Chapter 8 Between Life and Desire

ALINA

I felt my heart climb up my stomach and into my chest. I ran over to Luca, throwing my arms around his shoulder. He winced, and I jerked my hands away.

They were stained with blood.

Oh God.

I had Luca's blood on my hands. The thought made me stumble as my heart started racing.

"What happened?" I hurried to the bed and pulled the sheets off, throwing them on the floor. Luca sat on the edge of the bed.

He grunted, gritting his teeth as he looked up at me with angry eyes. "Someone shot at me and Marco."

I inhaled and exhaled. Luca was the King of the Mafia. The Monster. This was normal to him, probably. I wouldn't lose my cool.

I knelt in front of him and started unbuttoning his shirt. "Damn it, Luca. This is our wedding night. The least you could have done was return to me in one piece."

He groaned when I peeled the bloody shirt off his shoulders. "I fucking tried. What do you think I was doing? Waiting there for them to shoot at me like a living target?"

I could tell he was in pain. Blood was still seeping from the wound. I didn't even know if the bullet had exited his shoulder. "Sit, I'll get you a doctor."

I walked away, but he dragged me back. His eyes were deadly serious. "No, check my nightstand. You'll find a first aid bag. That's all you'll need."

I blanched, all the color leaving my face and draining to my feet. "I'm not removing a bullet from your shoulder, Luca."

Luca gave me a devious smile. I could see he was very much in pain from the way his teeth were clenched. "Didn't you just vow to serve, honor, and protect me? Tonight that means pulling a bullet from my shoulder. Tomorrow it might be hiding a body for me."

"You're cracking jokes?" I muttered, swinging away from him and running to the nightstand. Who would believe me if I told them I'd spent my wedding night taking a bullet from my husband's shoulder?

It was so ridiculous I felt like laughing. I bit my lip and swallowed the laugh down. If I started, I wasn't sure I would be able to stop.

I found the first aid box and brought it back to Luca. His eyes were closed tight, his teeth biting down on his lip in pain. He pulled his hand from the shoulder wound, and I shuddered.

"That looks like it could be infected by morning."

"Yeah, whoever shot me would just love that," he muttered, opening his eyes. Luca pulled the first aid box toward himself.

I slapped his hands away and opened the box. "What do you need first?"

"Something to clean the wound. The spirit will do. Find the tweezers too. You'll need to pull the bullet out."

I felt like I'd pee my pants. I'd never handled a tweezer before. How on earth was I supposed to pull a bullet from his shoulder with one?

I found the tweezer anyway, and he showed me how to hold it well. I poured some spirit over the cotton wool and cleaned his shoulder, doing my best not to wince when Luca's face went blank as he held back his yelp of pain.

Using the tweezer, I tried to pull the bullet out, but I couldn't get a hold on it. Luca took it from me, and a few seconds later, he threw the bullet on the floor.

I jumped away from it, bending to retch silently, before stepping closer and tying a bandage over his shoulder.

Luca laughed. "I can't believe you watched me kill a man like nothing was happening, but the sight of blood is what disgusts you."

I almost stomped on his feet. I looked up, straight into his eyes. "The sight of blood on my husband, Luca. You can't protect me if you're dead."

His eyes went wild, dark like an endless sea. "Come here."

I wanted to disobey him. I wanted very badly to stay where I was, but his voice was not asking. It was commanding.

I stepped toward him, sliding right into his arms. He closed his arm around my waist, pulling me into his chest. He smelled like blood, but his skin was warm, his fingers stroking my ass. "I was looking forward to tasting you tonight."

I winced, remembering I was still naked under the cover I had thrown on. His fingers dropped lower, and his palm spread over my ass. I pushed away. "Luca..."

"Mmm?" He murmured against my neck, his head bent so that he could suck at my skin. I was finding it difficult to complete my thought with his tongue against my skin like that.

"I think I'm going to faint if you keep doing that." I threw my head back, my fingers tightening around his shoulders because my knees were becoming treacherously weak with every second in his arms.

"Go ahead, I'll catch you," he whispered, blowing against the wet spot he had just sucked. I shivered, embers sparking in my stomach.

"With your one good shoulder?" I asked, stepping out of his arms. I was nervous. I didn't want to have sex with Luca with blood all over his clothes. Not for the first time. "What you need is a shower and a doctor by morning."

Luca's eyes flashed as he stared at my chest. I looked down. My breasts were almost spilling out of the robe. I pressed them closed. "My eyes are up here, Luca."

"I know. And what I need right now is you." He stood and stalked toward me as I backed away from him.

I felt my back hit the door. I needed to explain to him, to tell him. I had never made love before. Of course, I'd made out with boys from school, but nothing with a man like Luca.

"Luca, I think we should talk."

He stopped in front of me, his head bending toward my lips. "You have a few seconds."

I nodded, deciding I'd just blurt the words out. I wondered if he would push me away when he found out or if it would make him want me even more. "I am..."

A knock at the door interrupted me. Someone was banging on it. "Luca? We've found the men who shot us."

It was Marco.