stranger. Its eyes were wide, its lips were shaking, and it had a brave face on top of its real fear.
"Take a deep breath, Aria. Now is not the time to lose. Get the proof. Leave before you see too much. It's not about him; it's about the truth.
I can hear his slow steps outside. Luca never sped up. He moved around like a hunter who already had his game. When I saw his shadow under the door crack, my chest got tight.
He said in a low voice from outside the door, "You're hiding more than skin, Selene." I'll find it.
I (Selene. He still thought I was the woman I was lying about being. When he called me that, it split me in two: I was glad he didn't know my real name, but it hurt that he wasn't talking to me, only my mask.
Aria, making her voice sound light through the door, asked, "Are you really that paranoid?" There are women who lock their doors who aren't hiding something.
"Not every woman is you," Luca said with a soft, dark laugh.
It made my stomach hurt. He always had a way of making everyday words feel dangerous and close, like they held chains waiting to be wrapped around me.
Aria yanked the door open and looked him in the eyes. "You think you know me, don't you?" That I'm a puzzle that you can figure out in time.
"I don't need time," Luca said as he leaned on the doorframe and looked straight at me. I need to be close. You lie to yourself every second you're in my orbit. The way your heart beats faster when I'm close. The way when I touch you, your breath stops. When it gets hot, lies can't hide, Selene.
Aria snapped back, even though my throat was dry: "Or maybe you just like hearing your own voice."
The smile he gave was slow and purposeful. Anger, desire, and fear all got mixed up in my chest until I couldn't separate them.
"You can hate me all you want," Luca said as he stepped closer and ran his hand along my jaw. Don't lie and say you don't feel it, though.
Even though my heart told me to push him away, my body lied and leaned in closer, wanting warmth where I had sworn to stay cold. This was risky. Way too dangerous. My job was easy: I had to reveal him. I thought walls were impossible to break, but he was.
Aria pushed his hand away and clenched her teeth, "You don't know anything about me."
"Then tell me why Enzo was asking about you tonight," Luca said with steely eyes and a voice. Why the man I trust the most is now doubting who you are.
It froze my blood. Effie. He did, of course, notice. His right-hand man worked for Luca and was smart and careful. He could spot lies before they were said. I didn't have time to tell him if he thought I was guilty. (My cover was moving around.)
"Perhaps he doesn't trust the women you bring here." I don't blame him.
Luca looked at me, lowered his voice, and got dangerously close. "Or maybe he saw the cracks I do. He may know that you are not Selene.
The world shook for a second. Did he? Not at all. I wouldn't be standing here free if he really knew. Still, his words were too close to the truth and hurt like knives.
"You're seeing ghosts." You asked me to stay here, so I am. Not anything else."
Luca brushed a hair off my cheek and asked, "Is that it? Nothing else?" His voice was smooth and dark. Then why are you shaking?"
Aria snapped, her voice breaking a little, "Because men like you ruin lives!" There's something dangerous about being close to you, and I"
I ended the sentence. Way too much. Too much had gotten away from me. His eyes were fixed on mine, and they were sharp and hard to read. It was like he could dig through the quiet to find the truth.
Luca said in a soft voice after a long pause, "You want to hate me." I can really feel it. What's worse is that some of you don't.
He drew his face in closer. I had trouble breathing. When I didn't want to, my lips opened. Almost every part of my body told me to back off, but it did it again.
"This is wrong."
Luca, his voice rough, stood just inches from my mouth and said, "The best ones always are."
The air between us was hot and magnetic. I was sure that if his lips touched mine, something inside me would break for good: my lies, my goal, my resolve. My fingers twitched because I didn't know whether to push him away or pull him closer.
Enzo's sharp voice came from the other room and cut in: "Luca!" Let's talk. Right now."
(The spell broke). Luca tensed up and narrowed his eyes in anger, but he never took his eyes off of me.