LUCIANO
I don’t lose control.
I don’t chase temptation.
And I never touch what doesn’t belong to me.
Elena Amato should have been simple. A favor. A temporary arrangement. A woman under my protection until her brother decided what to do with her future. She is too young, too reckless, too sheltered from the kind of darkness men like me keep behind locked doors.
Then she looked at me like she wanted to know what lived there.
Elena is glitter wrapped in defiance, testing every rule, every warning, every ounce of restraint I’ve spent years perfecting. I should send her back before this becomes something neither of us can undo.
But she wants direction without shame. A man dangerous enough to lead her, patient enough to teach her, and possessive enough to keep her safe when the world comes for her.
I know exactly what she needs.
The problem is, once Elena kneels at my feet, I’m not sure I’ll ever be strong enough to let her go.
ELENA
I was raised to be useful.
A daughter. A sister. A pawn dressed in pretty clothes and perfect manners. My future was always something men discussed in rooms I wasn’t invited into, decided by people who thought protection and possession were the same thing.
Then Luciano Castillo opened a door I was never supposed to walk through.
He’s calm where other men are cruel. Controlled where others are careless. He sees too much, asks too much, and somehow makes me want to answer.
I should be afraid of him.
Maybe I am.
But Luciano makes me feel seen. Like every sharp edge, every reckless word, every secret piece of me isn’t something to hide, but something he already knows how to handle.
I thought I wanted freedom from this world.
Now I’m not sure freedom is what I’m looking for at all.
Because the devil doesn’t offer salvation.
He offers surrender.
And God help me, I want to.
I don’t lose control.
I don’t chase temptation.
And I never touch what doesn’t belong to me.
Elena Amato should have been simple. A favor. A temporary arrangement. A woman under my protection until her brother decided what to do with her future. She is too young, too reckless, too sheltered from the kind of darkness men like me keep behind locked doors.
Then she looked at me like she wanted to know what lived there.
Elena is glitter wrapped in defiance, testing every rule, every warning, every ounce of restraint I’ve spent years perfecting. I should send her back before this becomes something neither of us can undo.
But she wants direction without shame. A man dangerous enough to lead her, patient enough to teach her, and possessive enough to keep her safe when the world comes for her.
I know exactly what she needs.
The problem is, once Elena kneels at my feet, I’m not sure I’ll ever be strong enough to let her go.
ELENA
I was raised to be useful.
A daughter. A sister. A pawn dressed in pretty clothes and perfect manners. My future was always something men discussed in rooms I wasn’t invited into, decided by people who thought protection and possession were the same thing.
Then Luciano Castillo opened a door I was never supposed to walk through.
He’s calm where other men are cruel. Controlled where others are careless. He sees too much, asks too much, and somehow makes me want to answer.
I should be afraid of him.
Maybe I am.
But Luciano makes me feel seen. Like every sharp edge, every reckless word, every secret piece of me isn’t something to hide, but something he already knows how to handle.
I thought I wanted freedom from this world.
Now I’m not sure freedom is what I’m looking for at all.
Because the devil doesn’t offer salvation.
He offers surrender.
And God help me, I want to.