The night air in the mansion felt different after what had happened. The world beyond the walls-the danger, the schemes, the enemies waiting to strike-still existed, but inside, everything had shifted. Even the shadows seemed to hold their breath, watching, waiting.
And I could feel him everywhere.
Luciano De Luca.
The man who had claimed me, who had made me his possession, who had teased, tormented, and controlled me... had crossed a line with me. And now, there was no going back.
I sat in the library, pretending to read, but my mind was elsewhere. Every word on the page blurred, distorted by the memory of his lips on mine, the weight of his hands, the fire that had ignited between us.
I hadn't realized how much I had wanted him until he kissed me.
Until he took me in a way that made my body betray me, that made my pulse spike in reckless, uncontrollable ways.
And worse... until I realized I had wanted it too.
The sound of footsteps pulled me from my thoughts.
"Still awake?" Luciano's voice was low, deliberate, carrying the kind of authority that made my stomach twist with equal parts fear and desire.
"I... I was reading," I said, trying to sound normal, though my voice trembled slightly.
He leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, eyes dark and intense. "Reading," he repeated, amused. "Or thinking about the way my lips felt against yours?"
My chest tightened. Heat pooled between my legs. "I-It's not like that-"
"You lie badly," he interrupted, his gaze searing. "And I can always tell. Every subtle movement, every hesitation, every flicker of your pulse against your skin. You want me. You want me more than you want freedom. Admit it."
I swallowed hard, knowing he was right. My body betrayed me. My breath hitched. My pulse surged. "I..."
"I know," he whispered, stepping closer, heat radiating off his body. "And I want you too. More than I should. More than I can allow myself to want. But desire doesn't wait for permission, does it?"
I shook my head slightly. "No."
His hand brushed my arm lightly, just a whisper of touch, but it sent shivers through me. He was testing me, claiming me, and I was melting under it. I wanted to step back-but I couldn't. Not really.
He closed the distance until his chest brushed mine. The heat, the tension, the barely-contained danger... it was suffocating and intoxicating all at once.
"You've changed," he murmured, almost to himself. "You've stopped shrinking. Stopped hiding. Stopped pretending you don't want me. And now..." His voice dropped lower, rougher. "...now I see everything. All of you. And I can't stop."
My lips parted slightly. My hands itched to touch him. My body screamed at me to lean in, to close the gap, to let the fire take over completely.
"I don't know how to stop myself," he admitted, eyes dark and burning, scanning every inch of me like a man who had just discovered a secret he couldn't contain.
The next moment, he pressed his forehead against mine. The contact was soft, intimate, but the energy between us was explosive.
"You're mine," he whispered. "Every inch of you. Every heartbeat. Every breath. And I won't apologize for it."
I could only nod. My mouth felt dry. My body was trembling in ways I couldn't control. And worse... I didn't want to control it.
"You don't get to pretend anymore," he continued, lips brushing against my ear. "Not with me. Not with yourself. You're mine in every way that counts, and I want to make sure you never forget it."
His hand slid down my arm, fingertips grazing skin so lightly it left fire in its wake. My chest ached, my body throbbed, my mind teetered dangerously between fear and want.
"You're dangerous," I whispered, almost a confession.
"No," he said, his lips brushing the side of my neck. "...You're irresistible."
Heat pooled low in my stomach. My knees nearly buckled. The word 'irresistible' felt like a declaration, a warning, a promise all at once. And I realized, with a mix of fear and exhilaration, that I had fallen completely under him-under his gaze, his touch, his claim.
He paused, pulling back just slightly, just enough that I could see the storm behind his eyes. Desire. Possession. Obsession. Protection.
"I can't promise this will be easy," he murmured. "You're still Elena Michaelson. You still have fire, defiance, courage. And I... I will test every inch of it."
"I..." I started, but he silenced me with a finger to my lips.
"Don't speak," he said. "Not yet. Let me show you. Let me make you understand that crossing that line with me... changes everything."
Then he kissed me again.
This time, there was no restraint. No teasing. No testing.
It was fire. Claiming. Hungry. Possessive. His hands on my waist, pulling me impossibly close. My hands clutching at his shirt, burning to feel every inch of him.
Every part of me ached with desire, need, and the dangerous thrill of being wanted by a man who could destroy me in a heartbeat.
And yet... I didn't want protection. I wanted him.
When he finally pulled back, just enough to breathe, his dark eyes bore into mine.
"You feel it, don't you?" he asked. "The pull, the fire, the need?"
"Yes," I whispered, trembling. "...I feel it."
"Good," he murmured. "Because I can't stop. I won't stop. And the moment you stop denying it... the moment you stop pretending... everything changes. Everything."
I swallowed. My body was still on fire. My mind spinning. My heart racing in ways I had never imagined.
He stepped back slightly, but the tension didn't break. Not really. Every inch between us still crackled with heat, desire, and a dangerous, thrilling obsession that neither of us could deny.
"You should go," he said finally, voice low, controlled, but there was a warning in it. "But know this... crossing a line with me has consequences. Dangerous consequences. And I will claim every one of them."
I nodded, legs trembling as I backed toward the door. My pulse was racing, my body still alive with fire, my mind spinning.
Luciano watched me go, eyes dark and intent, lips slightly parted as if he were tasting the memory of our kiss again.
And I knew, terrifyingly, beautifully, that nothing would ever be the same.
That night, I lay awake, skin still tingling, heart still racing.
I had crossed a line with Luciano De Luca.
And I had no intention of going back.
Because the fire between us... had only just begun.
Chapter 28 sets the stage for the next escalation:
Heat and possession intensifying
Romantic tension turning physical and emotional
Defiance vs submission dynamics continuing
Enemies and mafia stakes lurking