Born in Blood Collection Volume 1 - Cora Reilly Page 0,90

bit lower. “I could lick you if you’re up for it.”

My core tightened and I really wanted to say yes. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Luca nodded and settled back against the pillows. The blanket crowded around his hips, revealing his muscled torso and the scars there.

I moved closer and propped myself up above him. I traced Luca’s scars, wondering what kind of stories hid behind each of them. I wanted to know all of them, wanted to figure Luca out scar by scar like a puzzle. Where did he get the long scar on his shoulder and the bullet wound below his ribs? Luca was doing his own exploring with his eyes, wandering over my breasts and face. He ran his thumb over my nipples. “Your breasts are fucking perfect.” His touch was more possessive than sexual, but I could feel it all the way between my legs anyway.

Trying to distract myself, I paused with my fingertips against a mostly faded scar on his abs. “Where did you get this scar?”

“I was eleven.” My eyes grew wide. I was pretty sure where the story was going. “The Famiglia wasn’t as united as it is now. A few men thought they could grab power by killing my father and his sons. It was the middle of the night when I heard screaming and shooting. Before I could get out of bed, a man stepped into the room and pointed his gun at me. I knew I’d die as I stared into the barrel. I wasn’t as scared as I thought I’d be. He would have killed me, if Matteo hadn’t jumped him from behind when he pulled the trigger. The bullet went a lot lower than it was supposed to and hit my middle. It hurt like a motherfucker. I was screaming and probably would have passed out if the man hadn’t turned on Matteo to kill him. I had a gun stashed in the drawer of my nightstand, took it out and put a bullet in the man’s head before he could kill Matteo.”

“That was your first murder, right?” I whispered.

Luca’s eyes, which had been lost in another time, focused on me. “Yeah. The first of many.”

“When did you kill again?”

“That same night.” He smiled humorlessly. “After that first man, I told Matteo to hide in my closet. He protested, but I was bigger and locked him in. By then I’d lost quite a bit of blood, but I was high on adrenaline and could still hear shooting downstairs, so I headed for the noise with my gun. My father was in a shooting match with two attackers. I came down the stairs but nobody paid me any attention, and then I shot one of them from behind. My father took the other down with a shot in the shoulder.”

“Why didn’t he kill him?”

“He wanted to question him to find out if there were other traitors in the Famiglia.”

“So what did he do with the guy while he took you to the hospital?”

Luca gave me a wry look. I gasped. “Don’t tell me he didn’t take you.”

“He called the Doc of the Famiglia, told me to put pressure on the wound and went ahead and started torturing the guy for information.”

I couldn’t believe a father would let his child suffer through pain and risk his life, so he could gather information.

“You could have died. Some things need to be treated in a hospital. How could he do that?”

“The Famiglia comes first. We never take our injured to a hospital. They ask too many questions and the police get involved, and it’s an admittance of weakness. And my father had to make sure the traitor spoke before he got a chance to kill himself.”

“So you agree with what he did? You would have watched someone you love bleed to death so you could protect the Famiglia and your power.”

“My father doesn’t love me. Matteo and I are his guarantee for power and a way to keep the family name alive. Love has nothing to do with it.”

“I hate this life. I hate the mafia. Sometimes I wish there was a way to escape.”

Luca’s face became still. “From me?”

“No,” I said, surprising myself. “From this world. Have you never wanted to live a normal life?”

“No. This is who I am, who I was born to be, Aria. It’s the only life I know, the only life I want. For me to commit to a normal life would be like an