16. Luca
Chapter 16
Luca
M y shoes crunched on the gravel driveway as I walked up to the Villa Del Salerno. A secluded villa along the California coast, it had been most people’s Holy Grail to host an event. I’d parked off to the side and walked around to the courtyard.
Sunshine walked quickly across the patio, her strappy sandals clicking on the cobblestones. Her sister Stella walked past, carrying a massive potted plant.
I paused, watching as Sunshine directed three people into three separate directions, patting Stella on the back.
“Grab the instruments from the day room and add them to the stage.” Sunshine touched one of the attendants on the shoulder and gave him a quick smile.
Before I knew it, I had taken three steps forward. She wasn’t flirting with the man, I knew that. But my alpha instincts wanted me near her, scenting her, letting the world know she was mine.
“Hello, darling, how are you?” I put my arm around Sunshine’s waist and gave her a kiss on the temple.
“Hi.” She looked a little surprised but leaned into me. I almost purred with pleasure. “We’re about done setting up. Mrs. Cullen will be here soon.”
“I came to see if I could help.”
“Help?” Sunshine beamed at me. “You’re the reason why we’re even here. This place books years in advance.”
I shrugged. “Anything for my favorite beta.”
She glanced up, surprise and hope at war on her face.
Before I could flirt more and take away some of that surprise I saw on her face, Ms. Renata walked over to us.
She was an omega woman in her early fifties, with perfectly styled blonde hair, but a surprisingly low maintenance cream suit. “Mr. Kahele, Ms. Sullivan, hello.”
Sunshine held her hand out. “Thank you again for letting us use the venue. It’s been a dream of mine.”
Ms. Renata smiled, crow’s feet at the corner of her eyes making her look like a refined sculpture. “I’m always happy to help.” She looked at me. “Mr. Kahele did me a great favor once.”
“Oh, don’t even mention it.” I winked at her. Ms. Renata’s ungrateful sons had tried to take her estate away from her, but my firm and I had found enough clauses to save her.
“Do you need anything else?” Ms. Renata smiled warmly at Sunshine.
“Everything’s about set up.” Sunshine swayed, almost like she wanted to grab my hand. My fingertips twitched, and for a breath I thought I would grab her hand, hold it in mine. Feel the warmth of her skin.
Stella stepped back onto the patio. “Sunshine? We’re done and Ms. Cullen should be here soon.”
The beta of my dreams stepped away, giving me a quick smile, and we followed her out to the front of the villa. Logan was already there, wearing his chef whites, and chatting with some of Ms. Renata’s kitchen staff.
Mrs. Cullen arrived, her soft yellow and cream suit looking perfectly California.
Sunshine stepped into the role of host, introducing Mrs. Cullen all around, before beginning the tour. We followed her through a grand ballroom filled with balloons, a spacious room that made it feel like we were swimming underwater, and three more event rooms.
I couldn’t hide my pride in the beautiful beta’s work.
Even Mrs. Cullen was smiling by the end of the tour.
Sunshine spoke about each experience with calm poise. I wanted to hug her, hold her, and maybe drag her off to a quiet place where I could properly show my appreciation.
At the end, Logan had a tasting menu set up. There were shrimp basil rolls, a cold Russian soup whose name I couldn’t pronounce, beef short ribs resting on top of puree of pumpkin with maple, and paprika, and tiny orange blossom honey cakes with a salted honey buttercream for dessert. Logan walked Mrs. Cullen through the menu and how the dishes would tie into the theme of the room.
Mrs. Cullen beamed, a real smile, and looked at Sunshine. “This is better than my greatest expectations.”
Sunshine smiled. “Thank you. And thank you for your patience. I wanted you to see what I had in mind in person. Photo mockups wouldn’t have done this justice.”
“It would not.” Mrs. Cullen was still beaming like she’s won the Noble Peace Prize. “This is exactly the sort of vision I was looking for. Chef Kahele was right in recommending you.”
Sunshine gave the older woman a smile. She was still using her “work” voice, and it made me want to see what I had to do to make her squeal. “Thank you. Chef Kahele is always a pleasure to work with.”
Logan grunted, and the conversation shifted to the other planned experiences.
I glanced over at “Chef Kahele”. He was watching Sunshine with a soft look on his voice. They really did work well together, and it was nice to see someone who appreciated Logan for his creativity, not just his status.
Ms. Renata approached me with her own tasting plate. “She’ll make a beautiful addition to your pack.”
I huffed a quiet laugh. “She’s still a bit…skittish.”
“All things in time, you taught me that.” Ms. Renata smiled, her eyes twinkling. “This food is divine. Logan out did himself.”
“I’ll make sure you have some to-go trays for your trouble.” I nodded. “It was quite wonderful of you to open up the house early for this set up.”
She took a bite out of a chocolate chip cookie. “I’m being well rewarded, I assure you.”
I smiled, but at that moment, through the mate bond, I felt Julian get tense. I shared a glance with Logan. Julian was at work, and he must be out on a call. He struggled to feel calm and controlled when he was called out, even though he never showed it outwardly.
I took in a deep breath and let it out. I would never stop Julian from following his dream, but it was so hard when I knew he was in danger, and I couldn’t be there. Loving a person was like handing them your heart and praying it came back in one piece.
I looked at Sunshine, thinking about how her last pack had betrayed her in the worst way possible. No wonder she was skittish. She had given them her heart and they had thrown it into the dirt.
The impromptu party continued as I chatted with Logan and Ms. Renata. After a little while, I looked around for Sunshine, and when I didn’t see her, I decided to let my alpha instincts out a bit.
Using her sky and linen scent as my guide, I left the front room and followed her aroma to the next room over.
Through the floor to ceiling French doors was a balcony, overlooking the cliffs. I paused on the threshold. Sunshine was leaning on the railing, looking out at the ocean. Her shoulders were relaxed, and her breathing even, so I didn’t think she was upset.
“Room for one more?” I cocked my head.
She looked over her shoulder. “Always. I just needed some air.”
I strolled over and leaned my elbows onto the balcony’s marble railing, matching her position. I also stood closer than was generall considered polite, but I didn’t want to be polite. I wanted her to know she was mine. Mine and my pack’s.
“You did well.”
“I’m glad I was able to come up with something.” Sunshine nodded, watching the ocean breaking against the cliffs. “You were a huge help, Luca. Seriously, thank you.”
“You can have anything you want.” I watched her intently.
She looked at me, the same surprise and shock on her face as earlier. She bit her lip and looked down at the railing.
Slowly, I told myself. Slowly. Give her space to feel comfortable. I edged my hand resting on the railing closer to hers.
She watched my movement, her entire gaze focused on the inch of space between our two hands.
“I told Julian I got Mrs. Cullen’s approval.”
“Good.” I smiled, shifting my hand closer. “He’s on a call right now, but he’ll reply when he’s back.”
She checked her phone, probably for a text message from our omega.
“I felt it.” I tapped the center of my chest. “He gets really focused.”
“Oh.” Concern filtered on her face. “That must be really hard.”
“It is.” I chuckled. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“I don’t expect him to drop everything he’s doing just to reply.” Sunshine tucked some of her blonde hair out of her face. The wind was surprisingly calm, this close to the ocean.
“He was sad he couldn’t be here.” I brushed my fingertips against hers. We’d snuggled on the couch, but this somehow felt more intimate. Harder to brush off as casual.
Sunshine’s breathing measured out, and she looked at our hands touching. “When you came over to Cosmic Bonds earlier in the day. Last week.”
“Yes?”
She sounded uncertain, and also casual, like what she said didn’t matter.
It must have mattered a great deal.
She struggled with what she was going to say. She bit her lip, looking up at me before looking away quickly. Like she was nervous.
I shifted my body language, so I faced her, and gave her my best winsome smile. “Yes? I could make a habit of it.”
She blinked and nodded. “Yes. That’s what I was going to ask.”
It was definitely not what she was going to ask. She straightened up and smiled, but I could see how she held herself, how her face shut down. “You should wear better shoes next time.”
“Yes, ma’am.” If she wasn’t ready, I wouldn’t push. But I’d try to be as encouraging as I could. “Whatever you want.”
“We’d better get back. Don’t want to ditch my newest client.”
I offered her my arm, and she took it. I walked her back to the gathering and pondered if there was anything else I could do to make her feel more comfortable.
Logan and I stayed to help clean up and got home late. Judging by the quiet, cold hum of the mate bond, Julian was either still on the same call or he had two calls back-to-back.
It was going to be a long night. We’d try to sleep, but there wasn’t a lot of resting until we knew our omega was safe.