I never expected him to cower in a corner, but his complete dismissal of Angelo’s threat surprises me.
“Aren’t you worried?” I pour some cereal into a bowl and add chocolate milk. It’s unhealthy, but I don’t care. He watches as I pull out a chair and sit with my bowl of e-numbers and begin slurping the goodness down like I haven’t eaten for a month.
“I’m more worried about you,” he says eventually.
I peer up at him through my bangs. “How so? He won’t hurt me.” I could be wrong, but I doubt it.
“Do you have any idea how unhealthy that brand is?” He points an accusatory finger at my bowl. “Pretty sure that shit would outlast a nuclear holocaust.”
“Good to know. At least I won’t starve after the bombs fall.” I grin at him, but it’s only surface level.
Luka tuts before strolling over and dropping onto an adjacent chair. He yanks my seat forward so I’m sitting between his much-longer thighs. It’s a dangerous place to be.
“Your body is your temple, so treat it with respect.” Since I practically lived on dried noodles during my months on the run, I figure it’s a bit late for that.
“I ate an avocado at lunch.”
Luka chuckles. “And did you wash it down with a glass of wine?”
My cheeks heat. “Maybe,” I hedge.Followed by several glasses of champagne at the spa, which is probably why I have a lingering headache. He tuts.
“You’re not looking after yourself.”
I roll my eyes and slurp down the last few mouthfuls of cereal. Luka’s right. I should pay more attention to my health, but it’s hard to care right now. Not when I have so little freedom.
“Dominic makes sure I have healthy meals at least once a day.” The man’s a star. He made a mushroom risotto the other day that could legit have won awards it was so good.
“Yeah. He’s a good man.” Luka pushes my bowl away and draws me closer. He smells of citrus and mint, and his hair is still damp. “Wanna watch a movie?”
“I should get some more sleep,” I say with a yawn.
Luka pouts. “I thought you enjoyed my company.”
Something in his voice signals he’s a little hurt by me not wanting to hang out with him, so without thinking, I reach out and brush a loose lock of hair away from his eyes and smile.
“You know I do. These last few weeks would have been hell without you.” My voice breaks off while I cringe at how entitled that statement is when there are people barely surviving in war zones right now. “I mean, as hellish as living in a luxury mansion with a well-stocked refrigerator and a swimming pool can be,” I add.
“For the record, I very much enjoy your company too,” Luka says. “But if you need to catch some sleep, I can entertain myself.” There’s a screech as he shoves his chair back. In truth, I’m notthattired after my nap, and something tells me sleep won’t come easily.
“Maybe we can watch another episode ofSouthern Charmedbefore I go to bed?”
He laughs triumphantly. “I knew you were hooked!” Grabbing my hand, he tugs me to my feet.
“I’m not hooked,” I lie. “One episode! No more!”
“The lady doth protest too much.” Luka’s fake English accent makes me giggle so hard I end up with hiccups. Before I can extricate myself and go pour a fresh glass of water, Luka threads his fingers through my hair and kisses me.
25
Luka
I’ve tried really hard to keep my distance, but Angelo’s tantrum last night obliterated my last vestiges of self-control. How dare he act all butt-hurt when he forced this woman to marry him against her will?
Having grown up without Lorenzo as a father, I can’t claim to fully understand the way things work in our family, but even I know that forced marriage is morally repugnant. And probably illegal.
But Angelo refuses to do the right thing, even though anyone with eyes can see how miserable Chiara is.
The woman is a force of nature. All sass and fire. She’s done nothing but fight back since she arrived. I love how she refuses to accept my brother’s bullshit, which he fucking hates. Yet I’ve caught him watching her when she’s distracted, and I can tell there’s a lot he’s not saying.
