Chapter 68: Repulsed

Third POV

Seated inside a restaurant’s private room were Marco and Luca, with the food yet to be served. As usual, Luca could hardly take his eyes off Marco, who sat opposite him with a tablet in his hands, seemingly immersed in work. The man had barely acknowledged his presence since they arrived, and although Luca was accustomed to Marco’s indifference, today, he had something he wanted to discuss. He had been thinking about it for a while, but finding the courage to bring it up was proving more difficult than he had expected.

A few more minutes passed before Luca could no longer tolerate the silence. "Marc," he called softly.

"Mm." Marco’s attention remained on the tablet, his fingers moving across the screen.

Luca bit his lower lip, hesitating briefly before continuing. "There’s something I have been meaning to talk to you about."

"What is it?" Marco asked, still not looking up.

Luca’s face flushed lightly. He lowered his eyes for a moment before looking at Marco again, his expression carrying a mixture of nervousness and hope. "The thing is... I would like... to improve our relationship. You know, getting closer... being like other couples."

That finally caught Marco’s attention. He raised a brow and slowly lifted his gaze from the tablet, studying Luca as though he were trying to understand what else the man expected from him.

"Isn’t marriage the last level of closeness?" Marco asked. "I already agreed to it. What else?"

Luca swallowed, his fingers tightening slightly against his lap. "I know, but what I mean is... it has been months, and..." He paused, his eyes briefly dropping to Marco’s lips before moving down to his hands. Gathering the courage to finish, he continued, "You have never kissed me, let alone touched me. I want that. I... want to be intimate with you."

Silence settled over the room.

Marco’s expression remained blank, revealing neither interest nor refusal. He simply watched Luca, his sharp eyes offering no indication of what he thought about the request. Luca waited for a response, but when several seconds passed without Marco uttering a word, he began to grow nervous.

"I’m not rushing you or anything," he added hurriedly. "I just... want us to get closer."

Still, Marco did not reply. His gaze remained fixed on Luca, making it difficult for the latter to tell whether he had offended him or whether Marco was simply refusing to entertain the conversation.

Luca parted his lips, seemingly prepared to say something more, but before he could, the door opened, and a waitress entered the room, pushing a trolley laden with their food.

Marco immediately took the opportunity to put an end to the conversation. He placed his tablet aside and rose from his seat as the waitress began arranging the dishes on the table.

"I’ll be back."

Luca’s head snapped up. "Marc-"

Marco was already walking towards the door. He did not wait for Luca to finish speaking, leaving him seated with his lips parted. The waitress continued setting the food down, seemingly unaware of the uncomfortable atmosphere left behind. Luca lowered his gaze, his expression falling as he realised that Marco had avoided giving him an answer. But then, his hands clenched into a tight fist, as images of those marks still kept haunting him.

Outside the private room, Fabio stood guard alongside Tony and James. The moment Marco stepped out, his eyes met Fabio’s. Neither man spoke, but their gazes held for a brief moment before Marco turned towards the other two.

"You two watch here."

"Yes, Don Marco," Tony answered.

With that, Marco walked away, and Fabio immediately followed him. They did not go far before reaching the corner of the hallway where the restrooms were located. Marco entered one of them without slowing down, and Fabio followed, shutting the door behind him.

Marco went straight to the sink and stopped in front of the mirror. His expression had turned cold, his hands planted firmly against the tiled counter. His fingers curled into fists, and he pressed them against the surface, his knuckles whitening under the pressure. There was something about the conversation he had just left behind that made his skin crawl, and no matter how much he tried to dismiss it, the feeling refused to go away.

Luca wanted to be intimate with him.

The thought alone was enough to make Marco’s stomach turn. He could still remember the way Luca had looked at him while making that request, the slight blush on his face and the nervous way he had bitten his lower lip. There had been nothing wrong with what Luca had asked for. They were about to get married, after.

Yet the idea of touching Luca, of allowing the man to kiss him, was repulsive.

His fists tightened against the counter. He could not understand it. He had never considered himself a man who needed to be emotionally involved with someone to share a bed with them. He was perfectly capable of making decisions based on what benefited him, and this marriage was no different. He had come too far in his pursuit of Edoardo Moretti to allow something as insignificant as personal discomfort to stand in his way.

So why was this bothering him so much?

Fabio approached quietly and stopped behind him. Through the mirror, he watched Marco’s reflection, taking in the tension in his shoulders and the way his hands remained clenched against the counter. Marco was not a man who lost his composure easily, and seeing him like this was enough to stir Fabio’s curiosity.

Their eyes met in the mirror. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, neither willing to be the first to look away. Then Fabio finally broke the silence.

"What is it?"

Marco remained quiet for a few seconds, his gaze still fixed on Fabio. Countless thoughts ran through his head, but rather than offering an explanation for his behaviour, he decided to voice the one thing he knew very well would set things ablaze.

"I’m wondering why I’m repulsed by the thought of sleeping with someone else."