I let the music claim my body and started writhing to the beat. Gianna grinned widely, throwing her head back. She looked happier than I’d seen her in a long time. She moved her hips and butt, shaking and rotating her hips. I stepped closer and mimicked her motions. Our eyes locked as we lost all sense of everything around us, as we let the beat carry away who we were. I wasn’t sure where Romero was and I didn’t care. This felt like freedom.
Men were watching us. I didn’t return their hungry gazes. It wouldn’t be fair to lead them on. Gianna didn’t share my restraint. She smiled and flirted, batted her eyelashes and ran her hands through her hair. A few men started dancing around us. Gianna pressed up to one of them, hands on his chest. Another man raised his eyebrows at me, but I shook my head. He opened his mouth then closed it and backed away.
I didn’t need to look back. I kept dancing because it was obvious who was behind me from the looks of respect from the men around me, from the looks of admiration from the women. Rotating my hips, I thrust my butt out, raised my arms. Firm hands came down on my hips. For a second I worried they belonged to some suicidal idiot, but they were the big, strong hands I knew. I arched, pressing my butt against a crotch, and smiled. I was wrenched against a muscled body and Luca’s hot breath brushed my ear. “Who are you dancing for?”
I tilted my head to stare into his blazing gray eyes. “You. Only you.”
Luca’s expression was hungry, but there was still a hint of anger too. “What are you doing here?”
“Dancing.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I told Romero ‘no’”
“I’m not your possession, Luca. Don’t treat me like one.”
His fingers on my waist tightened. “You are mine, Aria, and I protect what’s mine.”
“I don’t mind being protected, but I do mind being imprisoned.” I turned in Luca’s arms, catching a glimpse of Gianna in a heated argument with Matteo. “Dance with me,” I shouted.
And Luca did. I knew from photos on the Internet that he’d often been to clubs in the past, and it became obvious when he moved his body. A man as tall and muscled as him shouldn’t be able to move so smoothly. His eyes never left mine, his hands possessive on my waist. Luca bent his head toward me to whisper in my ear. “You look fucking hot, Aria. Every man in the club wants you and I want to kill them all.”
“I’m only yours,” I said fiercely, and God help me it was the truth, not just because of the ring on my finger that marked me as his. Luca’s lips crashed down on mine, fierce and demanding and possessive, and I opened up for him, letting him claim me in front of everyone.
“I’m so fucking hard,” Luca growled against my lips and I could feel his erection against my stomach. “Fuck. I have a call set up with one of our distributors in five minutes.” I didn’t ask what they were distributing. I didn’t want to know.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Come back when you have time. I’m going to grab a drink.”
“Go to the VIP area.”
I shook my head. “I want to pretend I’m an ordinary girl tonight.”
“Nobody who looks at you will think you are ordinary.” His eyes travelled the length of my body and I shivered. Then he took a step back, regret obvious on his face. “Cesare and Romero will keep an eye on you.” I was about to nod when I noticed a familiar face in the VIP area, watching me. Grace.
My breath caught. She sat on another man’s lap so she wasn’t here for Luca, but the look in her eyes said it all. She wasn’t over him. Luca followed my gaze and cursed. “She’s not here because of me.”
“Yes, she is.”
“I can’t throw her out. She comes here all the time to party. I haven’t seen her since that night. I usually stay in the back.”
I nodded, a lump forming in my throat. Luca took my chin between his thumb and index finger, forcing me to meet his eyes. “There’s only you, Aria.” He glanced at his watch, then pulled back. “I really need to go now. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He turned and strode through the crowd that parted for him. Matteo followed after him and Gianna stepped up beside me. “That asshole.”
“Who?” I said distractedly. Grace had disappeared from the VIP area.
“Matteo. The guy has the nerve to tell me not to dance with other men. What is he, my owner? Fuck him.” She paused. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I whispered. “Let’s go to the bar.” Romero and Cesare fell into step behind us but I turned around to them, feeling on edge. “Can you watch us from afar? You’re driving me crazy.” Without a word they separated and took positions in corners of the club. I released a breath and settled on a barstool.
I ordered two new gin and tonics and took a deep gulp from the cool liquid, trying to relax. Gianna jiggled her leg. “You can go dancing,” I told her, but she shook her head and bobbed her head to the music.
“In a few minutes. You look pale.”
“I’m okay,” I said, my eyes searching the club for a sign of Grace, but she seemed to have vanished into thin air. There were too many people on the dance floor to find her anyway.
“I really need to go to the restroom,” Gianna said after a while. Her gin and tonic was almost gone.
“I need
