Emilia's POV
I kept laughing.
"You are...an odd one, Emma Emilia" He laughed. Hard. Calling me by both the fake name I gave him and the real deal.
"I thought for sure that you were here to take my head for disappearing on you last night"
"Oh come on, Pretty boy." I said "That's your best feature. I would never tamper with your face. Well, second best feature if you get my drift"
He laughed. This time it reached his eyes. It was fun to watch.
"You think I'm pretty?" He asked me taking a step closer to me.
"Oh boy. The prettiest"
He laughed. I feigned seriousness and nodded vigorously.
"Are you okay, Darlin?" His voice soften. Didn't think it was possible for a guy who looked like him to do that.
He wasn't letting this go. Like he was prepared to keep pushing until I admitted that I wasn't okay.
I shook my head, for some reason my eyes teared up almost instantly. "Been a hell of a day, pretty boy. Literally the worst. Someone I hate with everything I am, Salvatore, he...and he..." My voice trailed off. "It's been a hell of a day, that's all"
"Do you want a hug?" He asked me. It was so out of character for him. And even more out of character when I nodded like a little child and flew into his arms.
He enveloped me just like that. "What can I do to help? I can pick a fight. Defend your honor, sweetheart"
I chuckled sadly. "And have you maim your face. No sir" And looked at him. Reality suddenly coming to play. "Moreover, sweet cheeks, you are just my one night stand. The reason is in the name... unless you want to make it a two night stands"
"A one night stand. Really?" He looked amused but I couldn't help but notice his tight jaw. "You came back here, to this dump, to look for me, Emma Emilia but I'm just a one night stand?"
"Yes"
Every trace of amusement left his face. "Why are you here, Emilia?"
I blinked back tears. This was the part I tell him, I placed his life in danger. Couldn't bring myself to say it. So I keep quiet.
"I mean, it could be the mind blowing sex but then I did leave without saying goodbye." He took a step closer. "Figured you'd want to forget me. Not look for me in a dark alley"
Forget you? I can't stop remembering you, Luca! I should be halfway to New York but here I was, looking to save you.
"And then I think you here to kick my ass for the disappearing act? But you are here making inappropriate sexual jokes about me. Objectifying me in the best way... I might add" A ghost of a smile tugged at his mouth. "And you are still claiming...we are just a one night stand. Darlin', shouldn't we stop the lie?"
The memory hit me like a sucker punch: his mouth on my collarbone, the sting of the wallpaper against my back, the way he'd whispered "Still fighting, aren't you?" as I clawed at his shoulders. The way he'd looked at me after—like I was something precious, not something used.
My cheeks burned. "Don't flatter yourself, Luca. I've had better."
His laugh was low and rough, and it did something to my insides. "I took your virginity, Piccalo?"
I looked away. Paolo's image flashing in my head. "Don't call me that" I murmured.
He stepped closer. Close enough that I could smell him—cigarette smoke and something underneath. Something clean and male and intoxicating. His gaze dropped to my mouth, then to my eyes.
"Did I hurt you?" He whispered.
The question was so soft, so careful, it nearly undid me.
"What?"
"Last night." His hand lifted, hovered near my jaw like he was afraid to touch. "If I'd known it was your first time, I would have…" He trailed off, jaw tightening. "Used a fucking bed at the very least. Not just shoved you against a wall like you were—"
"Like I was a person who approached you in stinky bar and asked do you wanna fuck? Of course you thought I'm a hooker slut or something. I don't blame you for that."
He stared at me.
"I wanted you." The words came out fierce, defiant. "I just saw you and I...I wanted you. Beds are overrated." I lifted my chin. "It was good sex, Luca. Really good. So you can stop looking at me like you broke me or something."
Something shifted in his eyes. The gold flecks caught the light, and for a second, he looked almost overwhelmed. "Good?"
I liked that his voice dropped to a playful tone
"Life-altering, really" I amended, and instantly wanted to die.
His whole face changed. The tension cracked, and suddenly he was grinning—a real grin, boyish and bright and devastating. "Life-altering?"
"Don't let it go to your head."
"Too late." He stepped closer still, and now there was barely a breath between us. His hand finally made contact—fingers brushing a strand of hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear with a tenderness that made my heart stutter. "You came back here to find me , Emma Emilia."
"Luca"
His thumb traced my cheekbone. "I'm... no one's ever come back for me before."
The words landed somewhere deep in my chest. Before I could respond, his mouth found mine.
This kiss wasn't like last night or few minutes ago. Last night was hungry, desperate, two people trying to outrun their demons.
This was slow. Deliberate. Like he was memorizing the shape of me. Like he had all the time in the world, even though we both knew we didn't.
His hand slid into my hair, cradling the back of my head. Mine fisted in his jacket—that same leather jacket—and pulled him closer. He tasted like cigarettes and something sweet. Mint, maybe.
When we broke apart, we were both breathing hard.
"I've thought about doing that all day," he admitted, forehead resting against mine.
"All day? It's been like five minutes."
"Five minutes is five minutes too long to go without kissing you."
I snorted. "That's cheesy."
"You love it."
"I tolerate it."
His laugh rumbled through both of us. "Liar."
For a heartbeat, we just stood there—two people in a filthy alley, grinning at each other like fools. Like the whole world wasn't hunting us. Like my father's men weren't closing in. Like he wasn't standing in the exact spot where someone had tried to hurt him.
Then his smile faded.
"You didn't have to come back."
"I know." I whispered
"It's dangerous. For you." He told me again.
"I know."
"So why?"
I looked at him—really looked. At the scars on his knuckles. At the bruise blooming along his jaw. At the way his eyes, even in the dim light, held more warmth than anyone had ever shown me...since Paolo.
"Because I couldn't stand the thought of you getting hurt" I wiped off the tears that fell down my face.
His breath caught. "Oh baby. It's okay."
I shook my head. "No, it's not. I should have told you something last night, Luca. My name..." I took a long breath. "My name is Emilia Conti... please, don't hate me"