“Because we might not be able to take back what just happened,” he said.
“I might also be okay with that,” she teased.
“We’ll have to figure out what all this means,” he said. Luca had always been an over-analyzer, and she knew that he’d be going over everything that had just happened between the two of them in his head.
She smiled at him and went up on her tiptoes to brush her lips over his. “I think that it means that you need to stop telling people that I’m your foster sister. I’m pretty sure that you shouldn’t be kissing your sister—foster or otherwise, the way that you just kissed me, Luca.”
“Fuck,” he breathed, making her giggle.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure that you’ll overthink all this later. For now, how about you introduce me to your friends?” she asked.
He grumbled something about it being too late, and she looked up at him again. “What does that mean?” she asked.
“It means that I’ve already told the guys that you’re my foster sister,” he admitted.
“Then, I think you might want to refrain from kissing me in front of them until you figure things out,” she teased. She took his hand into her own and dragged him towards the front door.
They walked into the bar, and men who were as big as Luca waved them both over to a table in the corner of the room. Sophia knew that Luca loved meeting the guys on Friday nights for a little bit of fun, but they were all training, so that meant no drinking for any of them. That was fine with her because she planned on drinking enough for both of them. Filing restraining orders against Pete mentally drained her, and she needed a drink—or four to calm her nerves.
She was going to meet a woman named Aurora, who was married to one of the boxers, and she was actually looking forward to that. She needed a friend, and Luca said that Aurora was about her age. Actually, it was Luca’s idea to have them meet, and for some reason, he really seemed to want them to like each other. She hoped that it was because he wanted Sophia to stick around once the threat of her stalker was gone. Having a friend in town might make it easier to get her to stay. Hell, Luca was enough to make her want to stay, but that would require him to see her as something other than his foster sister.
“Hey,” Luca said to the guys. She suddenly felt nervous. “This is my foster sister, Sophia.” She shot him a look and hoped thathe had picked up on the fact that she hated being introduced as his foster sister, but Luca seemed pretty clueless, even after their chat. She wasn’t very happy with him, but that was something that they could discuss in private, and not in front of his friends.
“Hi, Sophia, I’m Rocco.” he stood and held out his hand to her, and she smiled and shook it.
“And I’m Tony,” his other friend said, doing the same. “My wife is in the ladies’ room, but I’m sure that she’ll be out soon. Why don’t you two have a seat?” he asked.
“Actually, I need to use the ladies’ room too,” she said. What she really needed was a few minutes to herself to regroup. Sophia knew that she’d have to come clean with Luca and tell him that she didn’t think of him as a sibling. In fact, if she had her way, they’d do some more kissing, rather than talking. Sooner or later, Luca would take the hint—she hoped.
“I’ll go with you,” Luca insisted, grabbing her hand before she could walk away from them.
“Be serious,” she breathed, looking back to find Rocco and Tony watching them—their expressions amused. “You can’t go into the ladies’ room with me, Luca. I’ll be fine. Plus, Tony just said that his wife is back there. If something happens, I’ll shout for her to come find you. I’ll be fine,” she insisted. Luca looked her over as though he didn’t believe a word that she was saying to him, and then gave a curt nod.
Sophia slid past Luca and the two guys and forced her shoulders to relax as she made her way toward the back of the bar to the bathroom. The place was loud but not rowdy—music humming low around her, the clink of glasses, and bursts of laughter from tables packed with men who looked like they could all bench-press a car. She reminded herself that she was safe and even willed herself to relax. Luca was ten feet away, and his friends were by his side. She was safe, and there was no way that Pete would even be given the chance to get to her. Still, her pulse felt like it was racing as she made her way to the bathroom.
She was almost to the hallway that led to the bathrooms when a man stepped into her path. She jumped back from him, sucking in more air than her lungs could handle. He was of average height, broad through the shoulders, had a beer in his hand, and a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Well, hey there, honey,” he said, leaning just a little too close. She could smell the beer on his breath. He had had more than a few, and she knew that couldn’t mean anything good. “Didn’t expect to see a pretty thing like you all alone.”
Sophia stopped, spine straightening. “I’m not alone,” she said coolly. “And I’m on my way to the restroom, so if you wouldn’t mind stepping aside.”
The man chuckled like she’d said something amusing. “No need to get prickly. I was just being friendly.” She didn’t need any more friends. The few that she had were just fine with her.
Before she could respond, a woman’s voice cut in sharp, calm, and unmistakably unimpressed. “Don’t call her honey.” Sophia turned to see a woman stepping out of the ladies’ room. She was petite but solid, confidence written into the way she stood, hands planted on her hips as though she’d dealt with men like him her whole life.
The guy scoffed. “I wasn’t talking to you, sweetheart.”
The woman’s smile turned mean, and Sophia took a step back from the two of them. “No, you weren’t,” the woman said, stepping closer to the man, “but you’re done talking to her.”
Sophia felt heat rush to her cheeks. They were causing a scene, and besides that, she didn’t need rescuing—not after everything she’d dealt with lately. “Hey,” she said quickly, holding up a hand. “It’s okay. I can handle myself. You don’t need to get involved.”
The woman turned to face her, surprise showing across her face. “I know you can,” she said evenly. “But you shouldn’t have to.”
The man’s smile faltered as he glanced between them, clearly reassessing the situation. “Jesus, I was just trying to talk to the lady.”
“And she said that she doesn’t want to talk to you,” the woman replied. “Which means you walk away.” Sophia felt as though she was holding her breath waiting to see what the guy was going to do next. There was something in her tone, steady and unyielding, that made the guy mutter under his breath and back off toward the bar.
Sophia exhaled slowly as she watched him walk away. “Thank you,” she said, then winced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you earlier. I just had a long day.”
