Chapter 24

Luca’s POV

Mara’s tears got thicker as she pulled away from me. She fumbled, pulling her shirt from her head. I watched in confusion. She turned her back to me, showing the plethora of scars on her lower back. “It was a ‘J'”, she choked out. “I-I”, she stuttered, before falling forward with sobs.

I wrapped my arms around her from behind. Enclosing her with my warmth. “He did that in ninth grade, because he saw me talking to a boy. He said..”, she cried out, rocking us forward. “He said I was his toy”, she finished. I’ll fucking kill him. He is a dead man walking. I held onto Mara, rocking her back and forth. I didn’t say anything, I just held her and allowed her to cry her heart out. “I-I tried to make it go away”, she stuttered. That explains why there are so many lines in her scar.

I heard a gasp from behind me. I turned slightly to see Sandra standing by the bathroom, with her hand over her mouth like she had just been offended. “Get the fuck out”, I hissed through gritted teeth, making Mara tense and try to control her cries. Sandra’s eyes snapped to mine. “I’m sorry, sir. You-“, “Now!”, I cut her off.

Sandra jumped and high-tailed it from my office. Marabella whimpered as she clutched my arms closer to her chest. “Shh, I’ve got you, bambina”, I cooed, circling her so that I could pull her into my lap, and lay her head on my chest. “Is there something wrong with me?”, she sobbed.Visit - .net to read the complete chapters for free.

“No, of course not, piccola”, I said, sternly. “Like I told you earlier. You are a beautiful soul trapped in an ugly world. Ugly people want to stain you. You can’t let them, and I’m here now to help with that”, I said softly, stroking her hair.

After a few minutes, she started to calm down to hiccups. “That’s why I want another tattoo. I want to cover it up”, she mumbled against my shirt. That makes sense. I’m sure every time she sees it in the mirror she is reminded of that day. “What did you have in mind?”, I asked, stroking the scars on her lower back. “I’ll show you”, she uttered, trying to stand from my lap.

“Wait, where are you going?”, I asked, keeping her planted on my legs. “To get my drawing”, she pouted, pointing toward my office. I scooped her up in my arms and stood up. “Then we will go together”, I said, walking back to the sofa in my office. Mara wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her head on my shoulder.

I sat her on the sofa and walked to the small closet I have for emergencies. I grabbed a black dress shirt and walked back to Mara. I helped her slide the sleeves onto her arms and then started buttoning it up for her. “Luca, I can do it”, she said softly, trying to take over. “I know you can, piccola. But please let me”, I uttered. Mara looked over my face. I’m not sure what she was looking for but she nodded, allowing me to button the shirt up for her.

Mara’s eyes followed my fingers, not missing a movement from them. “Why do you have a change of clothes at work?”, she mumbled, keeping her eyes on my hands. “In case I spill coffee or something on my clothes. It happens more often than you would think”, I answered. “Oh, makes sense”, she muttered.

I stroked her necklace, once I was done buttoning the shirt. “I promise you, piccola, you are the only woman in my life”, I reassured her, knowing what was going through her head. She nodded as she grabbed a folder from her bag and started sifting through it. I grasped her chin and made her look at me. “Tell me that you believe me, piccola”, I muttered.

“I believe you, Luca”, she said with a half smile. Her eyes hid so many demons in them, making my heart ache. “You are my queen, piccola. You will have my unyielding devotion. Just like I expect yours”, I said, keeping her attention on me. It was as if her eyes opened up, allowing me to read her emotions and her soul. So many swirled around; grief, pain, sadness, but the one that stood out, did so when she spoke. “You don’t have to ever worry about that, Luca. I don’t normally like people. But, I like you”, she smiled. My baby girl is being honest with me.

I chuckled, “That’s a good thing, because you’d still be mine, whether you liked it or not”, I informed her, before leaning in and capturing her lips with mine.Mara’s eyes were still closed, when I pulled back. She sighed and hung her head to flip through her drawings. “Are all of these yours?”, I questioned.

“Yeah”, she answered softly. “Mio Dio (My God), you’re a fucking artist too?”, I muttered, taking a few of her drawings from her hand. “Uh, wait”, Mara protested, trying to take the stack back from me. “Ah, ah”, I stopped her.

The first picture took my breath away. It was a gorgeous grape vineyard, with the sun setting in the background. Wait, that’s my grape vineyard. Wow, the way she captured the moment is incredible.

The second was a field of sunflowers, set under a full moon. The way the light from the moon shined off the petal, you could see dew drops. She even added in the little fur on the stalk. I can’t believe she has this ability.

The third picture took my breath away. It was me, leaning against the door frame in our bedroom, with my arms crossed over my chest. I was wearing my gray sweat pants and was shirtless. You could see each detail of my tattoos and the defining dips of my muscles. She had etched a smirk onto my lips, highlighting my dimples.

“Marabella Rose”, I whispered, in awe. Mara had her face hidden behind her hands. “This is absolutely amazing, piccola. Where did you learn to do this?”, I asked, curiously. I took note of the details on the wall in the picture. She had captured the pictures that hung on the wall, and the trim design as well.

“I just practiced”, she shrugged. “Wow”, I breathed. “Now, I’m really curious, where is the drawing you want as a tattoo?”, I asked. Mara handed me a sheet of paper. I stared at the patch of sunflowers that had a crescent moon surrounded by shooting stars and planets. This is the second picture with sunflowers under the moon.

“What’s the significance, bambina?”, I asked, intrigued. She tilted her head at me in question. “The significance between the moon and sunflowers”, I clarified. Mara smiled as she looked down at her hands. “Everyone knows that sunflowers grow toward the sun, correct?”, she asked. “Yes”, I nodded. “Do you know what they do when the sun goes down and it’s night time?”, Mara questioned. She lifted her eyes to mine and quirked an eyebrow in my direction.

Huh. “No, principessa (princess), I don’t. Tell me, what do they do?”, I countered. “They turn towards each other”, she answered, matter-of-factly. “Do they now?”, I pondered. “Yes. They store energy throughout the day. When night falls, they turn toward one another for energy to survive the night. Until the sun rises the next morning”, she explained.

“Sunflowers show us, that even in the darkest of times, there is still light to be found”, she mumbled. “That’s beautiful, bambina”, I said, handing back her drawings. “Thank you”, she muttered, shyly. She put her drawings away and looked back up at me with doe eyes. “Why don’t we pack up and go home”, I suggested, stroking her bottom lip with my thumb.

“Did you finish what you needed to, here?”, she asked with furrowed eyebrows. I chuckled, “No, but it can wait”, I answered. “No, Luca. Finish what you need to. I’m okay, I’m just…”, she trailed off and shook her head, “Emotional, I guess”, she shrugged. “It’s okay, piccola. We really don’t have to stay”, I said gently, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. I just can’t keep my hands off her. “I know. It’s okay though. I’m okay right now”, she said, taking a deep breath and releasing it.

Her eyes were puffy and slightly red. I studied her hard, she’s trying diligently to hold herself together. Her emotions are running rampant through her mind, but she presents herself as calm. Is this a defense mechanism she has learned? “Bambina?”, I murmured. She arched an eyebrow at me, “Yes, Luca?”, she asked. “How do you do it?”, I questioned. “Do what?”, she uttered. “Hold yourself together when so many emotions flow through your head?”, I whispered.

Mara looked surprised by my observation. “You”, she answered. “Me?”, I asked, confused. “You calm me. When I’m with you I know I can let it go. A good cry usually helps, too. Releasing some of those emotions so that I can take more in”, she explained. I frowned, that’s not healthy at all. I cupped her face and held her close. “I want all of your emotions, Mara. I want you to tell your very stubborn brain that I’m a safe place to release at”, I told her.

“I’m learning that”, she grinned. “Good girl”, I purred, leaning in and kissing her hard. Marabella returned the kiss with the same fervor. Fanculo (fuck), I love the way this woman tastes.

“Wait, you can’t just go in there, Mr. Barello is busy”, I heard Sandra saying from a short distance away. “Nonsense, Luca is never too busy for me”, I would recognize that voice from anywhere. “Fanculo (Fuck)”, I muttered, right before my office doors were flung open.