Page 66 of Spotlight Hearts

Luca is still asleep beside me, one arm draped possessively over my waist, his chest pressed to my back, breath warm against the nape of my neck. His leg is tangled with mine under the sheet. The villa is quiet except for the distant sound of the ocean and the faint creak of the deck in the breeze.

I should feel safe. Warm. Wanted.

Instead, I feel exposed.

Raw.

My heart starts pounding before my eyes are fully open. Last night floods back in vivid, overwhelming detail—the way I dropped to my knees for him, trying to show him how much better of an option I am than Whitney. I took him apart with my mouth and fingers. Before asking for even more—his first time bottoming. He had whispered my name like it was the only word he knew, and thinking about it now makes my stomach drop.

It wasn’t just sex.

It was more.

So much more.

And that terrifies me.

I’ve spent years building control—iron-tight walls to keep myself safe after the foster system tried to break me. I learned early that needing someone, wanting someone, meant giving them the power to destroy you. I’ve kept the band together by being the steady one, the perfectionist, the one who never lets emotions get in the way.

But last night, I let go.

I let Luca in—all the way in—and now I feel… undone.

My chest tightens. Panic rises sharp and fast.

This is more than lust. More than the staged chemistry we’ve been selling. This is real, and real things break. Real things end. And if this ends badly, it won’t just be us who suffer. It will be the band. Michael. Min-ho. Everything we’ve built.

I can’t let that happen.

I carefully slide out from under Luca’s arm, trying not to wake him. He makes a small, sleepy sound and shifts, reaching for me even in sleep. The movement twists something painful in my chest.

I sit on the edge of the bed, back to him, staring at the floor. I have to stop this. Before it gets deeper, and it destroys everything.

Before I lose him in the worst way possible—not because we never tried, but because we tried, and it all fell apart.

I stand. Pull on the nearest pair of shorts. My hands are shaking.

Luca stirs behind me. His voice is sleepy, warm, still soft from last night.

“Kai…? Come back to bed.”

The affection in his tone makes my throat close up.

I turn to face him.

He’s propped up on one elbow, hair messy, eyes half-lidded and fond. The sheet has slipped down to his hips, exposing the chain tattoo low on his stomach and the faint marks I left on his chest last night.

He looks beautiful.

He looks like everything I want.

And that’s exactly why I have to do this.

I swallow hard. My voice comes out quieter than I want it to. “Luca… we need to stop.”

He blinks, the sleep clearing from his eyes. “What?”

“This.” I gesture between us. “Last night. All of it. It’s more than lust. More than the show. And I… I can’t do this. If we keep going, it’s going to end badly. We’ll hurt each other. We’ll hurt the band. I can’t risk that.”