Chapter 9 #2
It was going to be okay. I could do this. I’d go to the shows, make notes, and ask a few questions. Return to my room, eat dinner, and crash for the night. Wake up the following morning, write, travel, rinse and repeat.
That was my plan. It left no space to be alone with Luca. To get myself into any other scenarios that would tangle the situation more than it already was.
Because no matter how much I might want a future with him, there was no way I would let that happen. And I wasn’t going to throw away my whole career and add another scar to my heart for the sake of a casual hookup. Because I think that was what I’d be for Luca.
Replaceable.
I couldn’t go through that again.
However, a new day immediately revealed the flaw in my iron-clad plan to shield my body and heart.
I hadn’t accounted for Luca’s sheer bloody stubbornness.
The itinerary called for outfit fittings for the band this morning, followed by a full tech rehearsal this afternoon.
While I’d planned to attend the rehearsal, there was no need for me to go along for the fittings.
I’d wanted to use the free time to catch up on emails while drinking my third cup of coffee.
The Italians might not put much stock in tea, but they made a great cappuccino.
I’d only been away from my desk for a couple of days and the email backlog was already building.
I’d barely made a dent in them when a knock disturbed me.
I opened the door to find Luca leaning against the doorframe, looking fucking edible.
How he managed to make a simple T-shirt and jeans combo so mouthwatering was beyond me.
He didn’t speak. Just let his gaze rake over me, lingering on the skin revealed by my loosely tied robe.
I fought the urge to pull at my robe. Whether I wanted to close it or open it further for Luca’s gaze was anyone’s guess. “Can I help you?”
“Why aren’t you dressed?” His eyes travelled further down my exposed skin and my cock twitched between my legs.
I cleared my throat. “I know you’re not familiar with the corporate world, but answering emails from a hotel room doesn’t have a set dress code.”
“I mean, neither does accompanying me this morning.” He lifted a finger, dusting it lightly along the opening of the robe, careful not to touch the skin beneath. “If this is what you want to wear, then I’m all for it. Can’t promise to behave myself though, so it’s up to you.”
“I’m not accompanying you.” I stepped back, and Luca’s hand fell to his side.
“Oh, but you are. Didn’t your boss tell you? You’re going to be my shadow for the next six weeks.” He gave me an innocent grin. “How else are you supposed to learn everything about me?”
I sighed, realising this was an argument I wouldn’t win. “Give me ten minutes. I’ve showered already, so I just need to chuck some clothes on.”
“Great.” Luca beamed, pushing on my door and stepping over the threshold. “I’ll wait in here.”
He took my seat at the table, ignoring the open laptop.
Stretching his long legs out in front of him, he crossed his feet at the ankles and helped himself to my coffee.
God, what would happen if I went and ran my hands up his thighs?
I’d never sat on a guy’s lap, but Luca looked strong enough to hold me. I could straddle him and…
My brain screeched to a halt even as my dick continued to stiffen. This was why I needed space from him. Being in close quarters with him seemed to remove the levelheaded adult I normally was and replace it with a hormonal version of myself that I hadn’t been even as a teenager.
Flustered, I pulled my robe tighter, double knotting it. “Why do you need to wait in here?”
“Security risk,” he said, shooting me a wink. “Isn’t that right, Jack?”
I spun around and poked my head out the door. Jack, Luca’s hulking security guard, was staring impassively at the wall opposite. He didn’t respond to Luca’s question, nor did he acknowledge me.
“Does he really need to wait in here?” I whispered desperately.
Jack turned his head slightly, giving me a long-suffering look. “No. But it’s easier if you go along with it. Trust me.”
Shutting the door with a muttered oath, I pointed at Luca. “Stay there.”
He wriggled his eyebrows over my coffee cup. “I think I like you bossy.”
A flirty quip about how I liked to boss him around danced on the tip of my tongue.
I swallowed it back at the last second, knowing that if I did say something, it would only encourage him.
And I knew that if he flirted with me, I might end up with my dick in his mouth.
Again. But fuck, it was hard being this close to him and remembering why I shouldn’t go there. “I’m going to get dressed.”
Luca didn’t seem disappointed by my response. If anything, it seemed to amuse him. “Need any help with that? I’ve been told I’m an excellent stylist.”
I rolled my eyes, grabbing an outfit from my case and heading for the bathroom. “I don’t know how it works for you rock stars, but I’ve been getting myself dressed since I was a child.”
He grabbed my wrist as I walked past, pulling me to a stop. “Getting dressed isn’t my speciality. Getting people undressed, however…”
That remark was a wake-up call. If his reputation was anything to go by, Luca had no difficulty getting people into his bed.
I couldn’t risk being used and then possibly discarded.
Not when I’d have to see him day after day for the rest of the tour.
It was bad enough we’d already messed around twice.
That’d given me enough material to agonise over for several months.
If I took him to bed, I didn’t think I’d ever get over it. Five months had passed, and I’d managed to get over a six-year relationship.
But that lift incident? Definitely not over that.
Peeling my arm from his grip, I didn’t respond to his comment. Luca seemed to have a way of twisting my words, leading me down a path I wasn’t ready to walk with him. Perhaps ignoring him as much as I could was the way to get through this.
I couldn’t look back at this tour as the time I got my heart broken. I wouldn’t.
I just had to be strong enough to keep Luca at arm’s length.