The atmosphere in the boardroom was still heavy with the tension Luca had left behind. It clung to the air like a ghost, thick and inescapable. I could still feel the imprint of his presence—his voice, his gaze, the heat that pulsed between us in that office.
I swallowed, gripping the edge of the sleek glass table in front of me. I needed a second. A breath. A moment to collect myself before I did something stupid... like replay every second of that meeting and analyze the way his voice had curled around my name, the way his eyes had darkened just slightly when he looked at me.
My first official meeting at Valencia Enterprises was starting, and I had to pull it together. The other executives were already settling into their seats, their conversations hushed but efficient. I moved to the far end of the table, keeping my expression neutral as I pulled out my chair.
Ariana was already seated directly across from me, her green eyes flickering with something unreadable as she traced the rim of her coffee cup with a slow, deliberate motion.
I ignored her. I had bigger problems. Luca Valencia .
Talk of the devil himself!
He walked in so graciously that even the silence could feel his presence. How can one human, one being, one man, carry so much confidence and graciousness? How can one man be so damn hot, intelligent and successful?
I forced myself to keep my breathing steady. He was in a different suit now. Charcoal. Crisp. Effortless.
But it wasn't the suit that did it. It wasn't the tailored perfection or the way it hugged his powerful frame. It was him. The way he moved. The way he carried power in his silence, in the careful way his gaze skimmed the room before locking onto me.
And fuck, when it did? I felt my breath seize in that moment.
He walked in like he owned the world, maybe he did. Every conversation died the moment he stepped inside, the weight of his authority settling over the room like a second layer of oxygen.
Luca lowered himself into the head chair, his gaze dragging from me to Ariana before flicking back again, just for a second.
Ariana to noticed and it was enough for her smirk to sharpen. I clenched my hands in my lap. She wanted me to react, to care.
I didn't. No! I wouldn't give her the satisfaction.
So I dropped my gaze to the notes in front of me, pretending like my pulse wasn't hammering against my skin, like the heat licking up my spine wasn't real.
But it was.
And so was the way Luca's eyes lingered when he thought no one was watching.
So I dropped my gaze to the notes in front of me, pretending like my pulse wasn't hammering against my skin, like the heat licking up my spine wasn't real.
But it was.
And so was the way Luca's eyes lingered when he thought no one was watching.
---
The meeting had just ended.
I heaved a long sigh I didn't know I was holding, hurriedly gathered my notes and headed towards the elevator. The elevator doors glided shut, enclosing me in silence. Just me.
After what felt like hours which in reality was about 5 secs, the elevator opened and it was "Him".
Me. Him. In an elevator, alone. No one else. Just the two of us.
Luca walked in without paying me a glance or maybe I just didn't notice it.
And then I felt the shift before it happened.
The slow burn of awareness. The heat that hadn't left me since that office.
Luca didn't look at me at first. His posture was relaxed, one hand in his pocket, the other adjusting the cuff of his sleeve. But I knew better. I knew when a man was too still, when restraint was being worn like armor.
And Luca? He was wired.
I could feel it radiating off him, charging the air between us like a live wire. The tension was unbearable.
I could feel it radiating off him, charging the air between us like a live wire. The tension was unbearable.
I should say something. Anything. But my throat was dry, and my mind was still reeling from the fact that we were alone.
'What's going on?' I keep asking myself this question. Never in my Twenty-two years on earth has any man had this much effect on me. I met him for the first time today and what?? My heart's raced longer than I've ever ran in this life, together combined.
The elevator hummed as it descended drifting me out of my mental battles, the soft whir of machinery filling the silence.
Then, he moved. Not fast. Not sudden. Just intentional.
A fraction of an inch.
There was a shift of his stance. He was much closer than he has ever being with me. We were much closer. I could feel our skins touching.
It shouldn't have felt like a touch.
But it did. I felt it everywhere. The subtle heat of him, the raw masculine presence that filled the space like a second gravity.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay still, to not react. His voice was quiet when he spoke, but it carried the weight of something heavier. Something dangerous.
"You handled yourself well today." He finally spoke since we've been in the elevator.
My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag. "I was just doing my job." My bag was crying from all the strong holdings I have been giving it in less than 12 hours.
Luca's lips curved. Just a little. Not quite a smirk. But enough.
"You surprise me, Bella." The way he said my name.Good Lord. Like he was tasting it.
I willed my pulse to stay steady. It didn't work, not even in the slightest.
"I wasn't trying to." I said, timidly
Luca exhaled through his nose, a slow, measured sound that shouldn't have done anything to me.
But it did. It sent heat curling through my stomach, pooling in places I refused to acknowledge.
The numbers on the panel ticked down. It was too slow. I was mentally crying. I desperately needed out. I needed air.
And then... The elevator jolted to a stop.
My breath caught. The lights flickered once, then steadied, leaving us in the same space. The same unbearable, suffocating heat.
I sucked in a sharp breath, trying to stay calm. "What just happened?"
Luca didn't answer right away. His head tilted slightly, listening. A frown creased his brow. Then, he turned to me.
And just like that, there was no space left. The way his body hovered just close enough to trap the air between us, to let me feel the heat radiating off him. The scent of him was all-consuming, a mix of expensive cologne and something darker. Something undeniably male.
He was too close. Or maybe not close enough.
And then he spoke, his voice quieter this time. "Looks like we're stuck."
A single pulse of heat rolled down my spine. I felt it. I hated that I felt it.
And then it clicked to me.. We are stuck. Great! Perfecto!
I forced a breath through my nose. "Can you fix it?" He watched me for a long second. Too long. Long enough to notice things.
Like the way my chest rose and fell too fast. Like the way my fingers clenched around the strap of my bag, white-knuckled and restless.
Luca's gaze went lower. There was this heat, I have no explanation for it... but there was something between us, something like a slow, consuming burn crawling over my skin, branding its way down my throat, my collarbone— it went lower, slower , my legs clenched. I swallowed hard. "I could call someone." His voice was deep, rough.
And then— The smallest, most damning movement. His hand, barely brushing the side of my arm... And I'll be damned!
It was a simple touch. A nothing touch. But I felt it everywhere. My stomach clenched. My thighs pressed together.
I needed out. Now!!
I turned to face the panel, reaching for the emergency button, but Luca moved first. And suddenly, his hand was on mine. It fits perfectly. They were firm, warm and held me still.
My breath hitched and it dawned on me that the elevator wasn't the problem anymore. Luca's eyes flickered with something unreadable. Something dangerous. Something forbidden.
This was a forbidden touch and we both knew it.