CHAPTER 65: TEMPTATIONS NEST

The boys affected by the water outage were walking along the hallway, conversing between themselves when they spotted Vittorio and Salvatore walking their way.

They quickly stopped walking in honour of their superiors.

"Why are you all loitering?" Vittorio questioned on reaching them.

Elio stepped forward. "Signor–"

"Elio?" Vittorio frowned. "You were affected by the outage too?"

"Sisignor Vittorio."

"And where is Marce?" Salvatore asked.

"He switched wings last week. His room was unaffected."

"Lucky bastard," Salvatore muttered.

Elio smiled because it was the exact same thing he had said.

"So where are you all headed?"

The boys looked at Elio. He felt their collective gazes and turned his head over his shoulders.

"Seriously? I have to do the talking?"

They shrugged. After all, he was the one closest to the superiors.

"Fine," he seethed, and turned back to Vittorio. "We were looking for you actually. Luce wants to know when the pipe issue would be fixed."

"Luce?" Vittorio’s brow knitted.

"Yes, Luce

," he confirmed with a nod.

"When did Luciano get back?"

"Just a couple of minutes ago. You didn’t know? Daniela suggested he make use of lastanza dei sussurri because there’s no water in his room either."

Vittorio’s head shot sideways, and his gaze caught Salvatore looking at him with sharp eyes at the same time.

He slowly returned his gaze to Elio. "Did you just say, la stanza dei sussurri?"

"Yes," he nodded confidently. "But you don’t seem too plea—"

"Everyone, find a room, any room at all and get in there. Whatever you hear, do not come out. I repeat, do not come out," Salvatore warned, as he followed after Vittorio who was already way ahead.

"What the fuck is going on?" Elio who was looking behind his shoulders at the hurrying feet of his superiors wondered. "Does anyone have any idea—" his words trailed into silence when he moved his head to find that all of the boys had disappeared already, leaving him alone.

"Cazzo!" He turned right around, and went in search of Marcello.

***

Valentina jerked on seeing Luciano’s gaze resting on her, and her towel loosened.

Her hand reflexively grabbed it right before it could slip down.

When she had it in control again, she returned her gaze to him. This time, her eyes raged.

"Why were you watching me shower, you disgusting pervert!"

She held on tightly to her towel, as she watched him watch her.

His eyes were moving on its own accord again. Staring at the nape of her neck as water from her hair trickled down on it.

Then it moved up to her lips, slightly apart, her chin lifted stubbornly, her eyes furiously intense, and her creased forehead.

So haughty, yet so stunning.

"And you’re still looking at me. What do you want? Why are you here? Huh

?!"

In the background, the music switched into an English cool blues with lyrics capturing the very essence of the moment.

My fire, your water. Switch places, just to switch again. In the danger zone where we’re both prisoners of our desire. What’s better? Your heart or my head. Neither, maybe both. After all is said, we’re just prisoners of our desire.

The lyrics compelled Luciano, and he began to move towards her as if in a trance.

Valentina’s heart jumped to her mouth, as she took a step back.

Just one step backwards, had her back glued to the glass doors of the bathroom.

In that spot, she froze, and couldn’t move anymore no matter how much she tried.

Luciano closed the gap between them, his eyes darkened with desire.

"Who brought you out of LaNotte?" He questioned in a tone that didn’t match the desire in his eyes.

It was a battle all over again. Between the leader he was, the son and brother on a quest for justice, and the man within him.

The man who had been struck in the face by the hands of desire. And when the clock of said desire struck, he became only at the mercy of it.

"It wasn’t you then. And here I thought—"

"You thought?" He lifted a mocking brow and chortled. "You thought I’d let you get out after–"

"After what?" She cut him off. "After what Luciano?"

Her heart raced as his head tilted down, until she was practically inhaling his breath.

"You do not even have any remorse in you. Again, who let you out?"

"I let myself out," she replied, holding herself together, so she didn’t flinch under the mercy of his scrutinizing gaze, allowing him to win easily.

"Impossible. Drop the bullshit, and be honest. I might spare you."

"How dare you!" She blasted hot.

Other than the slight slant of his brow, nothing else showed his shock at her sudden outburst.

"How dare me?"

"You locked me up like I am nothing in a place that stunk! What did I ever do to you, you filthy animal?!"

His jaw clenched at the insults she threw at him, and when Valentina spotted the shift, her heart slammed heavily against her wrist.

"An animal huh?"

She blinked at the change in the tone of his voice.

It had gone from arrogantly annoyed, to a lower rumble that sent chills down her spine.

"Do you know what animals do, Valentina?"

As he questioned, his eyes dropped lower to her chest area.

Her grip on the towel had loosened a little, revealing the cleft of her breasts.

His eyes remained there briefly, before he lifted it back to her face.

"Do you?"

Valentina’s breath switched from a smooth pace, to ragged and uneven.

"I–I don’t ca-re," her lips quivered.

His gaze locked on her lips. The quiver was art on its own. It deepened her Cupid bow, inviting him to have a taste.

Leader, justice, Man.

Every second that passed, the battle grew more intense.

"You see Valentina, animals do not take permission."

The baritone on his voice touched the foundations of her core, and caused it to vibrate.

With every word he said, his head moved closer to her face.

"They take what they want. Whenever they want. However they want it." His gaze shot up in a sudden movement, and he caught the fear mixed with something else in her eyes.

Something delicious. Compelling enough to crack a dirty smile out of him.

"So Valentina, do you still want to refer to me as an animal? Think about it carefully."

Valentina didn’t think. She couldn’t think. He had invaded every inch of her thoughts. Her mind was absolutely captivated by the moment and him in it.

This was his plan all along. It couldn’t be spontaneous.

She guessed it, but couldn’t do anything about it, when she couldn’t even think.

"That’s exactly what you are," she blurted, hoping to land one more blow.

Maybe it would push him away, and she would break out of whatever this feeling was that she felt inside of her.

"Then allow me to prove to you why I’m the most dangerous animal you’ll ever meet."

His hand went behind her head, and his lips seconds away from claiming her lips stilled, when the door kicked open.

"Val, I’m here with your food!" Sonia’s voice shot into the air, slicing through the sexual tension burning hot in the room.