I clear my throat and turn to face him.“Excuse me?”
“Listen, I know I can’t tell who you can and can’t date, but Ashton?—”
“You’re right.You can’t,” I say, hurrying across the street.
I head into the building, but instead of wandering into the classroom, I slip into the bathroom, giving myself a few minutes to chill out.Besides, if Luca gets to class first, he’ll be forced to take a seat, and then I can sit somewhere else, far away from him.Otherwise, he’ll sit next to me, like he always does.
At least that’s my plan, but when I head out of the bathroom, he’s standing by the door, leaning against the wall, and hasn’t gone into the auditorium yet.
“Stalking me?”I ask.
A sly smile crosses his face.“Would I do that?”
I may not know Luca very well, but it’s obvious to me that he’s trouble.The jealous vibe about Ashton is a major red flag, and I should stay far away from him.
But he pushes himself off the wall and strolls right toward me.He fears nothing, least of all rejection.
Me?
I fear him.Not in the aggressive, he’ll hurt me type way.No, I fear that I’ll fall for him, and he’ll break my heart.It’s not like it hasn’t happened before.I’ve been in love once, and picking up the pieces of my shattered heart was one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to deal with in my past.
“Yeah, you definitely seem the stalkerish type,” I chide and brush past him for the classroom.
He grabs my arm, spinning me back around to face him.Our bodies brush against one another as he’s stepped closer, invading my personal space.
My breath catches in my throat as I stare up into his heated gaze, the butterflies returning all at once, making my lips dry.
“Not a stalker,” he says and shakes his head, his gaze unwavering.“I just happen to know what I want.Who I want.”
And my breath hitches as I swear the air is stolen from my lungs.He’s mesmerizing to stare at, the faint smile playing at the corner of his lips, the dimple on his right cheek as he studies me.
“We have to get to class,” I whisper, and he gives a brief nod before releasing me from his grasp.
A slight whimper escapes the back of my throat, a moan that I’m not even sure where it came from, and I swear I hope that he didn’t hear it.
But he did.
He raises an eyebrow, and I just want to disappear into oblivion.There’s no ignoring the emotion that he elicits, and he’s grinning at me like the Cheshire Cat.
When the hell did I start crushing on Luca Ricci?
Four
Luca
That sweet, delicious sound that Harper makes fills me with a thousand fantasies, all involving her naked and moaning my name.
I follow her into Econ 101, which is the most boring class this semester, but somehow, I’m enjoying it far more than I should.It doesn’t hurt, the view of her ass with her walking in front of me.If only it were warmer outside, and she didn’t have a thick jacket covering her assets.
I snag the seat next to her as she blatantly attempts to ignore me.She retrieves her laptop from her bag, her attention straight ahead as if I don’t exist.
But I’m confident that she feels my presence as much as I crave hers.
And I fully intend to make up for the disaster of a party she attended because I know girls like Harper, and she’ll never want to attend another one.
The girl is a bit of an open book, and while I love a little mystery, it helps that I can read her, probably better than she knows herself.The fact that she’s trying to avoid me, but the tinge of her cheeks and her stare keep telling me she’s inwardly fighting her feelings, denying herself the pleasure that comes with liking me.
Yes, I’m confident she has feelings for me.
