Chapter 4 Luca
CHAPTER 4: LUCA
Luca stared out Cal’s living room window into the street and fought to find some semblance of calm. The water witch had only stuck around long enough to help Luca get his bags up to the penthouse before disappearing back into the club to do whatever it was owners did when the club wasn’t open. It was just as well. Cal was far too attractive for his own good, and Luca had zero interest in existing in the same space as the man. He didn’t do attraction, and he was going to be stuck with the guy until he figured out who was trying to kill him. The reminder of how long he’d be here if he couldn’t find this damn traitor jerked him from his dazed reverie and had him turning back to the laptop he’d left on the table nearby.
The penthouse itself wasn’t what he’d expected. Cal had made no secret that he liked sex—and a lot of it. Luca had expected something more like a fuck pad; all style and no substance, maybe with a side of mirrored ceilings. The space was definitely stylish, but it was also comfortable and there wasn’t a mirrored ceiling in sight. The dining table was made of a similar beautiful resin to the bar top downstairs, framed by jagged hunks of richly coloured wood. The U-shaped couch in the living area looked like you could sink into it and never want to leave, covered in a deep blue velvet that somehow looked lived in rather than ostentatious. The walls featured fanciful glass artworks, including an intricate tangle of tubes that were filled with a variety of coloured liquids.
There were no family photos and none of the assorted knickknacks that most people acquired. At first glance, it might’ve seemed like an impersonal space, but he instinctively knew everything there had been beautifully hand-crafted by Cal because the scent of his magic—amber cut through with the tang of the ocean—lingered in the pieces. Each one was a stolen glimpse into what might lie beneath Cal’s flirtatious exterior.
Luca rolled his eyes at his thoughts. What did he care about Cal or this space? He wasn’t going to be there long enough for it to matter. He needed to buckle down and focus on getting through the checks on the pack so they could figure out who was responsible for the attacks on him. Forcing all thoughts of the annoyingly distracting witch aside, Luca settled down at the table and lost himself in his work.
He didn’t look up again until the delicious scent that permeated the room intensified and the soft noise of Cal’s boots on the wooden flooring neared. He couldn’t help but breathe deeper, drawing the scent into his lungs, until his brain caught up with who it belonged to. Dammit. The witch should not be that appealing.
“What are you doing? Holy shit. Are you altering someone’s criminal record?” Cal asked, and the suspicion in his voice helped Luca to shake off his allure.
“I’m doing my job,” he said curtly. The record he was altering wasn’t actually for his pack. He’d taken a break to make some progress on his side gig. Cal didn’t need to know that, though.
“Will anyone be able to tell you were working from here? I can’t be associated with that kind of thing,” Cal said.
Luca scowled and glanced up at the witch. Cal was looming nearby with his hands on his hips. He’d avoided looking at Cal too closely earlier, but now that he was right there, he couldn’t help but take in every inch of him. Cal had rolled the sleeves of his shirt up, revealing tattooed forearms. His long hair was tied back but mussed like he’d been running his hands through it, in contrast to his perfectly groomed beard. Both his ears and his nose were pierced, making Luca wonder where else the man might be sporting jewellery.
Luca wasn’t small. He might not be as heavily muscled as his cousins, but he was tall. It bugged him that Cal—a human —had a couple of inches on him at least, but even worse were the thick muscles of his chest and arms that said he could throw a man around if he wanted. Luca didn’t want. Cal might not have the innate shifter power of Marco and his enforcers, but between his strength and his magic, he might actually be able to hold his own. That shouldn’t be a turn-on.
Eyes an impossible shade of blue glinted at Luca with an emotion he couldn’t quite discern. “Like what you see?” Cal growled, stalking closer to lean against the table where Luca was working, his pants pulling tight over muscled thighs.
“Why are you so reluctant to be associated with the pack?” Luca asked, ignoring the come-on.
The question seemed to remind Cal what was at stake because he jerked away from the table and headed into the adjacent kitchen as he answered. “You’re criminals. I’m not. And I won’t ever be.”
“Judgemental much?” Luca asked. He didn’t need this asshole telling him he should be ashamed of himself. Cal had no idea who he was or why he did what he did.
“You sell weapons to the highest bidder. Every time some idiot pulls the trigger on a gun he shouldn’t have, it comes back to you. I worked hard to get away from all that, and I won’t let some ungrateful shifter undo that.”
Luca’s rage, which had been simmering to a boil from the moment Cal walked in, exploded. “Fuck you. You think you’re better than me? What do you achieve that’s so lofty with your smutty club where people come to fuck? We might deal in weapons, but we still have fucking ethics. Those idiots would find a gun regardless of what we do, but I guarantee if someone else was in charge of the trade, you’d find the city in a whole new world of pain. We may be the wolves at your door, but we keep the monsters at bay.”
“Just make sure whatever you’re doing on that computer doesn’t come back to bite me,” Cal growled. Thumps and clattering followed his words as he started making something to eat with more violence than was warranted.
Luca shoved his chair back and grabbed his laptop as he glared at the back of Cal’s head. “I may be a criminal, but at least I’m not an asshole,” he called over his shoulder, which even he could admit was pretty childish, but he couldn’t help it. Cal brought out the worst in him.
The spare room Luca was staying in was nice, but not huge. He’d barely slammed the door behind him when he started feeling the walls closing in. At least it had an ensuite. Maybe a shower would help. And, if not, at least Cal might’ve returned to the bar by the time he was finished. It was getting dark outside. Hex-Rated must be opening soon.
He was still fuming as he yanked on the shower handle to turn it on. The tearing sound as he ripped his shirt over his head had him growling in annoyance. The noise cut off as he looked down and realised the reason the fabric had torn wasn’t his angry movements but the claws that had sprouted from his fingers.
He whimpered. Panic drowning out his anger.
No. No. No. He avoided shifting as much as he possibly could, and he never partially shifted. What the fuck was wrong with him? Damn Cal for making him so mad. A strangled howl escaped him, despite the fact he was pushing his wolf back as hard as he could.
Legs shaking, he shoved off the rest of his clothes and stepped under the steaming hot water, turning his face up to let the heat batter against his eyelids. It didn’t help. The shaking grew worse. Water was pooling on the bathroom floor where he hadn’t shut the door. Growling under his breath, he yanked the door closed hard enough to sound like a gunshot and then spun and punched the tile of the wall.
He’d barely processed the welcome distraction of the pain radiating through his knuckles before the water turned icy cold. Yelping, he jumped clear just in time for the water to literally freeze solid. The door crashed open a moment later.
“What the fuck?!” he yelled, glaring at Cal.
Cal looked disinterested, but Luca wasn’t fooled. The man’s heart was racing and he’d smashed through the lock on the door. Not to mention all the magic he’d expended freezing the water.
“While you’re here, it’s my job to keep you safe. You were hurting yourself,” Cal said.
“How do you even know that? Have you got cameras in here?” Luca asked. He couldn’t believe he’d been so tired and distracted he hadn’t swept the room for bugs before he got naked.
Fuck. He was naked. And Cal was right there. Shifters didn’t care much about nudity, but he really didn’t need Cal noticing the unfortunate effect the witch had on his body even when they were arguing. Especially when they were arguing.
Cal threw him a towel and turned away. “If I want a show, I’ll watch my dancers. My wards are strong, especially up here. They alert me when someone’s in danger.”
“I wasn’t in danger. You just pissed me off,” Luca snapped, hoping Cal wasn’t perceptive enough to see there was more to his panic than that.
Cal rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s not what happened here. You were hurting yourself, and you must’ve been spiralling bad or my ward wouldn’t have doused me in raw power.”
Damn Cal for being so deceptively sharp.
“I don’t need saving,” Luca said.
“You need something,” Cal shot back.
“Not from you.”
Cal studied him a moment longer and then shrugged. “If you’re good now, I need to head out for a bit.”
“I was good before. I don’t need you to babysit me. Where are you going anyway?” Luca asked, eying up the more formal suit Cal had changed into. He didn’t like that the witch was dressing up for someone.
Cal’s lips twitched like he was fucking enjoying himself. “There’s no need to be jealous, boyfriend . Behave yourself while I’m gone. There’s dinner on the counter.”
The soap dispenser Luca threw at his head in response slammed into the door that Cal closed too fast behind him.
Fuck Cal. Luca was going to get him back for that. For all of it. Especially for his traitor cock that had hardened the second Cal’s scent filled the bathroom. Tipping his head back, Luca growled in frustration.
When he emerged from his bedroom dressed and calmer despite himself, Cal was long gone and the aroma of perfectly grilled steak filled the apartment. Luca’s stomach growled. It had been too long since he last ate and shifters weren’t built to skip meals, even ones who spent most of their time behind a computer like him. He wished he could say he hesitated before grabbing the plate of food Cal had left for him, but he didn’t. He could’ve done without the swooping feeling in his gut, though. It was almost enough to set him punching walls again.
Did Cal know what it meant when a shifter fed someone they were sexually interested in? Was this some passive-aggressive mimicry of mating behaviour or was he just being a politely oblivious human with a houseguest? Luca was too hungry to care.
He hadn’t bothered turning the lights on when he sat down to eat and as the last of the sunlight faded, he noticed a soft blue glow coming from the resin in the table—water magic. His first reaction was to snarl at whatever spell it was Cal had left behind, but as his eyes traced the sparkling swirls and eddies, he felt his wolf calming despite himself. His fingers still tingled where his claws had broken through earlier. It had been a long time since he’d lost control like that. Reaching out, he traced the patterns of the table and felt more of that calm seeping into him. What the fuck spell had Cal cast here?
Tearing himself away from the welcome calm, he stalked over to the velvet couch and ensconced himself there to get back to work. His side project was becoming urgent, as was surveillance he needed to pass on to the pack’s enforcers. Neither would take long and then he could dig into Hex-Rated’s systems and see what he could find to use against Cal. Right now, Luca was too vulnerable. He needed leverage of his own, not just whatever Vin had used to convince Cal to let him stay.
His phone buzzed as he finished off the first task—the finishing touches on a new identity.
Uncle Gio
Where’s my favourite nephew disappeared to?
Shame burned through Luca’s chest as he considered how to answer. It was killing him that he hadn’t found an alibi for Gio yet, but he needed to work through the pack systematically. His efforts were focussed on the highest risk suspects while his automated facial recognition program ran in the background, clearing as many people as it could. He didn’t have enough time to deep dive into Gio just so he could stop lying by omission to him a little sooner.
It would be so much easier if he could just ask his uncle where he’d been when the shots at him were fired, but family was everything and there was no way their relationship, or Gio’s relationship with Marco, would ever be the same if they asked him to prove himself. Gio had saved Luca’s life, dammit. There was no way he was the traitor. But as far as he could tell, his uncle had been out running in the forest alone during the attacks. A perfectly normal place for a shifter to be when they were home, but not one Luca could trace with his cameras and electronic records.
He knew how he was supposed to reply to this text. He should be selling this sham of a relationship with Cal. Could he really lie to his uncle like that?
Luca
Trying to take your advice. I’m staying with someone.
There. Neither of those sentences was a lie. He had been trying to take Gio’s advice to not let his past hold him back. He just hadn’t been at all successful.
Uncle Gio
Wow! Really? Your sister mentioned something but I couldn’t believe it. I’m so proud of you!
Luca winced at the words that just rubbed salt in the wound of his lies.
Luca
Yeah, well. Don’t get excited. It won’t last.
He texted back, hoping his uncle would drop it.
Uncle Gio
I need to meet this guy
Luca
If things ever get serious, you can meet him.
Uncle Gio
If you’re living with him, it’s pretty serious.
Luca
I’m not living with him. I just needed a change of scene and he has a nice penthouse.
Luca took a quick photo of the dining table with the artwork in the background and sent it to his uncle, hoping it would distract him. Thankfully, it did the trick. Gio had always loved interior decorating and their conversation moved on to the far safer topic of décor, his uncle making him send through more photos of Cal’s place.
Throughout the exchange, Luca kept working on the surveillance he needed for the pack’s weapons exchange that night. He could’ve run this kind of check in his sleep at this point. That’s why he had his side gig—he needed something to keep him interested. That’s what he told himself, anyway. It might also be to balance the scales a little bit because, despite what Cal thought, he was not a fucking criminal. Or at least, that wasn’t all he was.
He’d take surveillance for a weapons drop over stalking his pack to find a traitor any day. The algorithms running through video footage and bank statements in the background were still showing no leads. At some point, he’d need to dive back into manually searching, but he was still too raw for that. He deserved a night off. And what better way to spend it than pissing off a certain water witch who looked down on him?
Hex-Rated’s security was better than he expected. It took him a good hour to hack into the club’s records. He wondered if Cal had found a way to reinforce the network security with magic. That would be a clever trick. Luca had paid witches to upgrade his hardware with magic to make it function better, but he hadn’t realised they might be able to upgrade his software in the same way. Although Cal might’ve just embedded the spells in the server and routers. He was itching to ask Cal which it was, but he didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was impressed.
Setting his standard scans running over the system, he poked through the club’s files. The financial statements were surprisingly healthy given Cal’s aversion to supplementing his income with anything illegal. The witch seemed to have several income streams coming in. It looked like the local witches paid a hefty sum to hire the space out for magical workings. Luca had noticed and wondered about the unusual circular architecture of the main club area and the retractable roof. Now he knew why Cal had gone to the extra expense. The back rooms also seemed to be rented out, often for those in need of a safehouse, which Luca would be asking some pointed questions about. Why was he stuck sharing a penthouse with Cal if there were perfectly good private rooms below?
Opening up the security camera footage from the main club, Luca scanned back to when they’d first arrived. Cal had looked distracted when they’d first walked in, and he wanted to know why. He’d also looked hot as fuck, but Luca was not thinking about that.
Sure enough, he didn’t have to go back far to find the VP of the Elemental Mayhem MC looming threateningly over the bar earlier in the day. This was interesting. Cal was supposed to be a neutral party, supposedly unaffiliated with the MC. What was the VP doing there?
Turning the sound on, Luca listened to the heated exchange.
“I’m not letting you bring drugs into my club. Forget it,” Cal snarled, sounding more like a wolf than some of Luca’s pack.
“You owe us for those wards, Calder,” Wyatt warned.
“And I’m happy to pay you. In cash. Like we agreed. ”
“The agreement’s changed.”
Cal scoffed. “That’s not how agreements work. Does your word mean nothing?”
“Blaze is being generous because he knows you’ve got trust issues. He’s giving you a week to sort your shit. Then we’re moving in.”
“If you think that Trojan horse you left in the wards is going to get you into my club when I don’t want you here, you’re mistaken. I removed it the second your people left,” Cal said.
“You always were too clever for your own good. You and I both know we don’t need that to get in here. You might be powerful, but the numbers are on our side. Don’t get cute. I’ll see myself out,” Wyatt said.
The scene was interrupted by a ping from one of the scans running in the background on Luca’s computer. Flicking over to his other searches, he frowned at what he saw. One of Cal’s bar staff was receiving regular payments from an MC account. A quick scan revealed two years of monthly deposits. It looked like the pack wasn’t the only one dealing with a traitor. Maybe she was desperate for the money, but he didn’t think so. All Cal’s staff had a generous salary even before tips were taken into account. It looked like Cal had only just re-arranged her shifts so she didn’t lose any income when her childcare fell through, and this was how she repaid him. Part of him wanted to leave Cal to sort out his own mess, but he couldn’t risk the security breach of an active informant in the bar. Dammit.
Flicking forward to the live feed from the security cams, Luca blinked in confusion for a moment as he took in the myriad of angels, demons, and other skimpy costumes. He’d forgotten it was Halloween. Forgotten that he was missing the celebrations with the pack’s children back home while he was stuck halfway across the city from them.
Shaking off the morose thoughts, he concentrated on the footage until he saw the bartender in question. She was working one of the upstairs stations on the wide balcony that circumnavigated the circular space where the VIPs could look down on the riffraff. The anger he’d forgotten burned through him once more, but this time it was directed at the stranger. Who the fuck did this person think they were to betray their boss like that? If you had no loyalty, you had nothing. He needed to protect Cal from this asshole.
Wait. No. No protecting Cal. This was pure self-preservation while he was stuck living at the club. It had nothing to do with Cal looking out for him and feeding him. He did not owe Cal his loyalty. But the bartender sure did.
Putting the laptop aside, Luca shoved to his feet. Glancing down at himself, he winced as he realised he’d somehow dressed for the club after getting out of the shower. As if he’d always known he was going to end up there. Fucking hell. He hated when his wolf got sneaky with him, nudging his instincts without him noticing. It was one of the perils of pushing his beast down so deep inside all the time.
He was wearing black jeans that were basically painted on and a collared shirt that revealed a wide swathe of skin across his chest where he’d been too annoyed to bother buttoning it up all the way. If he changed now, he’d be letting Cal affect the way he dressed. He didn’t change for anyone. Especially not a damn witch. At least he’d fit in at the club more than his usual attire. No one there was leaving anything to the imagination.
The interior stairwell passed in a blur as he stalked down it. He should’ve slowed down. The cacophony as he opened the door to the club and passed the silencing spell almost sent him to his knees and the smells assaulting his sensitive nose weren’t much better. Reeling as he fought to process the sensory overload, he crashed into a very solid, very muscled chest .
Luca felt Cal’s sharp exhale ruffle his hair as he braced against the unexpected collision of their bodies. Flinching, Luca went to pull away, but Cal cupped a gentle hand behind his head as if sensing the overwhelm he was still struggling with. Luca froze despite the fact there was no strength behind the hold.
“Take a moment and breathe. I should’ve warned you the transition is a lot more abrupt from that entrance. We gradiate the dampening spells through the entrance hall so shifters don’t get sensory shock.”
Cal inhaled deeply, the breath expanding his chest where Luca was resting his face, and Luca followed suit, filling his nose with Cal’s drugging scent instead of the smells of spilled alcohol and stale sweat. He only realised he was gripping tight to Cal’s hips when the man leaned sideways to grab something. Snatching his hands back, Luca muttered an apology.
“Nothing to apologise for. Here,” Cal said, running a finger down his ear in a move that sparked a full-body shiver in him before pressing something inside it—an earplug.
Cal repeated the move on the other side, and it was all Luca could do to suppress another shudder at the tingling sensation that shot from the touch. The relief from the noise was immediate and distracted him enough that he didn’t protest when Cal’s hand slid to his chin to tilt his face up when he was done.
“Good boy. You okay now?” Cal asked, his voice a low rumble Luca could feel in his bones.
The endorphins sparked by that endearment finally snapped Luca back to himself and he shoved Cal’s hand away. “I told you before, I’m not a fucking boy. I’ve been to clubs before. I would’ve been fine in a few seconds,” Luca growled, hating the warm feeling Cal’s words had sent through him in the split-second before he’d processed the words.
One of his fears all those years ago when he’d been at his most vulnerable was having that word, that kink, discovered and turned against him. He’d been spared that final indignity, but it was something he’d hidden deep inside ever since. He had enough trouble convincing his family he didn’t need looking after as it was.
“Yes, you would’ve been, but I’m not going to stand by if I can make it easier for you. If you want me to stop calling you a good boy, all you have to do is ask, which I’ve yet to hear you do,” Cal whispered in his ear, sending another shiver through him.
“Fuck off.”
“Was there a request in that sentence?” Cal asked.
Luca growled again, but couldn’t make himself say the words that would make Cal stop. Anger burned through him, at himself as much as Cal, and he clenched his fists.
“Play nice. We’re a happy couple, remember?” Cal murmured, sensing the violence building inside him.
Luca rubbed at the sudden ache in his chest and forced his tense muscles to relax. Cal had just been putting on a show. Of course. Which was fine. He didn’t need looking after anyway. Two could play at that game.
Stepping in close, he pretended to nuzzle into Cal’s neck as he breathed in the witch’s scent again. Why did it have to make his mouth water and why couldn’t he bring himself to ask him to stop calling him boy? Nipping at Cal’s earlobe in annoyance, he bit down a little harder than he should’ve. He hadn’t meant the bite to be erotic, but Cal groaned in response, and his big, strong hands came to rest on Luca’s lower back, holding him close.
“Don’t you dare slide those any lower,” Luca hissed in his ear .
Cal sighed and tipped his head up as if searching the ceiling for patience. Unfortunately, the move was enough like baring his throat that Luca’s wolf got all excited, and so did Luca. There was no hiding the way his cock was hardening against Cal’s thigh. Growling in frustration, Luca let the wolf reign for just a moment, knowing if he didn’t, he was at risk of losing control again. He definitely couldn’t afford a partial shift where humans might see. Pressing his face harder to Cal’s neck, Luca ran his cheek, rough with stubble, all over the soft skin, scent-marking him. Cal’s huff of laughter said he knew exactly what Luca was doing and why.
“Possessive much?” the witch drawled.
“Shut up,” Luca whispered with less heat than he meant to. “No shifter here is going to believe we’re fucking if you don’t smell of me.”
“I wasn’t complaining. Feel free to rub yourself all over me,” Cal said, smirking.
Luca rolled his eyes. The man couldn’t stop flirting if he tried.
“I wouldn’t have thought this was your scene. What brings you down to the club?” Cal asked, their bodies still pressed close so no one could overhear.
Luca blinked. How had he forgotten the reason he’d come down? He’d thought he would rub Cal’s nose in the fact he had a traitor in his ranks, but now that he was staring into the blue of his eyes, he couldn’t quite bring himself to be so cruel. Damn it. He needed to get some distance. Fast.
“Your bartender upstairs. The one with the long blue hair and septum piercing?” Luca said.
Cal raised an eyebrow. “Alice? What about her? I didn’t think you swung that way.”
Luca rolled his eyes again. It seemed to be a common occurrence around this man. “She’s an informant for the MC. ”
Luca felt every muscle in Cal’s body tense and reached up unthinkingly to pet his chest as if it might calm him. His fingers passed the telltale lump of a barbell through Cal’s nipple and he bit back a whimper as he pulled his hand clear. The man was walking temptation and it was infuriating as hell. His sudden discomfort seemed to snap Cal from his wariness. The witch barked out a laugh, nuzzling Luca’s cheek and brushing a barely there kiss against it, sparking another growl of annoyance from Luca.
“Find something interesting? You can play later. Why do you think Alice is an informant?”
“Fuck off. We’re not playing. Ever. And I don’t just think, I know. I hacked your system and ran a standard check on all your staff. She’s receiving monthly payments from the MC and her messages show her arranging meetups.”
If he’d thought Cal had tensed before, it was nothing compared to his response to those words. “You hacked our private records?” he hissed.
Luca shrugged and stepped back enough that he could get clear if Cal got violent. “Of course. It’s what I do.”
Cal’s knuckles were white and a blue glow had formed around his fists where they clenched at his sides. “I need you to give me some fucking space. Now. Before I say something we both regret.”
Luca opened his mouth to argue and then thought better of it. Fuck this guy. He’d just saved him from a traitor and he was acting like Luca was the bad guy. Grabbing a glass and a bottle of whiskey, Luca poured until the amber liquid was almost overflowing and then held it up in mock salute to Cal.
“You’re welcome.”
Wondering what Cal’s next move would be, Luca kept an eye on the witch behind the bar as he slipped out onto the dance floor with his drink. Cal swayed where he stood for a moment, and then the shock in his expression disappeared. By the time he was striding toward the VIP section, there was no way to tell he’d even been angry. No more than five minutes later, security escorted Alice from the building. At least Cal wasn’t burying his head in the sand about her, despite his feelings about Luca’s hacking. Would he question the woman before she left the club, or would that be too criminal for him? Not Luca’s problem.
The vibration of his phone distracted him from watching Cal stride back through the club toward the bar. Despite how packed the place was, people seemed to sense the witch’s presence and move out of his way. He had the same kind of effortless dominance an alpha shifter had.
Luca shook his head at himself in disgust at the thrill that thought incited and put his drink down on the table behind him so he could focus on the message from Aria instead of the witch.
Aria
Did you bone him yet? Did he bone you?
Luca resisted the urge to find a wall to bang his head against. His sister was the absolute worst. The still overwhelming scent of anxious human washed over him as he contemplated his phone and he wrinkled his nose. Why were humans even allowed in the club? He wasn’t surprised they were anxious being surrounded by witches and shifters like this. Not that they had any idea the supernatural species even existed. Deciding to ignore Aria’s question in the hopes she’d give up, he typed out a quick reply.
Luca
Why did you have to tell Uncle G where I was?
Aria
Have you stormed into the club and fake kissed Cal to sell the story only it turned into a real kiss yet?
Luca
Stop reading fucking romance novels.
Luca smiled despite himself because they were both addicted to them. It was the only place he could let himself pretend love was a possibility, and he suspected Aria would’ve sought help for him long ago if not for the misplaced hope their shared interest gave her for his future. It cracked him up every time that his gruff, violent sister was such a sucker for a happily ever after.
Aria
Seriously, bro. You doing okay?
Luca
Yeah. I actually am in the club, but there was no kissing. Just getting some trash taken out.
Aria didn’t need to know about that kiss on his cheek. It didn’t count.
Aria
Already? Do I need to come get you? Was it the D-2S?
Luca
Nah, just some woman selling info to the MC.
Aria
Bitch. I’ll track her down and make sure she learns her lesson.
Luca
Anyway, I should go back upstairs. This place is a nightmare.
Aria
Double wolf dare you to go dance on one of those platforms ;)
Luca swore under his breath. His sister and he had a complicated relationship, but one constant was that they never backed down from a dare. It was another way he reassured her he wasn’t as broken as he actually was. It was his turn, too. Dammit.
As if sensing his hesitance, another message came through.
Aria
Pics or it didn’t happen.
Luca
I hate you.
Luca reached for the whiskey, downing the rest of the glass in one swallow before abandoning it.
Aria
You love me and you know it.
Shoving his phone in his pocket, Luca strode onto the crowded dancefloor. The bass of the music thumped in his blood and the scents of arousal and exertion swirled around him, making him dizzy. Pausing by the lowest of the suspended platforms, he craned his neck to judge the distance. This one was just a little higher than his outstretched arms if he reached up. It was also currently unoccupied, which was a bonus. He had nothing against pole dancers, but he didn’t want to grind on one.
Jumping up, he hung from the platform by his fingertips before swinging around so he was facing away from it and smoothly flipping his body up over his head until he was kneeling on top.
Ugh. Now what? He was going to kill his sister the next time he saw her.