Chapter 206
CHARLOTTE-
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I could not believe how blind he was being. Luca was always able to tell with other girls. With me? He was acting like he hadn’t rejected me last night.
How could he not tell why I was upset? It was obvious. He had turned me down like sex with me was completely off the table.
I looked at Marco, who seemed excited to hear the drama, waiting for me to answer Luca./
Luca looked pissed now, for some reason. He’s been angry ever since I mentioned he couldn’t stop me from having alone time with his brother. That was the only thing that seemed to get a reaction out of him.
He should not be pissed.
I should be.
He wasn’t the one who had been rejected. It was me.
“Do you really want to talk about that here with your brother next to us?” I asked, faking a smile.
He seemed to realise what I was implying. His ears went red. In fact, he could have been a tomato with how red his face was now. I could see the alarm bells going off in his head.
“So it’s about last night?” he asked as if waiting for the confirmation from me.
I glared at him. He got the picture from that one look. He swallowed hard and then looked away. Once again, he was doing that thing where he couldn’t stare into my eyes.
What was wrong with him?
“Wait. What happened last night?” Marco did not like being left out.
“None of your business,” Luca growled.
Marco sat back, delighted anyway. “I love family drama. I made the right decision to tag along with you two. Never a dull moment.”
The rest of the drive was silence and Marco humming like a man who had won a seat he had not paid for.
Luca tried my name once. I looked at the window. He tried again at a roundabout. I asked the driver if he could put the music louder.
Marco said, “no. Not louder. If it’s any louder, I won’t be able to hear anything.”
Luca told him to shut up. Marco did not shut up. He talked about cake and Francesca finding an empty driveway and Valentina waiting for a car that would not come. I ignored all of it. Luca’s jaw got tighter every minute.
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The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife
We flew out of Bologna on the same private jet we always used during race week.
rcelona next Spanish Grand Prix.
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I was not looking forward to watching him race this time. There was too much on my mind after our time at his parents’ home. Not once did I think Luca would ever turn down sex, even with me.
That part stung more than I wanted it to. It was my fault for bringing it up in the first place but I was having a hard time accepting that he said no to me but yes to every other woman who showed interest in him.
Why?
How could that be?
On the jet, Luca sat across from me. I sat next to the window. Marco sat where he could see both of us and ordered coffee like this was entertainment.
“Charlotte. Nuts or the sad little sandwiches.”
“I’m fine.”
“She’s fine,” Luca muttered.
Why did he always answer for me whenever Marco tried having a conversation with me? What was his problem?
“It tastes good,” Marco said. “You might want to try one or two.”
“According to your mother, I’m too fat and shouldn’t be eating food anymore.” I snapped. I did not mean to snap at Marco. He was innocent in all of this. It was truly Luca I was pissed at.
Marco frowned and looked at Luca, “mother said that?”
Luca ignored him and leaned forward. “Char I already told you that you have the—”
I put on headphones I did not plug in. Pretending not to listen to him.
Marco mouthed wow at his brother and looked happier than any Vescari leaving Tenuta Santa Chiara had a right to be.
A car was already waiting for us once we landed.
The hotel was mostly glass and white stone near the water. Two suites facing each other, same floor, same art. Marco took the one opposite, as usual.
“Don’t murder each other,” he said, and shut his door like a man leaving a theatre.
The second our door closed, Luca had me against the wall.
Not hard. Not gentle. Just there. Hands either side of my shoulders. That look from his room, worse up close.
“Now that Marco is no longer here,” he said. “Tell me. Why are you upset?”
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The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife
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I could smell his soap. I could see the pulse in his throat. I could still hear his rejection in my head.
You know why
He swallowed, his jaw clènched.
“I want you to say it.”
“You turned me down.” The words came out hot and angry. “You. Luca Vescari. Professional at taking his clothes off for strangers. Fucking them all hours of the night. You looked at me and rejected me without a second thought. Like sex suddenly became complicated for you.”
His jaw flexed. “I said it would make things complicated, yes.”
“I offered no strings attached. But you still acted like sleeping with me would be a crime.”
“You’re my friend. I value our friendship.”
“That is a very pretty way to say I’m not worth the risk.”
“That is not what I said.”
“It’s what it felt like.” I shoved at his chest. He did not move much. “I am done talking about it. I feel humiliated enough about this entire situation. I do not need you to make me feel worse.”
Luca’s hands stayed on the wall behind me. He was not letting me go.
“Say it again,” he said, quieter. “What you asked me last night.”
I lifted my chin and met his gaze directly, noticing an unfamiliar intensity in his eyes. A strange sensation coursed through me, causing a shiver to run down my spine.
If he wanted the words again, he could have them.
I just was not sure I would survive saying them twice.
rii, Sep 2
The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife
Dex Morgan
Dex works to elevate each story with clean writing, emotional balance, and thoughtful flow for readers.