I could make plans with Kensley, and I might catch up with her in the dorm, but she wasn’t my dinner plans.I emit a soft sigh, lick the corner of my lips because, suddenly, I feel like I’ve been caught mid-lie.“Okay, fine.I don’t have dinner plans with anyone.Happy?”My tone comes out snippier than I intend.Luca hasn’t done anything wrong, it’s just my defenses coming up, trying to keep my heart from getting stomped on all over again.
His shoulders seem to relax at my admission.Is he happy that I don’t have plans?He grabs my coat and helps me into it, like a perfect gentleman, before tugging me closer, pulling at the lapels.“You need to button this monstrosity up.It’s freezing outside, and we don’t want you to catch a cold.”
His breath tickles my cheek.His hands firm and strong, keeping me close, sends tingles throughout my entire body.My breath catches in my throat, my eyes slightly glaze over while I stare at him, perplexed.
His fingers deftly button my jacket for me when I don’t move quickly enough to do it myself.
I laugh, surprised by his actions.
“What’s so funny?”Luca asks, working on the buttons from the bottom of my coat.He’s on the fourth one already.
“I’ve never had anyone button my coat for me.”
“Never?”he asks.“Not even when you were a kid?”
I gently brush his hands away, doing the remaining buttons on my jacket myself.“Maybe when I was a child.I don’t really remember anyone doing it for me.It’s been a long time.”
“I'll bet that’s not the only thing that’s been a long time,” he mutters under his breath playfully.
I laugh, shocked by what I’m hearing.“Excuse me?”My mouth hangs open, staring at him, perplexed.I secure the last button near the top of my coat, dig my hands into my pockets for my leather gloves, and playfully slap him with one of them on his arm before shoving the gloves back into my coat pocket.
“What exactly are you implying, Ricci?”I say, using his last name, scowling playfully at him.I’m not angry, just shocked by his comment.
“That it’s probably been quite some time since anyone laced up your boots for you too,” he says with a smirk.“What did you think I meant, McKenna?”he teases, using my own last name but in a much flirtier way.
I step into my boots, lean down and zip up the side, which makes it so I don’t have to lace up my heavy winter boots.It saves time, and right now, I’m ever so grateful not to be fumbling with the laces.
Luca slips his shoes on first and then grabs his winter coat.I swear he had me putting everything on backward just to fluster me.Is everything a game to him?
“We’re heading out now.Let’s go,” Luca says.He grabs his hat from his jacket pocket, slips the beanie on over his head and glances back over his shoulder at his roommate.“Clean the damn place while we’re gone.”
Ashton tosses up his middle finger at Luca, who waves and salutes his teammate on the way to the front door.
Nova throws the pillow at Ashton and hurries around the sofa, grabbing her jacket and slipping into her shoes.“Wait for me!”
Luca leans in, his breath teasing my ear as he whispers, “Did you really have to invite my sister on our first date?”
My heart palpitates, and I suck in a nervous breath.It takes every bit of energy not to react to his wordsfirst date.If I pretend that I didn’t hear him, maybe it’ll make the encounter a thousand times less awkward.
“Cute coat,” I say to Nova, smiling brightly as I pull my own beanie on to keep warm.
“Thanks,” Nova says.She walks beside me as we head outside, Luca right behind us, grumbling under his breath about being the third wheel.
I spin around on my heels, stopping, and he nearly collides with me.“What was that?”I ask, feigning innocence, all smiles.
He looks flustered that I spoke up, or maybe he didn’t realize I could hear him.He’s cute but not nearly as quiet as he thinks he is.
He jingles his keys at me.“Are we taking my car, or walking somewhere in this frigid weather for dinner?”
It’s not much of a question.It’s too cold to walk anywhere.We pile into his vehicle.I sit up front in the passenger side while Nova is seated in back.The car hums to life, but none of us has decided where to go eat.The heat blasts cold air, which doesn’t help.
“Where are we going?”Luca asks.He glances at me and then, presumably in the rearview at Nova.
“I don’t know,” Nova says.“I don’t know what’s around here.”
Luca shifts, glancing at me.“What do you feel like?”
“Not freezing to death,” I joke.“How about the Chinese buffet around the corner?”It’s cheap, has decent food and, more important, is close to campus.
