The Recluse Heir by Monique Moreau

8

Iwas in the living room, waiting for Luca to pick me up and drive me to my first summer school class, a course on Culture, Society, and Catastrophe. Despite the shock of learning that Luca would be my chauffeur and guard, I was excited for the chance to study disasters through an anthropologic lens. Ever since I’d taken an elective in Anthropology as a junior, I’d been enthralled by the subject. Not only that, but Jewel was also taking this course.

Jewel was living on campus since her father was still doing time in an upstate federal penitentiary, and her mother had flown off to Monaco. This class was the perfect opportunity to spend time with her. Now I only had to see if Luca would let me have lunch with her. He was a busy man, so I wasn’t sure he had the time to spare.

The summer was going far better than could be expected. The marriage had been pushed off until the fall for Tasa’s wedding, which I was thrilled about. I wouldn’t have to abandon my summer classes to go on a honeymoon, I’d live at home longer, and it gave us more time to scrounge up the money for this over-the-top wedding. Cristo was on my side about tempering the wedding expenses, but my parents were adamant about maintaining appearances.

My mother was still disappointed, but I consoled her by reminding her that she now had more than six measly weeks to host a wedding for several hundred people. I also promised to become more involved, which I had been avoiding like the plague up till now. I’d actively pushed away any thoughts of trying on a wedding dress, and I cringed at the thought of going with her to taste test the wedding meal, but I’d suck it up to please her. She was still weak after finishing her last round of chemo and I was willing to do anything to bring light into her eyes.

I was still getting over my surprise that Luca would be ferrying me back and forth to school. When I asked my father why Nicu wasn’t driving me, he answered that it wasn’t appropriate. He added that Nicu supported the decision. Cristo cursed under his breath and Simu looked like he was about to murder someone. And that was just about a car ride. Neither of them knew a fraction of what had transpired between Luca and me. A shiver shot down my spine at the thought that either of them would find out that Luca slept in my bed an entire night. God forbid they ever found out about what transpired in the bathroom. I couldn’t even think about Luca jacking off without heat shooting in my core and my cheeks turning red.

Clasping my hands together, I leaned into the bay window overlooking our street as a sleek black Lamborghini SUV pulled up to our home. My tummy flip-flopped. He hadn’t even gotten out of the car and already nerves exploded inside me. I didn’t know how I was going to handle being alone with him. Since he was soon to be my brother-in-law and nothing could ever happen between us, I had to look at this time together as an opportunity to channel my feelings for him into friendship and platonic respect. Any other option would be emotional suicide.

Luca stepped out of his car and buttoned his fitted jacket over his tapered torso as he took the steps up to the front door. The man was devastatingly handsome. Compared to his tall, suited frame, I felt decidedly young in a casual summer dress. His sandy blond hair was groomed and under control, not like the time he woke up in my bed, with his wavy locks in a riot. He smoothed his hand down his patterned royal-blue tie, his long fingers gliding over the silk, the red of his rose tattoo contrasting sharply with the impeccable tie. God, what I’d do to have him caress me like he did his tie. I bit down on my bottom lip, forcing myself to stay in place as the doorbell rang.

I wanted to jump up and rush to open the door, but he had to get past one of my parents or Cristo first. Waiting with bated breath, I heard the heavy clop of two men coming up from the basement. My eyebrows lifted as I spotted Simu behind my father. Simu’s pout reflected his foul mood. He reached the front door first. This was about to get brutal, for sure. From what I could recall, he and Luca had issues going back years, something about insulting his father. Men could be so juvenile sometimes. Considering what they did for a living, I marveled at how bent out of shape they could get over verbal insults.

From my seat at the bay window in the living room, I watched as Luca entered and greeted them. Compared to Luca, my father suddenly looked diminutive. Luca was at least a couple of inches over six feet, and with his broad shoulders, he towered over my father. After shaking his hand, my father stepped to the side and waved Luca in. Simu stayed glued in his spot, trying to intimidate Luca with a ferocious scowl. Ha! There was little chance of that working.

Luca didn’t bother extending his hand for a handshake. He passed Simu with a nod and a smirk on his face. When his gaze landed on me, thank God, my father couldn’t see his expression. Luca’s eyes flared hot, the silver giving way to a dark gray. My insides vibrated and I was left short of breath. How a color as cold as silver-gray could express such heat was a mystery to me, but there was no denying the path of fire he left in his wake as his gaze swiftly traveled down my body. I wasn’t wearing anything sexy or even particularly revealing, but it was like he had X-ray vision because I felt undressed by him. I’d seen lust on men’s faces before, especially Simu, but I had never had such a forceful and immediate reaction to it.

I desperately hoped that my bra covered my nipples, which had hardened instantly. I couldn’t cross my arms without giving myself away to him, and possibly Simu, so I hunched forward in the hope of hiding my arousal.

Schooling his expression, Luca approached me coolly. When he bent down and kissed me on the cheeks, his spicy cologne, mixed with his underlying musk, enveloped me in a swoony feeling. The instant I felt the rough bristles of his jaw scrape my cheek, my skin crackled. My simple dress suddenly felt too tight and constricting.

Quickly stepping back, he asked, “Ready?”

His eyes dipped briefly to the swell of my breasts, exposed to him from his position standing so close to me. Shifting in place, I nodded and grabbed my backpack with my laptop.

“I’ll have to stop by the college bookstore afterward to buy my books,” I blurted out.

“Not a problem. I brought my laptop with me so I can work while you’re in class. We’ll stop by the bookstore after class.”

My father carefully watched our interaction from the foyer. Simu, right behind him, was throwing daggers at Luca’s back.

At the door, Luca said, “I should have her back around two or three, depending on the traffic.”

“Two or three?” spat out Simu. “It’s not going to take that long.”

Luca raised an eyebrow at Simu’s tone. “I thought we could have lunch and get to know each other.”

“Lunch?!” Simu’s face screwed up into a rageful grimace.

He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut in and said, “Jewel is taking the class, as well. I’ll invite her to join us. I was planning on asking Luca anyway.”

Darting a pleading glance at Luca, I asked, “If you don’t mind hanging out with two silly teenagers instead of just one?”

He gave a shrug as he twisted the knob and pulled the heavy wooden door open. “Sure, not a problem.”

I kissed my father and Simu on the cheeks, although Simu possessively clamped a hand on my arm.

As I walked past Luca, he said, “Do you have a light sweater or something? The air conditioning in these classrooms is always high. I’ve taken enough summer classes to know.”

Simu let out a low growl behind me.

I paused, looked up at Luca’s serious expression, and was battered with another wave of heat and lust. Flustered by his concern, I reached into the closet and pulled out a light jacket. Clasping it tightly to my chest, I said goodbye and skipped down the steps to the car.

Luca spoke to my father for another few beats before clicking the doors open with his fob. Perhaps I should have waited for him to be a gentleman and open the car door for me. His Romanian upbringing would have prompted him to, but I needed to be out from under Simu’s eagle-eyed stare.

Slipping into the seat, I slammed the door shut. I threw my head against the headrest and let out an exasperated sigh. The leather seat felt cool against my heated skin.

Luca slipped into the driver’s seat, shut the door, and sealed us in the silence of his car. His big hands wrapped around the steering wheel. The little tricolor Italian flag blinked at me from the base of the steering wheel as he twirled it around to back out of the parking. On the hub of the wheel, the large black and gold Lamborghini emblem of a raging bull was proudly displayed. That seemed like an apt totem animal for Luca. Even the black and gold of the logo, denoting power and luxury while staying simple and bold, was a perfect fit.

Once he’d driven far down the street, he let out a brilliantly vibrant laugh. I’d never heard him laugh before. The sound echoed through me, shaking me to my core. His facial features shifted in a way that left me breathless. I’d seen his light eyes flash with humor before, but I’d never seen his generous mouth spread into such an incredible smile. Crinkles emerged at the corners of his eyes and the dimple on his cheek made its rare appearance.

“Why are you laughing?” I asked.

“Because Simu was about to blow a gasket at the thought of you and me lunching together,” he answered with another chuckle.

“He’s protective of me. That’s not so unusual,” I explained.

He gave me a side-glance. “He’s more than protective. He’s downright rabid. What’s the deal between the two of you anyway?”

I fiddled with the flirty hem of my light-blue silk dress.

“Nothing,” I lied.

I cringed, hearing my voice go high.

He gave another little smirk. “Okay, now you have to tell me,” he ordered. “I can tell you’re lying, so you’ve piqued my curiosity.”

I remained silent.

“Come on, beautiful,” he coaxed. “You can tell me. Remember, I’m not a tattler.”

His gentle teasing was so alluring. I don’t know what came over me, but I found myself saying, “My father practically promised me to him before whatever craziness happened with Alex. I’m so embarrassed to say this, but we even…kissed a few times last summer.”

Everything I’d felt for Simu, including those kisses, seemed silly after what I had shared with Luca. And I wasn’t even discussing the physical aspects, although my physical desire for him was intense. It was the intimacy between us after what happened in the bathroom and when we talked, alone in my bed, the morning after he’d consoled me in my sleep.

In a flash, his entire body transformed, going from civilized to beast-like in the blink of an eye. He coiled over the steering wheel like a large feline about to strike.

His tone was low and hard when he commanded, “Repeat that?”

Flustered, I stammered out, “Nothing happened. I mean, I’m a dutiful daughter, but we thought we would get married, so it didn’t seem wrong…at the time. Once I was engaged, everything stopped. A—and it’s not like Nicu would care anyway…”

“I care,” he exploded.

I jolted, back flattened to the seat. The shock of his confession blasted through me, leaving me scrambling to keep up with this new development. Close behind it, tendrils of fuzzy warmth seeped into my very bones. He cares.

He was breathing heavily through his nostrils.

“It doesn’t fucking matter what Nicu thinks. You don’t know Simu like I do. He’s an animal. He could’ve taken advantage of you. He could’ve hurt you.” He emphasized the hurt like it was a personal offense to him.

“He would never. You don’t know him like I do. Simu is my brother’s best friend and my father’s consilier. He’d never cross that line.”

“He already has,” Luca spat out. “You have no idea what he’s capable of. If he respected you so much, if he was your brother’s best friend and your father’s right-hand man, then he shouldn’t have touched you before your wedding day, in any manner.”

Luca’s reaction sent a frisson of excitement and fear down my spine. At that moment, he seemed more dangerous than Simu.

In a hushed voice, I said, “But you’ve touched me.”

“That’s completely different,” he snapped.

“Is it?”

“Goddammit, yes.”

“How?” I persisted.

His face contorted in confusion and I saw the conflict within him. Not wanting to push him away with my questioning, I changed the subject. “You’re not going to tell anyone, are you?”

“If I haven’t revealed anything that’s happened between us, what makes you think I’d divulge this secret. Fuck, I don’t want to start a fight over something like this, but make no mistake, Cat, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a major transgression.”

“We didn’t spend enough time alone for anything else to happen between us,” I explained, trying to justify myself. What Luca thought of me mattered. A lot.

He let out a snort of derision. “I know you’re innocent, but how can you think that? You and I had enough time and space to do a lot more in a house filled with our entire families. Christ.”

I released a shuddering breath. “I shouldn’t have told you.”

He made a sharp turn of a corner, and the wheels screeched. “You should tell me everything. Every damn thing. Fuck, the idea of that man’s tongue in your mouth makes me want to punch something. Was that your first kiss?”

I cast my eyes down to my lap. My bottom lip pushed out, I answered softly, “No.”

“And have you gone any further?” he interrogated me.

I shook my head, strands of hair fell down the sides of my face, hiding me.

“Words, Cat. I want to hear the words out of that bewitching mouth of yours. And you better tell me the truth,” he bit out.

“I’ve never done more. My first kiss was a boy in sixth grade the year before I went to boarding school. Nothing ever happened in school. It was co-ed, but we were watched carefully. I could have if I wanted to but, honestly, I wasn’t interested. I had my schoolwork and Jewel. More than that, I’m a good girl to the core. And if I haven’t behaved that way with you, I lay the blame at your feet.”

It was the truth. Luca was different. He pulled things out of me that I would never have considered with anyone else.

He sighed deeply. His hand clapped my knee and I inhaled sharply at the electricity in that touch. He was so intense; being with him was like being in the eye of a tornado.

“I know you are, baby girl, I know you are. I take full responsibility. This isn’t on you, but last year, you were what, seventeen? A grown-ass man should’ve done better by an underage girl. I would’ve never allowed anything to happen between us if you weren’t legal.”

The easy way baby girl came out of his mouth shifted something inside me.

“I mean, I’ll be spending more time with you alone than I ever have with Simu, and you’re more dangerous to me than he ever was…” I confessed in a quiet voice, my eyes glued to the dashboard in front of me. I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry after my bold admission.

He squeezed my knee, causing my inner core to clench in response, before returning his hand to the steering wheel.

“And you can’t imagine what a temptation you are, Cat. With your sexy little body, your big bright eyes, and your sweet, soft voice. Plus that spine of steel I see glimpses of when you make a confession like the one you just did. That you want me is a damn gift I don’t deserve.” He shook his head. “You have no fucking idea what I want to do to you…but I’m a Lupu and there’s a marriage contract on the table.” He moved the gearshift with his strong hand. “It doesn’t matter what we want.”

Dual emotions clashed inside me. Elation that his admission matched mine, but despair at his last statement. And to think he’d had a chance to be with me and had thrown it away. We had never met so I knew it wasn’t personal, but it still left a sting. My throat closed completely. I don’t know what I expected to come of my declaration. While Luca hadn’t made me feel stupid, my confession had been pointless. What were you thinking?

There was nothing we could do to stop the wheels that had been put into motion. Nothing. While Nicu didn’t seem interested in me, I couldn’t be tossed around from brother to brother like an object. There’d been enough of that already. Anything further would be a bold-faced insult to the Popescus. Not to mention, Cristo would fly into a rage. And Simu would have a legitimate reason to murder Luca.

And yet, this man called to my soul like no one else. Besides his deadly allure, there was a raw honesty and authenticity about him that I’d never encountered before. People were always posing, gaslighting, or outright lying to one another in mafie circles. Aching with the pain of unshed tears, I nodded numbly and turned my head toward the window, watching the teeming city streets glide past me.

He was right. As intense as this unnamed thing was between us, nothing could ever come of it.