Chapter 17 #2
“Don’t get me wrong–” I add with a smile. “I appreciate everything we have. The sense of family, the love that comes with that and the many cousins I have, along with my siblings. You are never alone in our family and I suppose that’s a benefit, but sometimes it’s a distinct disadvantage.”
I gaze at him with curiosity.
“What about you? Do you come from a large family?”
“Two uncles, their wives, and four cousins. I also have a sister who I adore.”
“You told me you are an only child.” I raise my eyes and he shrugs.
“Sometimes it’s best to kill a conversation if you prefer to keep the details to yourself.”
I contemplate what he means by that but decide to push it aside because I’m starting to realize that Luca Romano only tells you what he wants you to know.
Instead, I carry on the conversation.
“Are you similar in age?”
“No. She is seven years old.”
“That’s quite a gap.”
He shrugs. “Understandable when you learn that my birth mother is dead and my mom is a step one.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Don’t be. She was a wicked bitch who tried to sell me to a pedophile.”
“No way!” I wasn’t expecting that and stare at him in horror.
“What happened?”
He leans forward, his gaze dark and compelling as he says with no emotion.
“My father tossed her from a balcony to her death as soon as he located her.”
I lean back, the harsh realities of our world reminding me why we have protection in the first place.
“She deserved it.” My eyes flash as I consider what could have happened to Luca if his mother had her way.
“She did.”
I’m surprised when he reaches for my hand and, as our fingers connect, he laces them together.
“This is nice.” He states and I nod, a shy smile surprising me more than him.
“It is.”
I stare into his compelling eyes, wondering how things changed so quickly between us. If anything, I like the way he opened up a little part of his soul and let me in. He didn’t have to do that and I think highly of him for it.
“What about you, Summer? Do you have any skeletons in your closet bashing to be heard?”
“No.” I shrug. “I am living the dream, Luca.”
A faint smile ghosts his lips and I experience an overwhelming urge to taste them again. I shouldn’t. It would be the most foolish thing I have ever done, and I wonder if this could transition into something more.
I’m surprised as we share an easy time, chatting shit about Rockwell and all its ways. It was inevitable, I suppose, but he raises the subject of The Claiming, a challenge my brother resurrected from the ancient monks who used to live here.
“What do you make of The Claiming?” He asks, his words casual but his expression intense.
“I don’t think about it.” I shrug. “That’s Frankie’s thing, not mine.”
“Even if it could work to your advantage?”
“How?” A shiver of delight passes through me because I love his conniving ways. It’s obvious that still waters run deep with Luca Romano and I wonder what he’s plotting now.
“Your freedom.”
“My freedom?” I shrug. “What about it?”
“If you were my sister, I would warn every guy off you. Me included.”
“Especially you.” I remind him, and he nods, apparently unconcerned about that.
“Your cousin Siri was given a hall pass. Jack is trustworthy, won’t break her heart, and will treat her like a queen. He earned the right to be her Centurion. I’m hoping to replicate that with you.”
I almost spit out the delicious red wine I’ve already guzzled far too much of.
“Me?” I laugh out loud. “That would be over Frankie’s dead body.”
“Think about it.”
His words are casual, but I sense they have been calculated and his plan crafted from a devious imagination and I kind of like that quality in a guy.
He leans forward, caressing my hand with his thumb before raising it to his lips and kissing the knuckles softly.
A shiver of expectation passes through me as I imagine what else he is capable of and he stares deep into my eyes and whispers, “I convince him I am the best man for you. That I have your best interests at heart and will treat you like a queen.”
“He won’t care.” I shake my head. “Frankie is under instructions to watch out for me and — newsflash, you come from a rival family and are probably the last guy in Rockwell they want around their daughter.”
“Mistrust is a failing many families fall foul of.” He says with a nonchalant shrug.
“How come?”
To be honest, Luca mesmerizes me. I am stumbling into his dark web and already admit I’m trapped. All I’m waiting for now is the spider to eat me alive and, quite frankly, I would welcome every second of it.
“Call it a merger of our families for however long it lasts. We share nothing but our company. No secrets, no details of our business, just, well–”
He winks. “A relationship of a more intimate nature.”
Is it freaking hot in here because suddenly I can’t breathe?
This is moving way faster than I anticipated and now all I can think of is what happens when this guy gets intimate.
It’s not something I’ve experienced until now and picturing my first time with him pours oil on a hot flame.
I am so ready for the knowledge that it appears every other girl but the ones in my family get to experience without a contract being put out on the poor guy who succeeded.
I’m guessing that Luca is more than able to deal with the consequences of what may happen and is probably the only one who can.
I shrug. “You’ll have to work harder than this to be intimate with me, Luca. I’m not a cheap date bought by a nice meal, good wine and pleasant conversation.”
“What must I do to prove I’m worthy?”
His eyes flash as I pretend to consider my options.
“You find a way to make it happen with my brother’s blessing. That would impress me more than anything and you would certainly deserve your prize.”
“And The Claiming?”
He asks, his gaze intense, and I nod. “I’ll sign up if you do, but you run the risk of somebody beating you to it. Have you got a plan for that?”
“Of course.”
His soft smile reels me in as he caresses my hand and yet before he can elaborate on that, his gaze slides past me and something catches his attention that diverts his attention away from me.
“What is it?”
I don’t turn around because that would alert whoever it is that we know they are here, and he shakes his head slightly. “I know that man and the woman looks familiar.”
He pretends to take a photo of me and I pose for the camera and as he shows me, I recognize the woman but not the man.
“That’s Miss Sloane. Jesses’s art teacher.”
Siri pointed her out to me yesterday and I’ve heard what she’s doing to Jesse and I don’t like it.
“Who’s the man?”
“Somebody you never want to meet. Not in a million years.”
Luca raises his hand, signaling for the check.
“We should leave before they see us.”
“What if they have already?”
Now I’m worried because if Luca is concerned, this man must be bad news.
“They haven’t. I watched them come in and they are so wrapped up in one another they never even glanced around the restaurant.”
“How will we leave without them seeing us?”
He jerks his thumb in the direction away from them.
“Through the kitchen. A little trick my father taught me if you want to avoid scrutiny.”
“That figures.”
I keep my face averted from the couple and inside of five minutes, Luca is pulling me through the industrial kitchen, ignoring the surprise on the faces of the staff and as we spill out into the alley beside the restaurant, I breathe a huge sigh of relief.
“Now what?”
He surprises me by swinging me against the wall, and before I register what he’s doing, his lips find mine in a frenzied attack that leaves me breathless.
It’s different this time. Now, we have more freedom to explore without possible eyes on us reporting back to my brother.
I kiss him back with more passion that I intended to because fuck the cheerleading dream, give me Voldemort any day of the week.