Page 73 of Read This Before the Villain falls in Love with You

I sit on the edge of the bed with the folder open across my knees and try to remember how to breathe like a person who is not currently losing herself.

The shower groan as the water shuts off. The bathroom door swings open on a cloud of steam, and Luca steps through with a dark towel knotted at his hips, droplets tracing the hard lines of his chest down past his ribs. His gaze drops straight to the open folder across my bare knees. His brow doesn't twitch. He just reaches up with a smaller towel, scrubbing at his wet dark hair while his eyes stay locked on the papers in my lap.

"You went through my things." He stops dead in the center of the room, water dripping from his shoulders as his dark eyes pin me in place.

I shake the top paper at him. "You dug into my entire life first. Tell me what this is before I lose my temper."

"Your business would have gone under in two days without help." He dries his hair with the towel, unbothered by my shouting. "Your assistant was ready to set fire to your landlord's car. Someone had to step in."

I cross my arms tight. "Amelia wouldn't set a fire. She'd pay someone online to pop the tires and expense it to the office."

Luca tosses the towel over an armchair. "She tried to bribe a detective with fresh bread. I had to pull two guards just to stop her from sending food."

I slap the file against my knee, eyes wide. "Help? You sent armed guards to London pretending to be Italian businessmen looking at commercial real estate. Dad made them minestrone and sent them home with sourdough starter!"

A faint twitch tugs at the corner of Luca's mouth. "Your father actually made them roast beef on Sunday. He insisted Sal looked malnourished and forced him to pack half a lemon drizzle cake for the drive."

"That cake takes Dad four hours to bake," I whisper, my fingers tightening on the edges of the page as warmth blooms behind my ribs. "You kept them completely safe, and you let them think you were just harmless executives passing through."

Luca pulls on black lounge pants, ignoring his shirt completely. "I kept your family safe. You weren't supposed to know until you were back home in London, free to hate me without feeling bad about it."

"Hate you." I drop the thick folder onto the bed. "Luca, your guards dragged me across Europe because Matteo can't tell two sirens apart. Then you spent a fortune making sure my mom could write her book in peace. That is strange behavior for a kidnapper."

"I take care of things." He walks straight toward me, warm and smelling like cedar. "You stay safe. Your family stays safe. What happens in this bed is just making the best of it."

"Put that on a poster, you maniac." I look up into his steady face. "Making the best of it? Is that what you call shoving me against the wall before dinner?"

"Nora." His voice drops an octave, striking that resonant pitch that makes my stomach do a slow, dangerous roll.

"I make jokes when I'm stressed, leave me alone." I tuck my shaking hands under my legs. "You handled everything. Every single day. Even while I was yelling, threatening and planning my escape."

Luca sits down beside me on the mattress, his warm bare shoulder touching mine. "Matteo earned every threat you gave him. You didn't ask to get pulled into my war. Keeping your world from falling apart was the bare minimum."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I study the tight line of his jaw. "Anyone else would have thrown it in my face right away."

"Because I didn't want you to feel like you owed me." He reaches over and takes my chin between his fingers, keeping my eyes on his. "I don't buy your feelings. I wanted you safe, not indebted."

My breath catches, rough and uneven, as his thumb rests against the pulse jumping in my throat. I swallow hard, my ribs aching under the quiet, steady weight of his hand, until the sharp retort on my tongue dissolves into nothing.

"I'm about to do something stupid." The words come out before I can stop them.

"What kind of stupid?" He tilts his head, his dark eyes locking onto mine with sharp interest.

"I'm giving up control." I stand up from the bed, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Not because you forced me, but because you took care of my family when you had no reason to care. Tonight, you're in charge. Completely."

"Tell me what you mean." He goes dead still, watching me like a hawk. "Be clear, little bird."

"Tie my hands. Set the pace. Don't let me run the room for once." I keep my chin high and stare right back at him. "If you can't handle it, tell me now and I'll go back to complaining about you over breakfast."

"I can handle you." He stands up off the bed, placing his big hands on both sides of my face. "The second you say red, everything stops. Right away. Understood?"

"Red means stop." I lean into his warm hands with a small smirk. "Aside from that, do whatever you want with me."

"You're out of your mind." A low chuckle rumbles in his chest, breaking his strict expression for a second.

"And you paid my office electric bill." I hold his gaze, refusing to look away.

"Get on the bed. Clothes off. Hands over your head." He gives the order in a quiet, firm voice, kissing me hard on the mouth before stepping back.