CHAPTER TEN
AYA
Staring at the globs of blood and tissue coating Luciano’s knuckles, I pursed my lips together as my chest tightened. He was shaking, sweat pouring down his back and sides to gloss his tanned skin. The salty liquid glistened atop his palms, and beyond his outstretched fingers it followed the ridges of his sharp physique. His muscles trembled even as he gulped for breath, his chest heaving as he stood on shaking legs.
“Luciano, you look ready to drop. Why don’t you stop for today?” Sarah’s familiar voice enveloped me, but I couldn’t rip my gaze from Luciano’s form. She talked so much it was almost impossible to hear my own thoughts; for my past three visits it’d always been this way. I would listen to every opinion she had about anything.
So used to Luciano’s quiet, his short bursts of demands, my abdomen twisted every time he pulled me into this place.
“Shut the fuck up, Sarah. I didn’t fucking ask you.” The harsh, rasping snap crackled through the air like thunder, and I jerked in surprise. My heart pumped harder, faster, as Luciano whirled around to glare at the woman next to me. Holding my breath, I watched his face contort with rage, and my blood went cold. Before me he seemed to grow, and my eyes widened when his narrowed gaze landed on me.
Blood pumped harshly in my ears, and a whimper tightened my throat when Luciano advanced. I couldn’t even blink before his shaking hand was wrapped around my neck. Muscles seizing, even my heart skipping a beat as he forced me to him. The smell of sweat and blood was potent, dizzying, but my body refused to move as the heat seeping from him threatened to scorch me.
“You’re going to hurt the poor girl…” I couldn’t hide my cringe at Sarah’s grumble, and Luciano squeezed my neck. His muscles rippled under his thick, tanned hide, and goosebumps washed my skin. Wheezing slightly, my lungs struggled to fill even as my brain told me he wasn’t hurting me.
If Luciano held me with the violence that overwhelmed every part of him but his left fingers, I would be dead instantly.
Storming off without a word, Luciano dug his fingernails into the side of my neck. Finally my soft cry escaped as he dragged me through a doorway, jerking my head to the right. Ice replaced my blood, and my shallow panting grew loud before he carefully loosened his grip.
“Shit- fucking god damn-… Cazzo di lividi così male.” Letting out a string of profanities on a hot breath, Luciano released me completely. His hands seemed to have a mind of their own as he cupped the back of my head, drawing me close. Hot, heavy exhales swept down my nose and cheeks, smelling of mint and coffee. Gently tilting my head, he pushed aside my hair to gaze at the offended spot.
“It doesn’t hurt.” Mumbling, I took a half step forward even as Luciano grunted. Taking a small breath, I savored the hard, salty aroma radiating from his pores. He smelled like a man; there was no other way I could think to describe it.
“You’ll still bruise, Aya.” Meeting my eye, Luciano’s orbs burned with an intensity that anyone could mistake for concern. Pursing my lips together, I knew the truth, though. He didn’t want to be that man that hurt women when he got angry, just because he was angry.
“I’ve bruised before.” Luciano’s eyes narrowed into slits at my confession, and I gulped at the dangerous glint there. “I- I- you didn’t mean to.”
Blurting out those four tiny words, I tensed as Luciano’s grip instantly turned into a fistful of my hair. He forced forward with a heavy step, shoving me back with his chest while my hands flew to his midsection. Pressing me against the thin concrete wall, he blew a hard breath in my face before his lips twisted into a sneer.
“That’s not a fucking excuse.” Cowering, my knees threatened to give out from the snarl that Luciano let out. His voice was loud, deep, powerful, and I couldn’t breathe under the weight of it. “Stress doesn’t mean fucking shit, Aya- understand that. It’s a fucking excuse to do stupid shit.”
Nodding furiously, I gasped when Luciano let me go. My palms slipped from his abdominal muscles, his sweat slicking to my skin. Glancing down, I stared at the glistening liquid that coated my hand. The light sheen was thick, and I flexed my fingers before a much larger hand clamped down on my wrist.
“Lets just hurry up. I have to accompany Georgio to the airport in two hours.” Following on shaking legs towards a shower stall, I tried to get control of my shivering. Luciano’s thick rumblings brought a lightness to my chest, and my shoulders sagged slightly.
Georgio- I hadn’t met him, and I didn’t want to. Luciano had said some things, but it was the screaming that scared me. The same desperate, pained screeching that echoed through the house from dusk until dawn. Anyone that can make someone else scream like that was a man I wanted to stay far away from.
Rolling my lips between my teeth, I rubbed the pads of my fingers together absently. For the past two nights Luciano left the house, bringing me to his tiny, one room apartment somewhere down town. His warmth made blankets useless.
Heat flushed my cheeks at that thought, but I was flung into reality when Luciano let go of my wrist.
His basketball shorts dropped with a damp thud onto the tiled floor, and my eyes widened as he took off his boxers. Reaching with ease and grace to turn the shower knobs, his legs tightened as he leaned over. My heart fluttered in my chest next to lungs that couldn’t work when faced with such an overwhelming sight.
Thick, coarse hairs scored Luciano’s abdomen, and my gaze trailed down as he twisted towards me. Instantly my attention was taken by the erection he sported, his length curving outwards. Red and mushroomed, the head was tight as dark blue spider webbed up just under the thin skin. My eyes widened when his rod twitched, and I sucked my lips between my teeth as my abdomen cramped sharply. His veins started to thicken, bulging out as he hardened more.
“Aya…” Luciano’s call made me suck in a harsh breath as blood beat against my ear drums. Clenching my thighs together, my legs trembled from the fire that threatened to seep down them. I didn’t realize I was inching forward until water from the shower head splattered at my ankles. Unable to tear my eyes from him, I held back a groan when Luciano flexed his abdominal muscles.
“Aya- if you fucking touch me I will fuck you.” Coarse, the rasp broke through the haze like a baseball through a double pane window. Everything came crashing down around me, and I tensed as the fire in my body was replaced with ice. Frozen, I didn’t dare even blink until Luciano took a stiff, heavy step backwards.
My eyelids shuttered, and even there I could see Luciano’s impressive girth. Memories flickered in my mind’s eye like a movie reel, replaying scenes from a life that was no longer mine. I’d almost given my virginity away once, in high school, but that boy had nothing on this man. Another time I’d caught my best friend and her boyfriend having sex, and he wasn’t at all like this quiet, brooding male.
Turning to face the wall, Luciano pressed his palms against the tile, and water ricocheted off his strong back and shoulders to hit me. My fingers twitched, aching to touch him with a fierceness that wouldn’t be denied. Grabbing the wash cloth that hung on a hook at the edge of the stall, I bent to wet it without taking my eyes off him.
Luciano’s body went rigid, and my heart beat wildly as I tentatively pat his skin with the bleached white cloth. Water sprinkled onto my shirt, but for the moment I ignored it. Heat blossomed in my throat when he didn’t pull away, and I carefully slid the drenched fabric down his lower back. He was still, so still anyone would’ve thought he was a statue.
My breath came in short, harsh pants as I gently scrubbed away layers of grime and sweat from Luciano’s flesh. Heat suffused my face and neck, the bruises he’d inflicted forgotten in this moment. Each stroke of the cloth sent my heart racing, and my fingers trembled from our combined heat.
“Fanculo. Che si sente bene, Aya…” Grinding through his teeth, Luciano wound even tighter as I cleaned his sharp, rigid abdominal muscles. Time had no meaning to me anymore; every cell in my brain was focused on feeling him. My shirt was heavy from water, but I barely recognized the weight on my shoulders.
“F-u-u-ck… me- fuck-” Snarling, Luciano ripped my rag away too fast for me to really process it. My bare palm was pressed against his chest, but a fluttering of my eyelids later he held my hands in both of his. The world spun as he pinned me against the side of the shower stall, and I mewled as the force of him jolted my body. A harsh gasp flew from my throat, my eyes widening as he thrust his hips against mine. Holding myself still, I struggled to calm the panic that took over my chest, preventing my lungs from filling.
“... Don’t fucking toy with me, Aya.” Moaning breathlessly, my throat burned and my eyes rolled in their sockets as Luciano thrust again. His hot, throbbing member slid under my damp shirt, and I shuddered harshly before my wanton bubble popped.
Luciano’s cell phone buzzed and chirped, demanding attention, and my eyes snapped open. For a second he didn’t move, his dark orbs shining brilliantly and face stoic as he stood over my trembling body.
“Once is shit luck, but if you ever stare at my cock like that again I’ll fuck you so hard a white hot metal dildo won’t seem so bad.” Responding to such a threat was impossible, and Luciano didn’t wait for one before pushing himself away roughly. Leaning against the wall as he grabbed his phone, I took a heaving breath to silence the screaming of my chest. Scrunching up my face, I blinked hard and shook my head before his hoarse, deep voice slithered into my skull.
“Go fuck yourself, Sylvi. I’m leaving now… I’m not a fucking idiot- of course I’m not bringing Aya.” Whirling to me, Luciano sent me a hot glare, and I paled when he ended the call. He didn’t bother to turn off the shower head, choosing instead to grab my bicep and haul me out of the stall. His wet, hot touch sent fire across my chest, but I suppressed the mewl that threatened to breach my closed throat.
It took only a few seconds for Luciano to pull on a pair of jeans, his actions rushed and his face unreadable. Watching him snatch his gym bag, I flexed my fingers as all other noises were slowly but surely being replaced with the voice of shame and regret.