Chapter 109
Sutton stood at the bus stop after her first day in the development team, which had been a whirlwind… no, the whole day had been a bloody tsunami of emotions, starting with the confrontation with Luca to proving herself to the skeptical dev team. At least she’d texted Blair earlier to confirm she was okay and to let her know she and Keira would still be coming over tonight.
The sky darkened ominously overhead, gray clouds. Perfect. It looked like rain. Great, this was all she needed to get wet to the skin. Just what she needed to end the day.
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, glancing at her phone to check the time. Her bus was already five minutes late. Other people waiting for buses huddled under the small shelter, everyone avoiding eye contact. It was the thing she hated most about the city.
The first drops of rain began to fall, spattering the sidewalk with dark circles. Sutton edged closer to the shelter.
A sleek black car slowed beside the curb, before the passenger side window rolled down. Sutton’s stomach tightened as Luca leaned across the passenger seat, his dark eyes on hers.
“Get in,” he ordered.
Sutton didn’t move. She was not impressed with his tone. “I’m taking the bus.”
“Sutton, it’s raining.” As if on cue, the rain started to speed up, cold drops sliding down her neck.
“Really, I would never have guessed without you pointing that out,” she shot back, pulling her jacket tighter. Several people at the bus stop were watching now, the little standoff and the expensive car catching attention. People really could be nosy.
Luca’s jaw tightened. He didn’t like her defying him. Well, tough. “Sutton, the longer you stand there arguing with me, the more likely someone from the office will see us. Or worse, the media could snap a photo. Do you really want that?”
Well, shit. The last thing she needed was to end up in some gossip column connected to Luca De Santis. No one in the USA had figured out yet she was Audrey. She wasn’t as well known as Luca, but if someone made the connection before, she had a chance to prove herself as a programmer… no thanks.
That thought had her glancing nervously toward the office building just down the road, where some employees were still coming out the main doors.
“Fine, whatever.” She huffed, moving toward the car, and yanked the door open. She hauled her pregnant, damp self into the low damn car like it didn’t piss her off every step of the way.
The interior was lovely and warm. It smelled of leather and Luca’s cologne and him, that familiar scent that used to cling to her skin after nights in his
arms.
To stop herself from thinking of that, she fastened her seatbelt, careful not to meet his eyes.
“Where to?” Luca asked, pulling into traffic.
Sutton glanced at him, surprised. “You don’t know where I live?”
“Listen, Sutton, I may have finally tracked you down, but I haven’t had time to find out everything.”
“Yet?” she replied, one eyebrow raised.
“Yet,” he agreed, not denying anything.
The word hung between them before Sutton gave him her address reluctantly, watching as he entered it into the car’s navigation system.
They drove in silence for a few blocks, raindrops racing each other across the windows, the wipers creating a hypnotic rhythm. Sutton could feel Luca’s gaze flicking to her every so often.
“You’re taking the bus every day?” he finally asked, disapproval in his voice.
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Chapter 109
“Yes. It’s convenient.”
“It’s not safe.”
Sutton turned to face him. “I’ve been taking public transportation my entire life, Luca. It’s perfectly safe.”
“You weren’t carrying my child before,” he pointed out, his knuckles whitening on the steering wheel.
“My child… our child,” she corrected automatically. “And I’m perfectly capable of managing my own transportation.”
“But you’re pregnant.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed. I thought it was just a food baby,” she deadpanned, resting a hand on her rounded belly. “Thanks for pointing out my mistake.
Luca made a frustrated sound. “This is no joking matter, Sutton. You shouldn’t be standing on crowded buses or subway platforms. What if someone bumps into you? What if you fall?”
“What if a meteor strikes Earth tomorrow? What if aliens invade?” She shook her head. “I can’t live my life based on what–ifs or maybes… the world still
goes around.”
“This isn’t about hypotheticals. It’s about you taking unnecessary risks with the baby.”
The baby kicked just then, a strong movement that made Sutton wince. Luca noticed immediately.
“Are you okay?” he asked, concern replacing irritation.
She should have guessed he would notice. “I’m fine. The baby’s just active today.” She rubbed I the spot gently. “Probably all the excitement due to my
emotions.”
Luca’s expression softened. “May I?” he asked, his voice suddenly uncertain, eyes flicking to her belly.
The request caught her off guard. Her instinct was to refuse, to keep that boundary firm. But something in his expression stopped her. The hunger in his eyes. The longing.
“Are you kidding? Not while you’re driving,” she said.
He nodded, returning his attention to the road, but the tension in the car had shifted.
The feeling made heat raise to Sutton’s cheeks. She turned her head to look out the window so he wouldn’t see. She couldn’t help her body’s need for
him.
“I’ll have a car service pick you up and drop you off,” Luca said after a moment. “Every morning and night.”
And just like that, the moment was gone. Life was like a balloon but one prick and it was gone. God, she felt like she was channeling Keira right now. The only difference is Keira would have said it, not just thought it.
“No.”
“Sutton…”
“I said no, Luca. I don’t need a car service. I don’t need you arranging my life for me.”
“This isn’t about arranging your life. It’s about taking care of
f you and our child.”
“I’ve been taking care of myself just fine without you, remember?” she said, the words sharper than she’d intended. “For months.”
Luca’s jaw locked together. “Because I didn’t know where you were.”
“Because you didn’t believe me,” she countered. “Because you called me a liar and a slut and walked out, You threw me away.
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Chapter 109.
Rain pounded against the windshield now, matching the intensity building between them.
“I made a mistake,” Luca said, his voice tight with restraint. “One I’ve regretted every day since. But I’m here now, and I’m trying to do the right thing
“The right thing would be respecting what I want.”
“Even when those decisions put you at risk?”
“I’m not at risk!” Sutton exploded. “I’m pregnant, not made of glass. Millions of women take public transportation while pregnant. Every single day
“But they’re not carrying my child,” Luca insisted.
“God, you’re impossible,” Sutton muttered, rubbing her temples where a headache was forming. “This is exactly why I should just say no to your proposal, too. You think you can just waltz back into my life and start making demands?”
“I’m not making demands, I’m offering support.“,
“Support I didn’t ask for!”
“Because you’re too stubborn to admit you need it! Plus, you are still making me suffer.”
The car jerked to a stop in front of her building. Neither moved.
Rain drummed on the roof, Sutton’s chest rose and fell rapidly, her face flushed with anger and something else, something she didn’t want to acknowledge.
“I don’t want to fight with you,” Luca said finally, his voice softer. “I just want to help.”
“I don’t need your help. Like I told you, I have been just fine without you,” Sutton replied, but the fire had gone out of her words. She was tired. So tired of fighting, of holding everything together alone.
Luca turned to face her. “Maybe you don’t. But I need to give it. Can you understand that? I’ve missed six months of this pregnancy. Six months I can never get back. Let me do this, Sutton. Not because you need it, but because I have to.”
Something in his voice, the raw honesty of it, reached past her defenses. She looked at him, really looked, and saw the regret etched in the lines around his eyes, the tension in his shoulders.
“I can’t just forget what happened,” she said quietly.
“I’m not asking you to,” Luca replied. “I’m asking for a chance
make up
for it.”
The baby kicked again, harder this time, making Sutton gasp.
With ne
she reached for Luca’s hand and placed it on the spot.
His eyes widened as he felt the movement beneath his palm. Something profound crossed his face, emotions she could understand… wonder, awe, vulnerability. The emotions so naked she had to look away.
“Our baby,” his hand warm through her clothes.
Sutton nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. She’d imagined this moment differently, back when they were together. Back when she thought they might just have a future before that last day in the apartment.
The baby kicked again, right against Luca’s hand, and a smile broke across his
Ads joy spread across his features.
Sutton unbuckled her seatbelt, suddenly needing to get out of the car and away from him… this, them and the past.
But as she reached for the door handle, Luca’s hand caught her wrist, gently turning her back toward him. His eyes were dark, intense, fixed on her face like she was the only thing in the world.
“Sutton,” he said, her name a caress on his lips.
Chapter 109
Before she could respond, he pulled her into his arms, his mouth finding hers urgently. The kiss was desperate, hungry, months of longing, not just ha
but hers.
Sutton’s hands came up to push against his chest, a token resistance that melted as his tongue traced the seam of her lips. She’d missed this, missed him more than she wanted to admit. Her body remembered his, responded to his, even as her mind screamed caution.
His hands tangled in her hair, angling her head to deepen the kiss. She made a small sound in the back of her throat. Part surrender, part protest. Luca growled in response, the vibration sending shivers down her spine.
For one breathless moment, the world outside ceased to exist. There was only this his mouth on hers, his hands in her hair, the baby moving between
them.
Reality crashed back in the form of her phone, buzzing insistently in her pocket. Sutton broke the kiss, panting slightly, her lips tingling.
“I can’t do this,” she whispered, pulling away. “Not again.”
Luca’s eyes were dark with desire, his breathing uneven. “Sutton…”
“No.” She shook her head. “I need… time. This is… too much, too fast. There may never be another us, Luca. You have to accept that.”
He didn’t try to stop her as she opened the door, the cool rain a shock against her heated skin.
“The car service,” he said as she stepped out. “Just… think about it. Please.”
Sutton hesitated, before nodding, saying. “I’ll think about it.”
She closed the door and hurried toward her building, feeling his eyes on her back the entire way.
Keira: Where are you?
Sutton leaned against the wall. Lifting her hand to touch her fingers to her lips, where she could still feel the pressure of Luca’s kiss. God.
She texted back: Just got home.
