Luca's POV

I dried my hair off with a towel and chucked it on the floor as I collapsed into my bed. The sun had long since set, leaving just the slight glow of the moon illuminating the snow outside.

I sighed, turning on the bedside lamp and leaning back onto my pillows. I was confused and I was hurt all at the same time. Keeley's face earlier just about destroyed me. Everything had been great. We had laughed, we had smiled, we had kissed, and we had danced. It had become hard lately to find time that could be spent with just the two of us, and when we finally did, it ended in flames.

I can't even describe the look that had crossed Keeley's face. She had gone from cloud nine to absolutely shell-shocked in a matter of seconds. Her breathing became heavy and quick as her golden eyes focused somewhere that wasn't the living room.

I wanted to run after her, hell, I tried. The only thing that stopped me was Brady. He didn't give me an option as he told me that I wouldn't be able to help Keeley at that moment. He told me he was sorry, but he couldn't let me go upstairs to see her, he wouldn't allow it.

And so I watched as Keeley's best friend chased after her to comfort her. It should have been me up there helping her, but I fucking couldn't and it pissed me off. What could he provide her that I couldn't? I get it that I had known her for far less time than Brady had, but it still should have been me.

And when she flinched away from my hand that was reaching out to help her, I felt as if a part of my heart had shattered at that moment. To think she believed I would ever lay a hand on her made me feel shitty about myself and made me second guess the entire nature of our relationship.

For as long as I've been with Keeley, things have come easily. Whether it be trust, comfort, or love, it just happened. Hell, the day I met Keeley the conversations between us never turned awkward and we consistently had things to talk about. I wasn't used to not knowing what was going on with her. Of course, I'm aware of the fact that she has secrets and pains she would rather not share, but I at least thought she would tell me when things became too much. I thought she would never walk out on me, as she did tonight, without an explanation.

I had stood in the living room alone for a few minutes after everything had happened, wondering to myself where I went wrong. Our families eventually wandered in and I couldn't even look at them without feeling some sort of tug in my chest. I walked off and had come to my room, staying there till now: four agonizingly long hours later, slightly past midnight.

I reached up and rubbed my eyes, willing sleep to come, but I knew it wouldn't. Sleep, for me, was never easy. No matter how exhausted I was, when I laid down my head at night, I could never succumb to the peaceful oblivion that the darkness brings. My mind wandered from topic to topic, from murder to murder. The faces of the people I had killed drowned my thoughts in silent screams and their pleas for life.

But it all changed when I met Keeley. I suddenly found napping and sleeping easier when I laid with her, or even just knowing she was right down the hall made my body rest. It made sleeping easier because I knew that I would be able to see her quicker if I fell asleep this second. Sleeping was easier because thoughts of her consumed my mind rather than the demons who lurked in the shadows of my head.

I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that we were both hurting, and I didn't want to go to her in case she wasn't ready to talk.

I'm not sure how long I tossed and turned, but when I heard three soft rasps on my door, I was up in an instance.

I yanked open my door and was met with the girl who would no doubt always manage to take my breath away. Although tonight, her amber eyes were red and teary and her beautiful blonde hair was matted down and knotted together. The radiance that I usually felt when she entered the room was dull, like there was no sign of it ever existing.

It looked like she was only in a large t-shirt that reached her knees, and it pained me to see her shirt wrinkled and splotchy, more than likely from the tears she had shed. Keeley had her arms hugging her body, almost as if she was trying to hold herself together and prevent herself from collapsing. She wasn't standing strong and seemed to wish herself smaller, which was very different to me.

I had seen Keeley cry on different accounts, but something about this was different. No matter how saddened she felt, Tesoro managed to keep herself up and moving forward, never fretting too long on any particular thing. But here she was, four hours later, her eyes glossy with unshed tears and shoulders still slightly shaking.

I waited for her to say something first, her mouth opening and closing multiple times before she dared looking up to meet my eyes. And when she did, another piece of my heart shattered as I could actually sense the amount of hurt and pain she was in.

The corner of her lips quivered as her voice croaked.

"Luca?"

Her tears began again as I pulled her inside my room, shutting the door and locking it. She apologized over and over again while I wrapped her in my arms and held on to her for dear life. I managed to move us over to my bed, and when I sat down, I found Keeley immediately wrapping her legs around my torso and her arms around my neck, squeezing me in a hug that tells me she needs me as much as I need her.

I kissed her forehead and rubbed my palm up and down her scarred back until all that was left were the sounds of her sniffles and uneven breaths.

When she pulled her head away from my neck, I cupped her cheek with my hand and used the pad of my thumb to wipe away the remaining tears.

"I'm sorry for what happened earlier," she whispered while running her hand through my damp hair.

"Keeley, you don't have to-" I began, but she was quick to cut me off.

"No, I do," she spoke adamantly. I tightened my hold on her as she leaned back from my bare chest. "I do have to apologize because you in no way deserved to be treated like that. I want you to know, I need you to know that I trust you and I know that you would never lay a hand on me. I just, that song-"

"Keeley, baby, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I know you don't like to talk about it," I told her softly before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

I know Keeley has a dark past, one she doesn't like. And if it hurts her too much to speak about it, I'd rather she would wait until she was ready and not now when she feels like she has to say anything.

Tesoro tilted her head to the side, almost as if she was trying to sort out some puzzle. I watched the corners of her mouth tip up slightly as a saddened smile made its way onto her face. Her stunningly amber eyes had lost some of the pain in them and took on a look that I liked much better, one of love.

It was times like these when it hits me that Keeley is hurting just as much, if not more, than I am. She doesn't openly talk about the demons that plague her thoughts, nor does she ever act like they bother her. I guess you could say we both have that in common.

It's just that when I look at her, I can't help but view her as the epitome of grace, strength, and beauty all combined into one imperfectly perfect person. I often forget that people like Keeley always have pain behind their smiles and screams behind their laughs.

"You are so good to me, Luca," Keeley whispers breaking the silence that had fallen over us. "But you deserve to know part of my life when it constantly interferes with yours."

I went to say something, but she moved one of her hands that was playing with my hair to cover my mouth. She gently shook her head before continuing.

"That song was a big part of my life for a while. There is a lot of pain, but also a lot of good memories behind it. I hadn't heard it in a long time, and when it played today, all the memories, both the good and the bad, came crashing down on me. It was a lot to take in, and I'm sorry for reacting the way I did."

I didn't hesitate to pull Keeley even closer to me as I buried my face in her neck and grabbed onto her sides that were hidden by her shirt. I know that I could say something or tell Keeley everything is okay, but without actually showing her, I have a feeling she'd have a hard time believing it.

"It's okay, Tesoro," I murmur into her neck.

"I love you, Luca."

"I love you too."

I felt her delicate hands cup my jaw and bring my face up to hers. I gave her a smile before placing the softest of kisses on her pink lips.

When I went to pull away, Keeley caught me off guard by pressing herself into me and deepening our kiss, not that I was going to complain though.

I tilted my head as I licked the seam of her lips for permission. She didn't give it to me. Instead, I felt her hold tighten around my neck as she held back a cheesy grin more than likely at my impatience. I love Keeley with all my heart, I do, and I always want to see her stand her ground. But when it comes to her and me, she knows I like to take control, and that girl, she likes to tease.

I bit at her bottom lip, causing her to open her mouth and I didn't hesitate to slip my tongue in. There was nothing hurried about our kiss. Rather than trying to rush it and get my hands all over her, I savored the touch of her lips on my own as she intoxicated me. And when she leaned in more, I moved from her mouth to her jaw and down her neck, tracing the pattern I had kissed her in just hours earlier.

I smiled against the spot on her neck where I had left a mark, knowing damn well that the moment someone in this house sees I'll be dead. But I couldn't really find it in me to care as I felt Keeley's nails drag down my neck and chest. She took me by surprise as she pressed on my chest, sending both of us backwards as she landed straddled across my hips.

I held back a groan as she took over and trailed her mouth down my neck and over my bare chest. I gripped onto her hips tighter, feeling the little control I have starting to leave my body as hers presses into mine. Her blonde hair is falling down and spilling across my skin, the lightness of it sending shivers down my spine.

I couldn't handle her lips not being on my own any longer as I braced my hand against her chin and the top of her neck. I pulled her up and flipped us over, causing a small squeal of surprise to leave her pink lips. I tilted her head up to gain better access as I pressed my hips to hers. I slowed our kiss and lost myself in not only the way her lips danced with my own, but the way her smooth legs wrapped around me. I could feel one of her delicate hands combing through my hair, the other messing with the silver chain around my neck.

A moan escaped my mouth as I felt her thighs squeeze around me and her fingers twisting in my hair. I used an arm to prop me up as the other ran down the length of her sides and across her stomach, aching to feel her skin against my own. I teased with the hem of her oversized shirt, pulling back from her lips and looking into her amber eyes that were wild with lust.

"I know that you aren't comfortable with more and that is completely okay," I whisper, "but may I do this?"

I tug at the end of her shirt while reading her eyes. Keeley's eyes are bearing right back into mine and her lips are slightly swollen from our kiss.

I watch as she slowly nods her head. I have to calm my breathing as I lean back onto my legs and use both of my hands to gently pull her shirt up. It passes her thighs and then her waist, showing me that I was correct in the fact she had no shorts on. Black lace covered her hips and I let my eyes wander from the top of the lace and up her stomach, taking in the way the dark ink on her left side made her skin that much more pale.

I continued easing the shirt up and I eventually pulled it over her breasts and over her head, tossing the shirt somewhere off to the side. I inhaled sharply as I sat back and raked my eyes over the beautiful woman lying in front of me on my bed.

Her matching bralette left little to the imagination as it cut lower than anything I had seen her wear, and dammit, I was feeling all sorts of things.

Keeley's whiteish hair spilled all over my pillow and her pink lips were slightly open. I watched as her almost bare chest would rise and fall, and the paleness of her skin contrasted the floral ink on her sides and the little black lace that covered her. I scanned my eyes down her torso and down her legs, almost breathless at how stunning she actually is.

I saw her hands move to cover her, and I immediately took both of them in one of my own and pinned them above her head. I leaned over her and the feeling of her chest on mine had my body going crazy.

"Dammit, Keeley, you're so fucking gorgeous," I whispered while leaning down and giving her lips a brief but possessive kiss. "So fucking gorgeous."

I feel her moan against my lips as I kiss her hard and slow, pressing myself further into her and dragging my free hand down her stomach and up over the side of her breasts. I soak in the feeling of her skin against my own and the warm smell of her body. I take in the way the skin on her sides is slightly raised from scars to the way her hands strain against my own, begging to be let go so she can touch me.

Keeley is intoxicating in every way and any way possible. My body is drunk on her touch and high on the sounds of the small sighs that escape her lips. She's hypnotizing from the way she moves to the subtle look of bliss that covers her face when I reluctantly pull away. I relish in the radiance that has found her again, and it warms me right down to the core.

We both lie there a moment, each of us breathing heavily and neither of us willing to move away. I study her face as she slowly opens her hooded eyes and gives me the most breathtaking smile I've ever seen from her. I smile back before placing a final peck on her lips and rolling off of her, releasing her hands in the process.

The moment my back hits the bed, she's pressed into my side and tangling her legs with my own. I wrap her into my arms and don't let go, afraid that if I do, I'll never experience a high like this again. It's quiet as we both slow our breathing and embrace each other. Me, holding onto her for dear life, and Keeley tracing one of her hands in circles across my chest, every so often running my necklace through her fingers.

"Did you mean what you said?" her faint voice whispered in the darkness. I tilted my head down to look at her where her head was lying on my chest.

"Which part, baby?"

Her head slanted up to meet my curious gaze as I brushed the hair from her face.

"The part where you said I'm pretty," she spoke, her voice coming out meekly and her eyes filling with worry.

"No," I tell her and her face instantly falls. She begins to retract herself from me but I let out a low chuckle and pull her back.

"Luca, I don't-" she begins to protest but I immediately cut her off.

"I don't think you're just pretty, Keeley. I think you are fucking gorgeous and by far the most magnificent woman I have ever set my eyes on. You're so much more than just pretty."

She smiles and scoots up so her head is laying closer to mine, her almost naked body pressing into me. I lazily run a hand up and down her side as I feel her release a breath.

"That was such a bitchy move," she mumbles and it causes me to let out a hearty laugh that fills the quiet around us.

"I have no idea what you mean, Tesoro," I tease her, embracing the way she is smiling again. I know that what happened tonight has drained her and that it will not instantly go away, but seeing a true smile on her face makes me feel better and I know she does too.

"You, my love, are a tease."

"Me?" I gasp. "If anyone's a tease, it's you."

And that's how the rest of the night goes: us going back and forth, laughing, talking, kissing, embracing each other. I don't think she quite understands how much I love her and the way her laugh sounds. Or how she doesn't understand that her smile makes me feel good and her overall aura is contagious.

To me, it's impossible not to love Keeley. And I plan on loving her and only her.

Till the day I die.

***

Keeley's POV

I wake up to the sound of Luca's soft snores filling the room. I blink my eyes open, and when I go to rub the sleep away, I'm suddenly aware of a weight lying on my chest. I glance down to see a mess of ebony hair splayed out across my skin.

I smile at Luca's sleeping form, his arms wrapped around my torso and his head resting on my chest. My very bare chest might I add.

I feel warm and tingly all over, and much better than I did yesterday. I know Luca doesn't fully understand, I don't expect him to, but I can't even describe the way I felt when he pulled me into his arms. I felt as if things were actually going to be okay. It was okay that I wasn't okay.

I lazily ran a hand through Luca's tangled hair and used my free hand to trace shapes onto his bare skin. It was a step for me to be so vulnerable in front of him last night, both with my emotions and with my physical self. I hadn't been so exposed to somebody since the last time I was with Adrik.

Being with Luca was different than ever being with Adrik. Adrik would continuously push me to talk about my problems and what was bothering me. He was determined to fix it for me, whereas Luca would no doubt fix things with me. Luca pushed me to do things he knew I could, and stepped back and supported me when I couldn't. He was understanding.

And while, yes, I loved to dance with Adrik, there's just something different about dancing with Luca. There's more passion, more emotion, more freedom with him. Luca will take the lead, but it doesn't feel that way. It feels as if we are equals.

I smile to myself as I watch Gnocco's eyes flutter open, hazy with sleep. It takes him a moment before he gets his bearings and lifts his head to meet my eyes, a lazy grin taking up his face.

"So that wasn't a dream," he mumbles to himself, and I can't help but laugh. I look at him as he turns his gaze from my face to my chest, his smile growing more than I thought was possible.

"Holy shit, that was not a dream," he mumbles while placing small kisses on my breasts and up my chest, slowing when he gets to my neck and finally stopping when his lips land on mine.

I smile into the kiss as he laughs and pulls away from me, his hair sticking up in every direction.

"No, it was not," I tell him softly.

"Hey, Luca! Where- why is the door locked?" I hear Giovanni call from outside the door.

I watch as Luca's eyes go wide, mine probably doing the same. The doorknob jiggles and Luca scrambles off the bed to fetch me my shirt.

I do my best to throw it on and smooth my hair, trying not to burst out into laughter as Luca trips over something on the floor and hits the ground. He stands up a bit disoriented and rubs his nose.

"Have you seen-" oh shit.

Luca throws the door open and I don't dare move.

"-Keeley," a surprised Nick says. He and Gio walk slowly into the room, both with a look of shock on their faces, although I think Nick's is laced with horror.

They look from me to Luca and back again, both taking in the ratty state of my hair