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He snickered. “My approach is effective.”
“Not quite,” I remarked.
He stared into my eyes for the longest few seconds of my life. When Luca looked at me, it was as if he stared through me. Like he was searching my soul.
Of all the Salvatore boys, he was my biggest weakness. The one I wanted the most because I couldn’t have him. He never let me get too close. Never wanted me to see the darkness inside him, even though he couldn’t hide from me.
That was my skill.
I could draw the truth out of anyone. With the swipe of my brush, I told the world stories about all of them. My handsome princes. The men I couldn’t imagine living my life without now that we had formed those bonds.
Since he didn’t recoil from my touch, I took that as a sign I could let my hands wander. Luca often looked disgusted by any form of affection. He hated intimacy and made that abundantly clear over the years. So it surprised me when he didn’t push my hands off his chest. I moved them higher and wrapped my arms around his neck.
Luca lifted my feet off the ground, his lips inches from mine. We looked into each other’s eyes and breathed against each other’s lips. I thought he would kiss me, but of course, he pulled his head back and set my feet on the floor.
“I have to ask you something.”
He peeled his hands from my waist and got on one knee as he reached into his pocket. A dark blue box sat in his palm. I gasped as he opened the top, revealing a massive round diamond. It twinkled when the light hit it just right. The ring must have cost him a small fortune.
“Drea,” he said as he held out the box for me to get a better look at the ring. “Will you marry me?”
Istared at Luca down on one knee in front of me. He held out the most gorgeous diamond ring I had ever seen. I blinked a few times to clear my vision. Because this had to be a dream.
But it was so real.
No one spoke a word as they awaited my response. This wasn’t how I thought I would get engaged. Luca definitely wasn’t the man I thought I would marry.
When I was a girl, I dreamed of marrying a handsome prince who would sweep me off my feet. That was how I escaped all the trauma. I had to believe in fairy tales and things that didn’t exist. Then, I grew up and realized the world was full of monsters, and that people are never what they seem.
As I considered Luca’s proposal, I thought about my last year at Astor Prep. Luca treated me like shit and did horrible things to me. Of all the Salvatores, I wanted him most. But I also hated him the most.
If it were Marcello or Bastian on their knees, I wouldn’t have thought twice. I would have taken the ring from his hand and said yes. Even Damian would have been a better choice. At least he was trying to make the past up to me.
I bit the inside of my cheek as I looked down at him, knowing he was going to flip the fuck out when I shook my head. “No.”
Luca shot up from the floor so fast I had to step back to create some space between us. His nostrils flared as he glared at me. “Why the fuck not?”
“Regardless of what happened last night, I still hate you.”
His jaw clenched so tightly it looked like it would snap in half. “What the fuck is your problem now?”
“You.” I took another step backward toward the living room. “Why is it so hard for you to understand? Have you forgotten how horribly you’ve treated me?”
“Bash and Damian did worse things to you.” He sneered, hands balled into fists at his sides. “I never even touched you.”
“No, you just fucked every girl at school and made me watch. Made your brothers hold me down as you bent those skanky cheerleaders over the sink in the bathroom. Forced me to see who knows how many blow jobs. I will never forget the shit you did to me.”
“Get over it.” He stuffed the ring into his pocket and rolled his eyes. “That was years ago.”
“I hate you, Luca.” My arms flew up in the air, my skin burning with flames. “I don’t know if I will ever forgive you.”
“He’s not the same asshole from high school,” Bastian said in his defense.
I angled my body to look at Bastian and pointed my finger at him. “No, don’t stick up for Luca. Nothing you say will redeem him in my eyes.”
“Why not, Cherry?” He leaned forward on the couch, his elbows on his knees, as he glanced at me with one of his sexy smirks. “Luca’s done a lot of good shit for you.”
“Was he doing good things for me when he woke me up in the middle of the night at Wellington Manor? When he made The Serpents chase me through Beacon Bay.”
