Chapter 37

Luca’s POV

Damnit, it took me forever to get the information I needed from Gibson, then it took forever to wash all of his blood off of me. I rush into the house, already dressed, expecting Mara to be downstairs and ready, but she’s not. Ma walked into the hall from the kitchen and spotted me, “She refused help, she hasn’t come down yet”, Ma said. “Thanks, ma”, I said, sprinting up the stairs, two at a time. It doesn’t surprise me that she didn’t want help, but I’m also curious as to why as well.

As I opened our bedroom door, Mara stood in front of the body-length mirror, in the corner of the room. I’m immediately awe-struck by her beauty, and the sight of the ruby red dress that hugs her every curve. Her dress drags the ground slightly, with an open-back, giving me the sexiest view of her softly toned skin, but also didn’t allow for her scar to show.

Her eyes swept up, catching mine in the mirror, and she smiled sweetly. “Sei assolutamente meravigliosa, bambina. Potrei non lasciarti andare con quello. (You are absolutely gorgeous, baby girl. I might not let you leave in that)”, I uttered gutturally, as I rubbed the back of my neck.

She turned and looked at me quizzically. I smiled sheepishly, as I walked towards her and wrapped my arm around her waist to pull her close. “You are absolutely gorgeous, baby girl”, I whispered. She blushed and looked down at her dress. “I feel weird”, she replied softly. “Why?”, I asked, with a quirked eyebrow. She hummed as she slowly looked back up at me. “You look amazing, Luca”, she smiled, automatically bringing a smile to my face.

“Thank you, bambina. But, why do you feel weird?”, I asked again. She shrugged her shoulders, “Dresses are pretty, yes. But, I feel exposed in them”, she answered nervously, rubbing her hands along her dress. This book has many missing chapters and scenes if you’re not reading it on [* . “You look stunning, principessa. Like a Queen”,I complimented, kissing the tip of her nose. A dark shade of red graced her heels, blending with the color of her dress. That is adorable as hell.

“Are you ready?”, I asked softly. “I just need to put my heels on”, she answered, trying to break free from my hold. “Wait, you’re forgetting one more thing”, I said, reaching into my jacket pocket. She looked at me confused, as I pulled a necklace box from my suit pocket. “Turn around, piccola”, I ordered gently.

She swallowed hard before slowly facing her back to me. I pulled out the ruby necklace I had bought to match her dress and the theme. The blood-red stone sits in the middle of a petite silver sunflower, accenting her dress and skin perfectly. She gasped, amazed, as she reached up and touched the pendant. “Do you like it, principessa?”, I asked, as I clasped it, nervous of her response.

She smiled as tears formed in her eyes. “It’s beautiful, Luca. I love it”, she whispered gently. I blew out a short breath of relief, to know that she liked what I picked out for her. “No tears, then, preziosa (precious)”, I uttered, next to her ear, as I placed my hands on her shoulders and kissed her hair. “They are happy tears. I’m sorry”, she mumbled, with a sniffle.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my chin on top of her head. “I know”, I smiled. “Thank you, Luca. I really do love it”, she said, touching the necklace again. “You’re welcome, piccola. Why did you not want help this evening?”, I questioned gently. Mara frowned, “My scars”, she muttered. I drew my brows together in confusion. “What about your scars?”, I asked. She shrugged as she tried to step out of my hold. “I just don’t want any rumors to spread, especially about you”, she answered, when she realized that I wasn’t letting her go.

My heart twisted for her. She felt like she needed to hide her body in order to protect me. “You don’t have to do that, piccola. You don’t have to hide who you are in our home”, I told her, seriously. “I’ve only ever told you about that, Luca. No one else knows what happened. I haven’t shown anyone”, she murmured, tears welling up in her eyes. I turned her around in my arms.

“I’m sorry, bambina. I understand and it’s okay”, I muttered, kissing her lips softly. I caught the tears that rolled down her cheeks with my thumbs and wiped them away. I love that she refuses to wear make-up. Not only because it’ll save me a ton of money (which really doesn’t matter), but because it will allow me to spoil her more with other stuff. I slowly released her and walked over to the dressing table to grab her heels.

I knelt down in front of her and stuck my hand out for her foot. She looked at me bewildered, “What are you doing?”, she asked, shyly. I smirked as I grabbed her ankle and lifted her foot. “Putting my wife’s heels on her feet”, I answered, arching an eyebrow at her. A crimson flush burned on her cheeks. My smirk was filled with triumph as I slid her red lace heel onto her foot.

I caressed her ankle and calf gently as I laced the straps up her leg and latched them. Each stroke drew a measured breath from Mara’s lips. I released her foot when I was finished, and waited patiently for the next. Mara carefully braced her hand on my shoulders as she placed her other foot in my hand. I repeated the same process with her other foot. Being sure to caress her skin softly and taking way too much pleasure in her responsiveness to my touch.

Once I was finished, I slowly slid my hand up the slit of her dress as I stood to my full height, drawing the breath from her lungs. My finger stopped at her panty line to trace the lace pattern. “This slit may just be a little too high, my love”, I growled lowly, rubbing the dip in her hips, with my thumb. Mara’s lips parted, “Do you want me to change, Luca?”, she asked meekly, innocence shining in her eyes.

I shook my head, “No, bambina. One, I can fight, so no worries. Two, we must go or we will be really late”, I said with a chuckle, lacing my fingers with hers. “We are already late?”, she asked anxiously. “Technically, I am never late to any event that I go to. However, I do always show up later than everyone else. It’s a show of power in the community”, I explained, as I led her from our room.

“So we are late”, she muttered, as she struggled for a second to catch up, before she got the feel for her heels. I chuckled, “The event started at six”, I nodded. “Luca, it 6:45”, she chirped with surprise. I chuckled, “Yes, more. It is”.