“Fine.Fine.” She licked her lips, ran her hand through my hair and brought her mouth close to mine.
I tensed, waiting for her to close the distance and kiss me again, but instead, she took one hand and shoved my chest. She pushed so hard I backtracked out of her room and into the hallway. “Hey!”
“I’ll be ready in an hour, Monroe.Behave.”
Then, she shut the door on me, and for some, dumb reason, that made me smile.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
Lorelei
He smelled way too good, like soap and cologne. His hair was messy but also looked like he’d put effort into his appearance. He usually wore a sweatshirt, but instead, he had on a buttoned-up shirt with dark jeans that fit him well. If we were normal people, I’d say he dressed up like we were on a date. But I wasn’t normal, and this was not a date. Not even a little bit of one.
I’d done the opposite. Dressed in a shapeless shirt with a jean jacket and ripped jeans, I could’ve been going to a punk rock concert. I even put on my high-tops and laced them. Seeing him looking nice made my stomach do a swoopy thing that annoyed me. I shouldn’t care that he looked nice.
“I brought you some snacks, if you’re hungry.” He cleared his throat. “They’re in the bag on the floor by your feet.”
“Hm.” I made a noncommittal noise, trying and failing to not analyze every single interaction. Was he being kind because he wanted us to have sex again? Or was he just nice? Was he trying to trick me?
Did I care?
The holdup to thisdealwas my heart. How much power would I give that finicky bitch when this massive, gorgeous man wanted to get me naked twice a week? Goose bumps broke out over my skin, the hairs on my neck tingling as memories from Sunday night washed over me.
Best sex of my entire life.
Mack and I joked about doing one-night stands freshmen year, and while she did it twice and hated it, I never could. Sex and feelings confused me. They were too intertwined in my head. My lust for Luca overtook my senses Monday night, but now? How could I separate the two?
I opened the bag, needing something to do with my fingers instead of pulling at my hangnails, and my throat tightened. Oreos and little portable packs of peanut butter sat there.My favorite snack.“What is this? How did you know?”
“I’ve seen you sneak those at the house.” His voice warmed. “I made a quick trip to the store Thursday and thought I’d get those for you.”
“Thursday? Nottoday?”
“Correct. Why? Is that… alright? Do you not like them?” he spoke faster, unsure of himself. “Damnit. I almost brought the Blueberry Cheerios but figured it wasn’t breakfast, so I didn’t know if you wanted those. I’m sorry.”
That blip of uncertainty combined with the fact he’d done thistwo days ago, not today to bribe my heart but because he was nice. I needed to get over myself and stop overanalyzing everything. Sighing, I slammed my head against the headrest.
“Are you okay? Did I mess up? Shit. I was trying to be a good friend here.”
“No, you are.” I opened the cookies and took two out, biting the top half off and eating it. “I thought these were sex-bribing cookies.”
“Mm, didn’t know those were a thing, but they sound delicious.” Humor laced his tone, and I snuck a glance at him. His lips were almost curved up in a smile, his jawline unfairly perfect. He gripped the wheel with his left hand, his right one resting on the console between us.
I felt my pulse in my toes, between my thighs, and in my neck when I stared at him. Every muscle on his body was hard-earned, and I knew how his skin tasted. My restraint at protecting myself slipped, just by looking at him.
“I can’t get hurt again,” I blurted out. “Ilikeyou as a person, Luca, and it might be smarter to not confuse our friendship with sex any more than it already is.”
He nodded, working his jaw like he chewed food. Then, he sighed. “Excellent point, Ms. Romano, great concerns.”
My mouth quirked. “Why do you sound like a gameshow host? I’m trying to be honest here, you dingbat.”
He laughed, a full cackle that warmed me head to toe. “Dingbat, huh?”
“Yes.” I fought my own smile. “This is serious.”
“The most serious.”
“Luca, oh my god, I’m going to hop out of this car if you don’t knock it off.”
