All Chapters of Ruined by Desire: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Morning sunlight spilled across Sienna’s apartment in soft golden stripes and Luca Moretti woke up deeply confused about why he was happy before remembering exactly where he was. The balcony doors were still slightly open from the night before, letting warm ocean air drift through the apartment alongside the quiet sounds of Monaco waking below. Scooters buzzed through narrow streets while boats cut quietly across the marina. And Sienna was asleep beside him. For a long moment, he simply lay there looking at her. Her hair was spread messily across the pillow, one hand tucked beneath her cheek while morning sunlight warmed the bare skin of her shoulder where the shoulder of the oversized shirt she was sleeping in had slipped sideways during the night. She looked peaceful. Soft. Completely unaware of the effect she was having on him just by existing. This was dangerous. Not because they’d ki

After the photos came the first article which went live at 8:12AM. Sienna discovered this because her phone started vibrating violently against the mattress while Luca, who had dozed off again, was still half asleep beside her with one arm draped lazily across her waist like he’d lived there for years instead of one night. UNKNOWN NUMBER: Congratulations on becoming Monaco’s newest scandal. “What,” Sienna whispered. Another notification appeared immediately after. Theo: WAKE UP. Theo: YOU’RE ON PAGE SIX. Theo: CALL ME BEFORE I EXPLODE. Sienna sat upright so quickly Luca made a tired noise beside her.

 The problem with dating Luca Moretti became apparent exactly six days after their “rules” conversation. People watched them everywhere. Not subtly either. Monaco’s wealthy elite stared openly whenever Luca walked into a room with Sienna beside him. Some people looked curious. Some looked impressed. A few women looked personally offended. Sienna hated all of them equally. “You’re glaring at a seventy-year-old countess,” Theo informed her quietly. “She started it.” “She waved at you.” “She did it judgmentally.” Theo sighed dramatically beside her and adjusted the camera hanging around his neck. The charity gala occupied nearly the entire lower floor of Hôtel de Par

The drive to Luca’s private villa took nearly forty minutes.Forty deeply suspicious minutes where Sienna sat in the passenger seat of Luca’s absurdly expensiveblack Aston Martin watching Monaco slowly disappear behind them while trying not to acknowledge thefact she was being kidnapped voluntarily.“You’re quiet,” Luca observed casually, one hand resting loosely against the steering wheel.“I’m evaluating my survival odds.”“That feels dramatic.”“You said private villa like a Bond villain.”Luca smiled faintly without looking away from the road.“I said beach villa.”“You said private first.”“Because it’s private.”“That’s exactly how serial killers talk.”His laugh slipped out softly into the warm evening air drifting through the open windows.“You kissed me willingly less than twenty-four hours ago,” he reminded her.“That doesn’t mean I trust your real estate portfolio.”The coastline curved beside them in waves of dark blue while the sunset painted streaks ofgold, purple and

1506 wordsThe villa became dangerous after sunset, not because of the ocean or the isolation or the fact Luca Moretti owned enough hidden coastal property to qualify as a small European monarchy. No, the real problem was that there was suddenly nowhere left for Sienna to hide from him.Just Luca, warm sea air and whatever this thing between them had quietly become. Which, frankly, felt like a public safety issue.“You’re thinking loudly again,” Luca observed from across the terrace.Sienna looked up from her wine glass. Dinner had somehow stretched into two hours of effortless conversation beneath candlelight while waves rolled softly against the shore below. Somewhere during dessert, Luca had abandoned his suit jacket entirely and loosened the sleeves of his white shirt and honestly? Society needed regulations for men who looked like that near oceans.“I’m evaluating whether this entire place exists solely to seduce women,” she informed him.“The architecture seduces them. I’m just