“Fuck, Lo, I’m so sorry.” Metal clicked, and a door opened. Then, the cool air was blowing on my face, and Luca was right there next to me.
He undid my seatbelt and ran his hand over my neck, collarbone, and chest as his gaze darted between my face and chest. “Are you hurt?”
I shook my head, my entire body trembling from fear. The adrenaline rush was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Each breath pulled tight in my throat and lungs, my toes and fingers throbbing from my pulse.
“Fuck.” His face fell, and he moved his hands over my arms and down my sides. “You’re okay. You’re good. No injuries.”
“A-are you?” I croaked out. His face paled, his eyes somehow darker.
“I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.” He cupped my face and waited until my gaze met his. “I might’ve hurt you when I reached out.”
He dropped his attention to my chest. My skin prickled as he stared at me, and at the mention of it, a dull ache formed over my breastbone. I cringed.
“I might’ve bruised you.” He pressed his lips together, squeezing his eyes shut. “I’m so sorry.”
“Why did you do that?” I asked.
“To protect you. I didn’t even think, I just did it.” He rested his forehead against mine, his breath hitting my face as he shuddered.
My skin tinged for a different reason this time. The heightened emotions from the almost-accident, the way he’dprotectedme. In the middle of a potential accident, he’d reached over tome,ensuring I was safe. That was amazing. “Luca,” I whispered.
His breathing deepened, and his fingers dug into my face as he exhaled. I was too afraid to move. Something warm and hot grew in my gut, a bolt of lust overtaking all rational thoughts. I tilted my head up slightly, just a hair, and our lips were a centimeter apart. It would take no effort at all to close the distance, and my god, I wanted to. But I held back, out of fear, worry, I wasn’t sure.
“I’m sorry,” he said, the movement of the words causing his lips to touch mine. He wasn’t kissing me, but holy shit. Electricity sparked through my skin, getting into my veins and spreading like fire.
My stomach fluttered with butterflies, and I squeezed my thighs together. “It’s not your fault,” I said. My lips grazed his too, and I craved to close the distance, bite his lower full one, to suck it into my mouth.
I wanted to feel his hands dig into my body as I kissed him.
Every part of my body tuned to his: the way he smelled like sweat and laundry, the way his breath hit my face and smelled like mint, the feel of his hands on me and the way his fingers shook. “Are you okay?” I whispered. I wanted to make sure he was but also needed an excuse to talk because that meant our lips grazed again.
It was the sexiest, non-kiss I’d ever had.
He released a huge sigh, pulled back, and nodded. His eyes swirled with worry and heat. He kept gripping my face as he stared at my mouth, his tongue wetting his bottom lip. His nostrils flared as he moved his thumb toward my lip. He pressed into it as he groaned. “You are—”
“You guys alright?” a voice called.
Lucaflewoff me like I’d caught fire. I hated the absence of his heat and strength. If the dude waited two seconds, we would’ve kissed.
Luca darted out of the passenger side door and waved a hand in the air. “We’re good, just shaken up.”
“Need anything?” the same cheery voice said.
Luca stared at me the lingering heat sizzling between us. He arched a brow, and I shook my head.
“No, we’re okay, thank you,” he called out but held my gaze. Even though there was a good ten feet between our bodies, there was an undeniable pull between us.
I still felt the whisper of his lips against mine, and I rubbed my lips together, wishing I could prolong that moment. Luca had protected me and was so gentle and worried that it confused me into thinking thatmaybewe should explore being more than friends.
The second the thought crossed my mind, a cold dose of reality hit me. He played football, and that was his only priority. I knew better than to get involved with a guy who told me over and over we’d never be anything. Even if I had a crush and wanted to kiss the hell out of him, that was still an entanglement I didn’t need. This project, my team, the season, finding a new place…. Those were my priority. Not exploring the wild attraction I had for this intense guy.
But imagine how he’d be in bed.
I cleared my throat as Luca stared up into the sky, pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked in pain, and my chest tightened. “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you Luca? Your arm is okay?”
He snapped his gaze to me. “I’m fine. Need a minute, that’s all.”
Was his tone chillier than before? I pulled my legs up to my chest again, hugging myself and closing my eyes. Eric made me feel too much and like an annoyance all the time, that I’d never come first or second to him. Luca made me feel the opposite, which was wonderful even if it never became more than friends. It showed me that I wasn’t wild or needy—it proved to me Eric really was a dick.
