Chapter 122
His breath was warn against her hair, his chest resting against her back, one of his arms wrapped protectively around her belly and their batry,
She shifted slightly. Her thighs were really aching now, and he groaned softly behind het.
“Don’t move yet,” he murmured. “I like this too much.”
“We smell like sex,” she said into his skin.
“We do,” he agreed without shame.
Her stomach growled softly, but before she could say anything, Luca shifted behind her, kissed her shoulder, and rolled to his feet. He walked around the bed and crouched beside her.
“What are you doing?”
“Carrying you to the bathroom.”
She blinked. “I can walk.”
He smirked. “You say that now.”
Before she could argue, he scooped her into his arms, one hand behind her back, the other beneath her thighs. She let out a quiet laugh and wrapped
her arms around his neck.
“Show off.”
“Absolutely.”
He carried her into the connected bathroom, still warm from the sun that filtered through the frosted glass windows.
Luca set her down gently, kissed her forehead, and turned the water on, setting the temperature. Sutton stood by the vanity, watching him, naked… She wasn’t sure if she should be self–conscious of her pregnant body. She had never worried about it before.
He walked back over to her, lifting a hand and running his fingers through her long hair.
“Still think you can walk?” he asked, voice low. “You seem to be using that vanity to hold yourself up.”
“Shut up,” she muttered, cheeks pink.
He smiled and kissed her gently before helping her step into the shower.
The water was the perfect temperature, warm but not too hot. It cascaded over her sore muscles like balm. She sighed and tipped her head back, letting it soak her hair. A moment later, Luca stepped in behind her, pressing close, his arms sliding around her waist.
They stayed like that for a minute, unmoving, the steam wrapping around them.
Then his hands moved up her sides, not really sexual… Not like she had the energy. More like he was relearning her body again. The changes.
He reached for the shampoo, lathered it in his palms, and massaged it into her hair. She leaned back into him, letting her head fall forward as his fingers worked her scalp. It was unhurried. Like he was enjoying it as much as she was. He had never washed her hair before because they had never been like
this before.
He rinsed her hair and did the same with conditioner. When he was done, she turned around to face him. His hair was already wet, plastered to his forehead.
“Your turn,” she said, grabbing the bottle and squirting a generous amount into her hands. Because she was tall, the height difference wasn’t that bad,
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Chapter 122
but he grinned and bent his knees, anyway.
She worked the shampoo through his hair. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.
“You could put me to sleep like this,” he mumbled.
She laughed and rinsed him off. Then they took turns washing each other’s bodies, hands sliding over slick skin, not with lust, but with familiarity. She washed his chest, his arms, his back. He washed her shoulders, her thighs, every curve.
By the time they stepped out and dried off, Sutton felt human again. Her skin was pink, clean. Her hair was wrapped in a towel. She padded barefoot through the bedroom, wrapped in one of his oversized towels until she found one of his white button–down work shirts slung over a chair.
She slipped it on without a second thought.
It swallowed her. The hem hit just above mid–thigh. The sleeves fell past her wrists. But it smelled like him, and that was enough. She buttoned it up and rolled up the sleeve.
“You look fucking hot like that. It makes me want to take you to bed.”
Her stomach growled, making her face turn pink.
Luca laughed. “Maybe I should feed you first.”
They ate lunch on the couch. It was grilled chicken, toast, fruit. Sutton perched cross–legged with her plate balanced on her knees. Luca sat beside her, one arm draped across the back of the couch, his eyes constantly drifting to her bare legs and the flash of thigh whenever she shifted.
She pretended not to notice at first until she thought he was a second away from touching
“Eyes up here, De Santis.”
He didn’t even flinch. “Hard to focus when you’re wearing that and nothing else.”
more appealing to wear than my clothes from yesterday. There is She popped a piece of mango into her mouth and smirked. “Not my fault your shirt is no way I’m putting on the underwear from yesterday.” That made Sutton freeze. “Did we pick up my underwear before leaving the office last… this morning?”
Luca laughed.
“It isn’t funny, Luca. I don’t remember. I don’t want the rest of the team to figure out what happened last night.” Sutton knew her cheeks were red.
He leaned over and kissed her. “Yes, I picked them up and put them in my pocket.”
Then, a knock sounded at the front door.
Luca stood sighing. “That’ll be the delivery.”
Sutton watched him cross the room, bare–chested, jeans slung low on his hips. She heard the door open, followed by the low murmur of voices.
He returned a few minutes later, holding a sleek garment bag and a couple of flat boxes.
“Clothes,” he said. “I asked them to bring a few options.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to.”
She slid off the couch and took the bag from him, laying it over the armrest.
Just then, Luca’s phone buzzed. And again. Repeatedly.
Chapter 122
He glanced at it, jaw tightening. “Nicole. She has rung about fifteen tim
Sutton looked up. “You should probably answer.”
since eight am.”
He hesitated.
“If you don’t,” she added, “she’ll get suspicious. We need her to think she got aw
with it.”
He held her gaze a second longer. Then exhaled and took the call.
“Nicole. Sorry I didn’t leave the office until early this morning… Yeah, I know… I made the decision last night to lock everyone but myself out of the system… Yes, including Sutton… I’ll be in the office within the hour. I’ll fix the problem when I get there… Nicole, I will see you when I get there.”
He ended the call and tossed the phone onto the coffee table in anger.
Sutton looked at him. “She didn’t suspect anything?”
“No. She sounded frustrated but nothing more. She thinks I’m still in the dark.”
“Good.”
Luca ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll call Jake before we head in.”
He picked up his phone again and dialed. It rang once before Jake picked up.
“Hey, boss. Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just checking in. I’ll be back at the office in less than an hour. I need you to keep everything calm and keep Nicole out of anything technical. Tell her I’m handling it personally.”
“Got it. You want me to keep an eye on her?”
“Just… be ready.” Luca liked that Jake didn’t ask a lot of questions.
“Copy that.”
Luca ended the call.
He trusted Jake. He had thought he could trust Nicole too.
That mistake was about to be corrected.
