Bloodlines: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Romance (The Snake Eyes Series Book 4) (9 page)

I never once pictured that
look
in his eyes or that brief smile beneath his sharp lips.

Luka knew in an instant that Lucian was his and the very next moment, he claimed him.

It was so subtle and fleeting, it’s possible Luka didn’t notice it himself but I did. I saw that tick in his eyes, that quick change in him that could mean everything or nothing at all.

In the end, it will mean nothing. It has to mean nothing. That was the plan, after all.

I take a deep breath to soothe the heat growing inside of me but my cheeks burn red.

Lucian stirs in the crib, gently kicking his legs before settling back down again. He’ll sleep for another twenty minutes or so before standing and trying to escape over the walls of his crib.

My heart thumps harder in my chest. Luka Lutrova is here. Right now, he’s sitting in Gio’s study as if nothing ever happened between us. Soon, he’ll leave and who knows how long it’ll be before he comes back. It’s been three years since I saw him last. It might be just as long before I see him again.

My nerves twitch with fire but I urge myself to stay in my chair. To confront him here would be far too risky. It could bring everything crashing down. Preserving this secret is more important than my own desires. It’s more important than the subtle throbbing inside of me; that warm ache I haven’t felt since that night in the shed…

I stand up and bounce on my toes, attempting to shake off the urge in me but nothing helps. If I don’t walk this off, I’ll go crazy. If I keep pacing around in here, I’ll surely wake Lucian up and I don’t want to deal with a frustrated toddler at the moment.

I open the door and silently step out into the hallway. My entire body tingles, triggering the hairs on my arms and neck to stand tall. It doesn’t matter how many steps I take, I can still feel that burning inside. I can feel him near me — even in a house so big and guarded.

My legs run on auto-pilot, taking me here, there, and everywhere without a map. The magnet in my shoes pulls me around another corner and I freeze in place as he comes into view.

Luka pauses as I do and we stare at each other for several silent moments. My heart knocks against my ribs. He’s still so handsome and exotic — like nothing I’ve ever seen before behind these stone walls. My mouth waters. I watch as his eyes trail down to my toes and back and he forces himself to take a breath.

Instinct pushes me forward and I walk in his direction, unable to do a damn thing to stop myself. Everything screams at me, begging for me to touch him, but I know that I can’t. I veer off course and I pass him by, beelining towards the laundry room across the corridor.

Luka shifts on his feet to watch me move and I make sure he’s looking before I step inside.

I spin around and I wait for him to follow me in. My pulse thumps louder in my ears. I barely even hear it when the door opens and he walks inside.

“Sofia…”

It’s a distant echo — just like in my dreams. I blink over and over again, wondering if he’ll disappear each time I open them. If I reach out, will he fade away into a black mist?

“He has my eyes.”

I smile but it quickly falls. I turn around towards the washers and dryers and spin the dials on each one, flicking them on to drown out the sound of our voices from any ears passing by in the estate.

I look up into his gray eyes, bursting with fresh emotion. “Yes,” I nod, whispering beneath the machines tapping behind me. “He does.”

Luka steps closer and inhales deep. “I…” His voice struggles under the weight of his breath. “I didn’t expect that.”

“Neither did I, but… I knew before he was even born that he was yours. I could feel your blood pumping through his veins, like… it felt like a bolt of lightning every time his heart beat.” I twitch with great excitement. Three years. I’ve wanted to say this for
three years
. “When he opened his eyes for the first time, I saw you staring back at me and I…”

I fell in love.

I swallow the words down, too embarrassed to say it out loud.

Luka takes another step forward with a furrowed brow. “You named him after me.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Why not?” I grin.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Sofia. Why take the risk?”

“Gio is daft as rocks,” I argue. “He’ll never know.”

He steps back and looks around the room, his eyes gliding over every little thing he can to avoid staring at me. Laundry baskets, ironing boards, bottles of detergent.

“Gio wants me to give him two more boys,” I say. “Three sons, just like him and his brothers.”

Luka pulls his eyes off the floor and I see the pain in them. “Will you?”

I shake my head. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“He’s certainly trying, of course,” I say, unable to stop the laugh clawing its way up my throat. “But what Gio doesn’t know… is that I had myself sterilized the day Lucian was born.”

Luka pauses, his gaze involuntarily falling down my body and back again.
“Sofia…”
he whispers.

“He will
never
take an heir from me...” I keep my voice steady. “I refuse.”

“And what happens when he figures it out?”

“He won’t.”

“Gio might be daft, Sofia, but he holds power over you. One of these days, he’ll get impatient and I don’t think you’ve considered what will happen when that fuse ignites.”

“I can handle Giovani Zappia,” I argue. “I’ve done pretty well so far.”

He shakes his head. “I never should have agreed to this…”

“If you hadn’t, I’d be dead already… and Lucian, the brightest light I’ve
ever
known, wouldn’t exist.” I push closer to him. “A single look in his eyes makes up for a hundred nights in Gio’s bed.”

Luka flexes his jawline and looks down at me with hard, regretful eyes, struggling to form words of his own. I study his chiseled features for the first time since that night I feel a soft quiver run through my toes.

“When Lucian laughs, I think of you,” I say. “When he smiles. When he speaks.” I step forward, standing so close to him our bodies touch. “I think of our time together and how you touched me—”

“Sofia,
stop
.”

“Nothing has ever compared to it. Nothing has ever made me feel the way you made me feel that night. I cling to the memory of you, Luka Lutrova.” I pause, inhaling a deep breath and he does the same. “Do you cling to the memory of me?”

“Yes,” he answers. His warm breath touches my cheek, igniting the blood beneath my skin.

I bite my lip, torn in half by fear and desire. There’s nothing I want more than to taste him again, to feel his rough hands on me, to—

Luka cups my face as I move forward into his embrace. His lips crush mine; a single, powerful kiss that lights my entire body on fire and I sense him burn with me.

I step back, holding him near me as he pushes me against the laundry machine. His hands slide down my body, caressing my breasts and curves, trailing down to grip my ass and pull me up to sit on the washer. A moan escapes my lips as the warm machine vibrates and tickles at me. I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him closer as I taste and suck on his tongue.

His thick hands push beneath my collar, forcing the straps down my shoulders and his lips attack my skin. Every kiss lights a match, burning me until I can’t breathe but I still beg for one more.

“Luka…”
I say his name with smiling lips, overwhelmed by the dream inside of me bursting to come out.

He kisses me again, harder and firmer, as his hands push beneath my skirt and between my thighs.

I feel his fingers caressing at me, teasing and taunting me with hesitation.

“Do it…”
I beg.

Luka pushes a thick finger inside of me and my entire body goes tense. He clamps his mouth over mine to silence my inevitable moan. I squeeze his arms until my digits cramp. I quiver and shake, feeling my wetness coat his finger as he slides it in and out of me.

My hands fall to his waist and I tug at his belt. His finger isn’t enough. I need to feel more of him. I need him inside of me again.
I need him to take me and make me—

“Sofia!”

Rosalie appears in the dark doorway, her eyes wide open and full of fear.

Luka steps back, retreating his hand while I push my skirt down and hop off the washer.

“Rosalie!”
I force a smile, swallowing the heat down my throat. “I, uh—”

She darts backward in the hallway, lowering her eyes as she slams the door behind her.

“Shit…”
I breathe. I rush to the door, prepared to chase her down but I turn to Luka with fear.

“Go
.”

I pull the door open and run, following Rosalie’s shadow around the corner towards her room. “Rosalie, wait…”

She picks up her pace until she’s hidden away behind her door. I follow her inside and she barely keeps it together before I close the room behind us.

“Sofia, what are you doing?” she snaps.
“Are you insane?”

“I’m sorry—” I stop the apology, realizing that I feel no remorse over the act. “It’s not what it looks like…”

“It looks like you and Mr. Lutrova were—”

“Shhh!”
I place my hand over her lips. “Keep your voice down,” I warn. “Rosalie… you can’t tell
anybody
about what you just saw.”

Her eyes grow wide. “But Gio should know—”

“No, he shouldn’t.
It… You saw a moment of weakness, that’s all it was.” I chuckle it all away. “There’s no need to make a big deal out of it.”

Rosalie shakes her head. “I can’t keep a secret from the master of the house. You know that, Sofia.”

I reach out and take her hands. “And you also can’t betray your
life maiden
,” I argue. “Keeping a secret is one thing but betraying
me?
The punishment for that is far more severe.”

It’s not fair to take advantage of her beliefs but desperation clouds all logic. Rosalie loves being a Zappia, perhaps even more than she loves me.

“All right…” she sighs, regret filling her eyes. “I won’t tell anybody.”

I pull her closer and wrap my arms around her small frame. “I love you, Rosalie.”

“Do you love Gio?”

I cringe. “Yes,” I say, forcing the lie through my teeth.

She pulls back. “Then, you should repent…”

“I will, I promise… but he can
never
know
.”

Her eyes twitch with worry but she finally nods.

Chapter 10

Luka

Shit. Shit. Shit.

I
did not
just finger Sofia Zappia in a laundry room.

Obviously, this entire day has been one, crazy dream. Soon, I’ll wake up in my bed in Moscow. Yuri and I never came to Rome. Rosalie never saw a damn thing. Sofia’s lips are still a distant memory and I’m sure as hell not sitting across from her goddamn husband right now.

“Luka?”

I blink out of my trance and look at Gio. “What?”

His gaze shifts from me to Yuri and back again. “Are you all right?” he chuckles. “You seem a little
drunk
.”

Yuri laughs. “Honestly, it’s a nice change of pace from the stick he’s usually sitting on.”

I glare at my brother. “I’m fine.”

“I’d imagine you have a lot on your mind,” Gio says. “I would as well if I were in your shoes. Rest assured that you have the entire weight of the Zappia family behind you, Luka. We’re going to find out who’s framing you and take them down. I guarantee it.”

I swallow the malice. I’m not sure what’s more stressful: being forced to ask him for help or having his wife’s scent on my finger as I do it. “Thank you, Gio,” I say. “We would do the same for you.”

“Absolutely,” he nods. “My family is your family, after all.”

More than you know, asshole.

I stand up from my seat. “We won’t bother you any longer,” I say. “You probably have a lot of work to do.”

Gio waves a hand. “Not at all. You are welcome to stay for as long as you like.”

Yuri nudges my leg. “We just got here. Sit back down.”

“In fact, I insist you stay the night,” Gio adds. “There’s no need to fly all the way back to Russia today.”

I shake my head. “No, we don’t want to intrude.”

“You’re not intruding,” he chuckles. “Be my guests. I’ll have the chef make a nice dinner. I’ve been saving a bottle of vodka imported from your neck of the woods just for an occasion like this. We’ll get
shit-faced,
have a good time. You’ll sleep it off and leave tomorrow afternoon. I will be utterly
insulted
if you turn that down. Sofia, too. We both insist.”

Yuri throws up his hands. “Well, when you put it that way, how can we say no? Of course, we’ll stay. I refuse to insult the lady of the house.”

Gio smirks. “Excellent.”

As if on some horrible cue, Sofia passes by the study doorway and my heart sinks even deeper in my chest.