AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ivankov showed him often enough how the act could be the worst kind of torture. Depraved. Violent. Painful.
“Never,” Luka said, because it had been another way they had been alike. Giovanni didn’t have sex because he was like Luka.
“You can’t know that,” Giovanni said. He swallowed, raising his head. “And besides, I’m married now.”
The only unusual habit Giovanni had exhibited over the years was regular stops at a particular bakery. The son of the Di Salvo boss had a bit of a sweet tooth, but that hadn’t been all it was.
Luka had been more than surprised when he’d heard the news. He’d snuck in to see if what he’d learned was true, that Giovanni now had a wife, and he’d listened to Giovanni having sex with Nera instead. He’d quickly looked away, but Giovanni’s sounds had caused Luka’s body to react—more so than Nera’s moans, even though she’d been much louder.
“You enjoy sex.” Again, the words were accusing. Luka had seen a man enjoy violent sex before, squeezing the life out of the person he pumped himself into, the person who had become nothing more than a vessel. Nera didn’t react in the same way as Luka was used to. She hadn’t been in pain. “You both do,” Luka said, confusion filling him. He should have stuck around when he’d snuck in, but it had been too difficult. His own body’s reaction had frozen him long enough to realize there was a difference in the act. “How?”
Giovanni made a choked sound in his throat before he cleared it. “Did you come here for… advice?” Another one of those throat clearings. “Sex advice?”
Luka’s nails dug into the skin of his palm, even through the gloves. He hadn’t come for that, he told himself. Alina had barely kissed him, and he’d needed to run away. Any touch was painful to him. And from what he’d seen, sex required touching.
But it wasn’t only that. He never wanted to hurt Alina.
When he’d tried to escape her kiss, he had.
“No.” The word barely made a sound.
Giovanni looked away. “Luka, I can’t talk about this,” he said. “You came to the wrong person.”
“No,” Luka said, the word stronger this time. Then again. “No.”
Giovanni’s blue eyes focused on him. “I only met her once, but Alina didn’t want you to die. That means something.”
“If…” Luka’s throat was too constricted. He couldn’t force out all the necessary words. “Will you?” His chin slumped to his chest; what he was asking for hadn’t made any sense.
The dark ice of Giovanni’s eyes had melted. “I’ll take care of her if you die,” he agreed, not needing to hear what Luka hadn’t said. A small smile tilted his lips. “I can do that better now. Take care of people. Nera will help.”
Luka nodded, pushing off the wall. He had the door open swiftly.
“Luka!” Giovanni called, halting him. He had stood, and his ears were red again. “As for the other thing.” He cleared his throat. “That was all Nera. So my advice is, let her show you what she needs.” His lips pressed together after he said this, and he looked away.
Luka slipped out quickly. It was how he normally moved, not because he was running away.
The lie didn’t sound believable, even to him.
Chapter 20
Alina sat at the dining room table late into the night.
At the diner earlier, no one had mentioned her bringing a man there the day before. Frank had hesitated, as if he wanted to apologize again, but she was glad he didn’t. He ordered eggs in a different way, but Alina had no idea what poached was. Meg had waved him off, telling Alina to scramble them with cheese and be done with it.
She’d stayed late again, to learn but also so the time would pass faster.
Before Meg had sent her on her way, she’d asked if things were okay, and Alina had nodded. She’d hesitated, studying Meg. The woman seemed completely content running a diner on her own. Alina swallowed the question that rose in her throat and headed back to the house instead.
She’d cooked two portions of dinner because Luka had said he’d be back tonight. It had sounded like a promise to her.
As nighttime faded into the early hours of the morning, she remembered his words the last time he’d said he would return, the amendment of if it was possible. Her hands shook as she put the portions of food away, even her own.
She went to bed alone, already sure she wouldn’t sleep, not with the adrenaline of worry building within her chest.
Luka followed behind the Bratva in the shadows. Night had fallen long before, so it was a simple thing not to be spotted. Dinner had long since passed, and he hoped Alina hadn’t waited for long.
His heart raced as his gaze kept finding Ivankov’s back among the men. Ivankov rarely wanted to join a raid himself.
