7. Rose #4
Pull it together, Ro! Get in your car and regroup at your hotel like you planned.
I have to see him tomorrow, and the last thing I want is for Dante to notice something off between Luca and me after the dramatic greeting I shamelessly gave him today.
Dante should be my full focus moving forward, not trying to rekindle something with Luc that clearly never was.
I’ll just chalk it up to teenage hormones and having an inflated view of what Luca and I once had.
Without realizing it, I'd already made the short walk to my car in the small diner parking lot, and Luca walked next to me silently as I internally battled with my reaction to his hand touching mine for 1.2 seconds. As I reach for the handle of the driver’s side door of my Mercedes, Luca presses his palm against the frame of the door.
“Ro, wait. Are you sure everything is okay?”
“I actually prefer to go by Rose now,” I blurt.
What is wrong with me? What am I even saying?
I hate when people call me Rose. Well, except how Dante says it…
but that’s besides the point. I’ve clearly contracted some mental disorder in the last ten seconds because that is the only reason I would want Luca to call me Rose.
And why am I correcting him right now even though he has been calling me Ro all day? Ugh!
“Oh, I didn’t realize. I thought you hated when people called you Rose,” Luca responds with an eyebrow raised in surprise and confusion.
“Well, things have changed over the last decade and a half,” I say with far too much snark.
Wow, bitchy much? Sheesh, Ro, take it down a notch.
This night is not going how I expected at all.
I just want to curl up in a comfy bed under a giant down comforter with the AC on high and pretend this day never happened.
Well, not the whole day, but at least the past hour or so.
I need to salvage this interaction the best I can and get out of here.
Without giving Luca a chance to respond, I quickly babble out, “Welp, have a good night. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I might as well have added “buddy” or “pal” to the end of that sentence with the tone I delivered it in.
Internally rolling my eyes at myself and my inability to be cool, calm, and collected, I go to pull my door open for the second time in my attempt to retreat.
And for the second time, Luca stops my progress with his hand still pressed to the doorframe of my car. Does he not realize I’m trying to run away from this awkward situation?
As I turn to Luca to ask why his hand is still on my door, I have to tilt my chin up, leaning my head back against the car next to his hand to make eye contact with him.
When did he get so close to me? Has he always been this tall?
And has he always smelled that good? It’s like a mixture of spicy nutmeg and something warm like vanilla but in a manly way.
If I take too deep a breath, my chest will brush against his, but I can’t help it and inhale a little more of his enticing scent.
My back is firmly pressed to the door of my car, so his solid body effectively traps me.
With one hand already on my door, Luca raises his other arm and presses his opposite hand against the roof of my SUV, essentially bracketing my smaller frame in.
Now I not only have to try to hold my breath to avoid physical contact, but I also need to figure out a way to slow my racing heart.
I can practically hear it pounding in my ears, and I fear if Luca gets any closer, he’ll be able to hear it and feel its rapid rhythm against his chest.
“Lu—” Before I can even finish the first syllable of his name, his lips are on mine. His soft, wet, perfect lips. In that split second, I’m positive my heart actually stops.
Stunned doesn’t even begin to describe the frantic emotions rapidly streaming through my mind.
At the same time, my body has no problem responding.
It feels like electricity coursing through my veins, and my body responds on instinct.
I kiss him back with abandon. He tastes like coffee and the past.
My hands trail up his broad chest to wrap around his neck to pull him closer.
At the same time, he bends down and grasps the back of my thighs with his strong hands and lifts to press me against my car.
On impulse, I wrap my legs around his waist, crossing my ankles behind his back.
With that move, our bodies fully come into contact with each other, and I can feel his arousal against my center.
And what an impressive arousal it is. Kissing has never felt like this before.
It’s a mixture of desperation and a sense of familiarity.
Still, I don’t even get a second to process or appreciate what’s happening because in the blink of an eye, my feet are back on the ground, and Luca has taken several steps away from me.
His eyes frantically avoid contact with mine.
“Ro…Rose, I am so sorry. That was a mistake.” With his head bowed, Luca wipes his mouth with his hand and turns and walks away. He climbs into the cab of his truck, turns the ignition, and drives away without a second glance as I stand there stunned, still leaning with my back against my car door.
WHAT. THE. HELL.