Chapter 70

“Luca!” I gasp, still shocked as he slams the door shut behind him and locks it. But he doesn’t say a word as he turns towards me, still livid, his jaw clenched. My eyes go wide because – is he mad at me? Is he going to –

But he just closes the distance between us in one step, his hand flying up and knocking the cap from my head in one swift move. I gasp again, my hands flying up to my hair –

“I fucking knew it,” Luca growls, his eyes roving over my face, my hair his nostrils flaring as he takes in my scent my real scent, which my hat has been hiding for weeks-

–

I barely have a moment to see his face soften, just incrementally, before he grabs me around the waist, and pulls me to him, and seals his mouth to mine.

Instantly, I melt, going almost limp against him as Luca kisses me, as I taste him for the first time in real life, in my real body. And it is so, so much better. I moan into his mouth as my arms wrap instinctually around his neck, pulling him closer as his lips move deliberately, desperately over mine. My mouth opens to him and he takes full advantage, deepening the kiss as his arms tighten around me, pulling me tight against his chest.

–

I lose myself to it – to him completely, my mind going numb as my wolf howls with joy and pleasure. My body takes over as I kiss him back fiercely, shivers running all through my body, my skin tingling where every inch of it is pressed to his –

To my mate-

And god, the way he kisses me, the way his soft lips move firm against mine, the way my head bends back on my neck

God, I could fucking drown in it.

But to my shock, he pulls away. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs, pulling back just an inch and looking down at me with half–lidded eyes, his hands sliding up my body to my neck, to my hair. “I’m so sorry, Ariel –”

1

gasp,

shivers running through me again as I hear him say my name-

My real name

My eyes instantly fill with tears. “What?” I breathe, not understanding. “Why –” noveldrama

“I’m sorry,” he says again, the fingers of one of his hands burying themselves in the hair at the nape of my neck, his other hand making its way to where I’ve tucked the end of my braid in, making quick work of undoing it. “I’ve been suck a jerk this week I regret it so much, Ariel –”

I laugh, suddenly, shocked.

–

“I have!” Luca says, nodding quickly as his fingers start to comb through my hair, unraveling it so that it falls down below my shoulders, rose–gold and wavy from its wrapped up in my braid. “I figured it out but I’ve been so fucking mad at you –

–

time

The laughter falls from my lips, quickly replaced by a guilty groan. “Luca, no,” I murmur, pressing myself close to him again so that my body is flush against his, so that I look up into his face. He wraps a hand in my hair and grasps it in his fist, like a handful of gold he desperately wants and needs. “I’m so sorry it wasn’t right, to keep it a secret –

–

“No,” he says, his eyes going wide. “Ariel, I get it you had to keep it secret, even from me

–

“I did,” I say, tears starting to slip down my face as I nod. “And I hated it

been torture-”

–

I’m so sorry, it’s

He groans now, clearly horrified to see me so sad, and he wraps an arm tight around me as he turns towards his bed, sinking down onto it and pulling me with him. I inhale sharply –

Because suddenly, I’m in Luca Grant’s bed –

But my mate simply lays me out next to him so that we’re face–to–face, our heads both resting on his pillow.

“Don’t cry,” he murmurs, stroking my face softly with his thumb as he wraps one leg around mine, possessive and greedy and sweet. “I don’t know what I’m going to do if you start crying I’m going to have to go punch someone else –”

–

I burst into laughter at this, shaking my head and lifting my hand to wipe away the few

spare tears that worked their

I’ve been dying to talk to you “ay out. “I’m not crying – not really it’s just…this is a lot

about this for weeks –”

–

cheeks as his

“I know,” he murmurs, pressing a series of sweet kisses to my mouth and my hand moves from my face to my hair, stroking it. “God damn it, Ariel, I could have killed that fucking Wright guy when I saw him threatening you –

“How long have you known!?”

“What the hell were you doing walking the halls by yourself!?”

“Why wouldn’t you talk to me all week!?”

But then we’re kissing again, and we both lose ourselves to it, all of our questions forgotten for the moment as my fingers stroke through his hair, as the warm summer apricot scent of him floods my nostrils and makes me go limp with wanting him. Luca rolls a little so that his weight rests slightly on

top of me, taking charge of the kiss. And god does that feel good – I didn’t even know I’d like something like that

Too soon, he pulls away.

“No,” I murmur, raising my mouth to his again.

“Please,” Luca says with a soft laugh, shaking his head at me, his rich brown eyes happy. “Ariel, if you say one word to stop me, I will kiss you all god damn night. But we we have

to talk.”

I sigh, loosening my hands from his hair and dropping one to cover my eyes as he rolls his body away so that we’re facing each other on the pillow again. I take a few seconds, trying to compose myself, trying to force my mind to come back.

But it is….very difficult. Inwardly my wolf lays languidly on the ground, panting, desperately happy but also still wanting more more of him, more of this, hours of it.

–

Luca wraps a hand around my wrist and gives it a tug, pulling my hand away from my face. And then he slides his palm against mine as I take a deep breath, taking in the handsome lines of his face, closer than I’ve ever seen it before. And up close he is…breathtaking.

“I’m sorry,” he says again, shaking his head just slightly.

“You don’t have to –”

“No,” he interrupts, firm. “Let me get this out, Ariel.”

I smile, again, to hear him say my name. Seeing my expression, Luca smiles too, unable to stop. But then he forces his face into more serious lines.

“I was an asshole this week,” he says, squeezing my hand. “I was mad at you, but I acted like a petty little baby. I should have gone right to you, the moment I figured it out

“When was that?” I ask, desperate to know.

“Oh, like immediately,” he says, laughing and shaking his head at himself. “The moment you ended that dream? After your hat fell off, and your hair fell down?”

He groans as he laughs, rolling over onto his back and covering his face with his hand, shaking his head at himself. I close the distance he created, resting my

cheek on his shoulder.

“God, I was so stupid before,” he mutters. “Seriously, the thing that made it click for me was just that you had long hair under that cap? After all of the other clues?”

I grin, a little pleased. “Go easy on yourself, we are very good liars.”

“I mean, you’re not,” he says, turning to glare at me. “Seriously, you couldn’t figure out a better disguise name for Ariel than Ari? When the Princess is notoriously missing and you hang out with Rafe and Jesse all day, pretending to be their cousin? I’m just an idiot.”

My smile deepens as I unconsciously raise a hand, stroking a finger along the length of his jaw. “Pretty idiot.”

A smile takes over his face and his dimples flare as his eyes move slowly over me. “If I’m pretty, you’re beautiful, Ariel.”

“Really?” I say, a little anxiety twisting in me now. “You’re not…disappointed? That I’m not… Shrimp?”

“No!” Luca says instantly, laughing and wrapping his arms around me again. “Though, honestly, you’re going to have to pay a little bit for making me question my sexuality like

that

“It was very sweet,” I murmur, grinning and stroking my hand over his cheek, where a little stubble is starting to let itself be known, “that you were willing to go gay for me.”

He sighs, shaking his head and pressing his eyes shut. “Most…confusing few weeks of my life.”

“Worth it, though?”

“Ariel, you’re my fucking mate,” he says, his eyes opening in a flash. He stares at me, almost in disbelief. “So, so worth it. Every god damn minute.”

Luca wraps an arm around my waist again and pulls me close. My hands wrap in the fabric of his uniform as he kisses me again, slow and deliberate, like he’s savoring every moment of it. Just as I am.

My lips part as I tug on his shirt, wanting to feel him on top of me again, and Lucal graciously obliges, when

We both go very, very still when a knock sounds at the door.