The Italian Vow (Croesus #1)

Chapter 9

Laura Conti's POV

It was Saturday morning when I had to leave to catch my train from Verona to Milan which took 1 hour and 13 minutes to be there. Then, Lucca's driver picked me up from the train station to his mansion.

He had instructed me to bring some spare clothes as we have to spend 3 days and 2 nights at his parents' house. I wanted to sneak away but I know His Excellency will never approve of that.

"Ms. Conti, we have arrived," the driver said as he opened my door. I got off and was instructed to go through the parlor. I walked into the parlor before the butler was smiling at me.

"Good morning, ma'am. What can I help you with today?" He asked nicely as he was looking at me.

"Is Lucca around?" I asked the butler before he showed me where he was staying. Lucca was taking his breakfast in the dining hall before the butler opened the huge oak doors. It opened up and the first thing I noticed was Lucca's smug impression of me as he was drinking his wine.

He was eyeing me up and down before putting his glass on the long table. He walked toward me and I was staring back at him, standing my ground. He smirked at me before he pulled my face toward him and claimed my mouth like his own.

My eyes automatically closed and my hands snaked around his neck to pull him closer. He was kissing me so passionately until we were out of breath before he let me go. He rested his forehead on mine as he breathed out.

"Morning, mi amore, miss me?" He said before going back to get his wine. I was still in a daze before I blinked so many times and wiped my mouth before clearing my throat.

"If I am being honest, not once but if we want to make it convincible then I guess I have to say I am. But keep in mind that I am only doing this because of the contract, not because I miss you," I said before my stomach did a weird thing.

"Good to hear that you are accepting the contract. Now, if I may be honest with you as well, when can you move in before my mother barged in and found that you are NOT living with me even though we are engaged?" He said before he sat on the chair while drinking his wine and looked at me expectedly.

I stammered to answer. I opened my mouth to answer him but I don't have any comeback for it. I closed my mouth again before I put my bag on the chair.

"So, when are we leaving? I thought I have to meet my future in-laws for the next couple of days," I said as I arched my eyebrows at him. He put his wine down again before getting up and walking toward me.

"Why, dolcezza, do you miss my family, or do you have somewhere to go?" He was walking toward me slowly as I backed up from him and my back hit the floor. He trapped me between his arms and his mouth was near my left ear as he spoke softly to me.

"Or do you have someone to meet so eagerly that you can't wait to get rid of me?" He said while his nose was nuzzling my neck. "I have my eyes and ears everywhere, Laura. Remember our contract," he said before going away into his bedroom.

I was releasing my breath as I did not realize I held it in. His cologne was intoxicating in my nostrils which made me dizzy.

What you are doing to me, Lucca, I thought before he went out of his bedroom. He has changed his clothes into something more casual as he wore a black polo shirt and black jeans and sunglasses to block his slate orbs that were looking at me as I can see his smirk plastered to his face.

"Shall we?" He asked before going to the parlor without waiting for me. Sighing, I took my bag from the chair as I was walking out of the dining hall. I was trailing behind him before he abruptly stopped, making me collide with his muscular back.

I dropped to the floor and my bag dropped from my hand. The clothes were spewing out from it, revealing the cheap clothes that I was sure will not suit Lucca's taste as he only knew how models wore from his previous flings. He picked up my fleece and showed it to me.

"What's this?" He asked.

"Um, my clothes?" I said but more like a question. He looked around in my bag and saw that my clothes were mostly fleece, jeans, leggings, and some of my undergarments. I immediately took them behind my back as I was too embarrassed for Lucca to see them.

"No good, my mother would never approve of this. You know what, let's go shopping when we're on the Amalfi coast, so you don't have to bring these garments. Let's go or we'll miss our flights" he said before taking my hand and going out of the mansion.

As we went into the parking space in the basement, the car was waiting for us before we got in and drove off from the basement. It only took 30 minutes to get to the airport and luckily for me, without any carry-on and such (also with the fact that I was riding on a private plane Giovanni), I don't have to worry about going through airport security. Lucca's family owned 40% of the airport.

We were settling down in the private jet when the stewardess was giving us some refreshments and food. She was checking Lucca out without any shame. I rolled my eyes before facing outside the window. I was looking at the airplane lanes and the incoming and departing airplanes when Lucca called for me.

"Laura, mi amore," he said and I looked at him. He kissed me in front of the stewardess while pushing some grapes into my mouth.

"Eat, dolcezza, you look so thin. I don't want mother to think I don't feed you enough" Lucca said before drinking his champagne. His eyes were glistering with mischief as I chewed the offered grapes. The stewardess excused herself to the back before throwing a murderous stare across my face.

"Do you have to do that?" I asked Lucca. He just shrugged. The captain said to put on our seatbelts before we took off from the airport.

The flight was 1 hour and 25 minutes nonstop. It was in the morning which meant I was lazy enough to do anything besides sleep. Therefore, I slept through the entire flight as I was sure Lucca had some work to do.

I put on some music to calm me down. When it was time for lunch, the stewardess brought our food. She served Lucca with a big steak, mashed potatoes, and veggies meanwhile I only got half of his portion.

I was about to call for her when Lucca fed me with his mouth of his food into mine. I can't complain as he would do that even before my mouth was empty. Before I realized it, I had eaten all his food and he took my plate to eat the food.

"Oh my god, you must be hungry," I said before wanting to call the stewardess again.

"It's fine, I am full enough to feed you," Lucca said before winking his eye at me. I rolled my eyes back before I went back to sleep.

"Laura, Laura, Laura. Wake up, mi amore. We have arrived," the soothing voice of a familiar voice was trying to wake me up from my beauty sleep. I groaned before I felt like someone was kissing me.

I kissed him back before I realized I was sleeping. When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see that Lucca had carried me in his arms, bridal style. He was walking toward the waiting car. I had not realized that we'd landed and now Lucca had carried me from the airplane toward his waiting car.

"Put me down, I can walk by myself," I said even though my hands were holding onto his neck.

"Ah, but you don't have your shoes. I can't let you walk barefoot. Besides, you're not that heavy," Lucca said as he put me into the passenger seat before he went into the driver seat.

"Wait, you drive?" I asked him.

"Why, you don't trust my skill?" He asked me back as he put his sunglasses on. I stayed quiet as I thought he would have his driver and he would point out to me about the Amalfi coast.

"Well, we need to get you some clothes, so I don't want my employee to follow me and my fiancée around while she was wearing nice dresses that will be showing off her good side, right?" Lucca said before starting the ignition.

I just looked at him briefly before looking out the scenery of the Amalfi coast from his convertible as he drove off from the airport into the Mediterranean sun.