Filed to story: Bound by Honor (Aria & Luca) Drama Story
“But you could be. Perhaps you just need to try,” I said softly.
His eyes filled with resolve. “Not much scares me anymore,” he rumbled. “But this, between us, it does. My emotions they do scare me.”
“But why?”
“I gave up hoping for something good a long time ago. It made things easier. Nothing could hurt me. Pain is nothing. People’s insults mean nothing. I cared about nothing. There was nothing I had to fear. But when I got you, I suddenly realized what kind of life I’d led. How little everything had meant. And while I was fighting Falcone’s men, I realized how much I enjoyed being with you, having someone to talk to, sharing meals with you, walking Coco and Bandit with you, and even sharing a bed with you. I never thought I could like that kind of thing, never thought that I might need something like that, but now…” He trailed off, the uncertainty back. “Now I’m fucking scared to lose all that, to lose you. I never knew I needed you but now I can’t imagine being without you. I…I love you, Cara.”
I let out a shuddering breath. I’d never expected those words from Growl. Not even close. I touched his heart and cheek. “And I love you, Growl.”
Aria had been right. I needed to make a choice. And I chose love. Mother would come to accept that. After all, she’d once given up everything to follow love.
“Ryan,” he growled. The name sounded wrong coming from his lips, like they weren’t used to forming those letters anymore.
“Ryan?”
“That’s my real name.”
“Oh,” I whispered, overwhelmed by the situation. “That’s a beautiful name.”
He smiled tentatively. It still surprised me how it changed his edgy face. He leaned down and kissed me, then pulled back a few inches.
“I want New York to be a new beginning for me and you, if you want that too. And I want to be known as Ryan in this new life.”
“And I want a new beginning with you, Ryan,” I said. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly.
“I don’t deserve you,” he murmured against my hair. “Yet. But I will.”
***Book 6 Starts*** prologue
ARIA
I can’t do this, Aria. I want out. Out of this world. Out of my arranged marriage. Just out.
Those words spoken by my sister Gianna started it all. They led to my first betrayal of Luca. I didn’t see it as a betrayal back then. I only wanted to help her, not betray my husband.
Yet, when I made the decision to help her escape, I knew I’d have to go against him.
Betrayal.
Made Men were always so quick to call any word of objection betrayal. Women were supposed to take their husband’s word as law, especially I, who was married to the Capo.
But protecting my family, my sisters and my brother, protecting those I loved against the harsh realities of mob life sometimes made it hard to obey.
I thought Luca would understand, thought our love could brave anything.
Luca wasn’t a man who had ever allowed himself to trust or love anyone-until me. Maybe he’d always been wary of his emotions.
Maybe he’d always waited for something that would prove his wariness right.
And I had given it to him.
LUCA
Matteo and I had been taught many lessons by our sadist of a father, all of them meant to make us strong and ruthless for the tasks expected of us. I hated the man, had hated him all my life, and hated that he was proven right with the one lesson I wanted to be wrong.
Love is a weakness, Luca. It has brought the strongest men to their knees. Women are weak, and making us believe we could love them is their way to manipulate us because it’s the only way for them to have power. Don’t let a woman hold that power over you. You will be Capo. A Capo can’t allow himself a weakness.
Aria made me believe those words to be a lie.
With her kind smiles, her innocent eyes and unparalleled beauty she lured me in, and I fell into her trap. I still remembered that fucking day.
“You are good, Aria. You are innocent. I forced you into this.” Aria had taken a bullet for me, had risked her life to save mine. My life, which was worth so much less than hers.
Her blue eyes held mine. Those eyes, always full of so many emotions I could hardly understand. “You didn’t, Luca. I was born into this world. I chose to stay in this world. Being born into our world means being born with blood on our hands. With every breath we take sin is engraved deeper into our skin.”
I shook my head. “You don’t have a choice. There’s no way to escape our world. You didn’t have a choice in marrying me either. If you’d let that bullet kill me, you would have at least escaped our marriage.”
“There are few good things in our world, Luca, and if you find one, you cling to it with all your might. You are one of those good things in my life.”
How could she say something like that? I killed so many, and enjoyed it. If there were a Heaven and a Hell, there was no doubt where I’d end up. “I’m not good.”
“You’re not a good man, no. But you are good for me. I feel safe in your arms. I don’t know why, don’t even know why I love you, but I do, and that won’t change.”