The dock was quiet now, the distant echo of waves washing over the night air. Alessia's heart still pounded from the chaos—the gunfire, the adrenaline, the sharp, dangerous thrill of standing beside Luca in the shadowed docks.
Luca guided her toward a secluded terrace nearby, away from the remaining guards and the faint hum of the city beyond. His grip on her hand was firm, protective, and Alessia felt a rush of heat that had nothing to do with the adrenaline.
"You're reckless," he said, voice low, teasing, yet edged with concern.
"I could say the same about you," she shot back, her own voice trembling slightly, betraying her racing pulse.
He smiled faintly, the tension between them thick and unspoken. "I don't do reckless," he murmured. "I do calculated risk. And tonight… you risked everything."
Alessia swallowed hard, trying to keep her composure. "I didn't think. I just… acted."
"That's exactly why I notice you," he whispered, stepping closer. His fingers brushed hers, and her skin tingled. "You don't follow rules. You follow yourself."
Her chest tightened. She wanted to step back—but every instinct in her body urged her forward. Her eyes met his, and for the first time, Alessia realized how close they'd become—not just in proximity, but in trust, in shared danger, in the unspoken pull that neither could ignore.
Without thinking, she reached up, touching the side of his face. Luca leaned into her touch, green eyes dark and intense. The tension was electric.
"I can't pretend I don't feel this," he murmured. "Not tonight. Not after everything."
Alessia's breath hitched. "Luca…" she whispered, voice trembling with a mixture of fear and desire.
He leaned closer, so close that their foreheads almost touched. The scent of him—warm, sharp, intoxicating—filled her senses. She could feel his heartbeat, steady and strong, mirrored by her own.
Slowly, deliberately, he brushed his lips against hers. Just a featherlight touch at first, testing, measuring. Alessia responded instinctively, pressing slightly closer, feeling the warmth of him radiate through her.
The world shrank to that moment: the salt air, the faint scent of the docks, the shared heat of two hearts racing in sync.
He pulled back just slightly, resting his forehead against hers. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Alessia nodded, breathless. "I'm sure. But… careful. I'm not someone to be taken lightly."
Luca smiled faintly, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Good. I wouldn't want you any other way."
They stayed that way for a long moment, close, connected, the chaos of the docks fading behind them. Alessia realized that the adrenaline from the night, the danger, the fear—it had only drawn them closer, made this connection impossible to deny.
And in that quiet, intimate moment, Alessia knew something she hadn't allowed herself to before: with Luca, she could feel passion, danger, and trust all at once.
But she also knew the night was far from over—and in his world, every moment of intimacy carried risk.