CHAPTER 91

Maybe it was fate nudging at him, and telling him that his time in Italy with Sharon was far spent. Maybe he had a feeling that things would soon take a drastic turn

Maybe all of that propelled him to want to mark her, to make her his, brand her

So she didn't question his love for her, when the turbulence came

There he was on one knee, looking dead serious. His eyes carried a hint of expectancy, but he wasn't urging her to agree

He didn't oblige her to say yes, didn't force her decision.

He could've easily kissed the response out of her, or pinned her beneath him till she agreed. But Luca knew what he wanted. And he wanted Sharon to be his, by her own free will

A tear slipped down her cheeks, and she turned around. So he wouldn't see her face

“I'm sorry, I—

She wiped the tears from her eyes, but they came pouring back out

“It's fine, we can talk about it”

Luca slowly stood up, and placed the ring back in the box

He watched her cry undisturbed. He had no idea why she cried, but he wanted her to know that he was there for her, and he wasn't putting any pressure on her

“It's just happening so fast, and I'm scared, scared of commitment. Scared of our future”

What if you get tired of loving me, and I just become a burden to you, a bore?”

“I know it's rushed, I'm sorry for switching up on you like that—”

Sharon could hear pain in his voice

“I love you Sharon, and if you want us to continue to build on whatever it is we have—

If you want me to sneak into your bed at night, to keep you warm

If you want things to remain as they are

Then I'll happily sit on the fence with you—”

I'll plant you a million flowers, and make you as many meals as I can. I'll make sure you get everything you want. And I mean everything—

“Luca”

Sharon finally turned to face him. Strands of her hair were stuck to her face, glued with tears. Her eyes had gone a little puffy

She wiped some of the tears from her eyes, and look intently into his deep blue orbs

“I'm scared Luca, not because I don't love you. But because I do

I— I've never been in love before, I've never had someone love me— like this

And I promised myself that I wouldn't fall for you, I told myself I hated every fibre of your being

But I can't hate you

Not when my heart beats erratically in my chest every time you gaze at me

And I want you, I really do. I want you to want me, without any restrictions. I want you to love me without holding back. I want to know what you like, what you want.

I want to be your baby girl—

“But I'm scared—”

Luca cupped her face with his palms, flicking the rogue strands of hair

“What are you scared of?”

*****************

“I'm scared of everything crumbling to pieces in the blink of an eye

Luca ran his thumb through her cheeks, and placed it on her lips

Sharon sucked in a breath, and flicked her tongue against his thumb. He slipped it further inside her mouth, and she sucked it, not once breaking eye contact with him

He drew out his thumb, and placed it in his mouth, the same way he did in hers

His eyes moved to her lips, as he tasted his thumb

Sharon could feel her breath grow rogue. It was like she was beginning to forget to breathe, just by looking at him

It was weird, but it had become their love language somehow—

He drew his thumb out of his mouth, and traced it from her chin, down to her shirt. He let it linger on the part of her cleavage

“I'm scared too , hell you have no idea—”

He undid a button, then another

“I'm scared of tainting you, of hurting you, of rubbing you with my filth. You're fragile, so fucking fragile. I'm scared of breaking you—”

“No, you're not tainting me”

Sharon placed his hand firmly on her shirt. She could feel his palm pressing further on her breasts

“I want your filth— and I want to explore with you”

Sharon slowly pulled off her blouse, and watched as the material pooled at her feet

Her cherry red bra was the only thing that prevented her from being half naked

Luca's expression went dark

“You tempt me Baby girl

But my desires are— dark”

Sharon looked at him shyly, her voice came, a little above a whisper

“I— want to discover them too”

Sharon felt Luca's hands on her shoulders, then felt his nose nudge her bra gently.

He placed a soft kiss on her lower abdomen, and knelt in front of her, again

“Then let me rephrase it—”

He pulled out the ring from the box, for the second time. He could see the anticipation in her eyes

“Will you be my Baby girl?

“Yes Luca”

Her eyes were shut, and her finger was stretched in front of her

He placed the ring on her finger, and carried her in his arms

“My wife—”

Luca placed a kiss to her forehead

“My woman—”

He placed a featherlight kiss on her collarbone

Then she tipped his chin with her finger, urging him to bring his focus to her lips

She felt them part slightly in anticipation. She didn't know how.bad she yearned for his kiss, until his lips met hers

It was different from the other kisses

It was like he meant to merge them, soul and all.

Their lips moved in sync, because they understood each other, and they had become familiar with each other's movements.

Still he dominated her. Every time his tongue slipped into her mouth, felt something, something deeper

She felt her teeth graze his lips slightly

A mistake—

Because she wasn't an experienced kisser

She meant to break the kiss, apologise maybe

But he pulled her closer

So she bit him again

And he bit her back

Not enough to cause harm, but enough

As they broke the kiss, there was only one emotion they could register—

Desire

He studied his imprint on her. Her lips had grown bigger, and they were wet from the traces of his mouth

She felt her legs grow weak, and he steadied her

With her breaths, she whispered, audible enough for him to hear

“That was— beautiful”