* * *
Watching Luca hug his grandma caused my already-confused feelings to morph into more complicated ones. There was something special about this tall, grumpy tight end showing affection for a petite woman with an attitude the size of a football field.
She patted his back for a few seconds before releasing him, andwhat is she doing?She walkedtoward me,her smiling face almost teasing me. “I’m so happy you’re here, Lorelei.”
I blinked back shock and tried to relax when her arms came around me. She smelled like old linen and lavender, and I squeezed her back. I wasn’t expecting to hug Luca’s grandma or have a rush of fondness for her. The woman was incredible, and for the second time that afternoon, a warning bell went off in my head that this was gonna hurt when it was over.
“I’m glad we were able to come up again,” I said, pulling away and feeling Luca’s gaze on my face. I didn’t meet his gaze, too flustered and confused to, so I stared at the photos on her wall. There were photos of her and a young Luca, and even as a child, he’d been tall and had the same dark, mysterious eyes that gave nothing away.
“You’ve been the talk of the place, I tell ya. With the socials, we’ve had more money donated! They’re working on replacing the ceiling tiles in the cafeteria. Isn’t that great, Luca?” his grandma said, the excitement evident in her voice.
“That’s good,” he said, his tone flat.
“When I spoke to the manager earlier this week, he mentioned some news outlets covering the condition of this place.” I squeezed the back of my neck, my face blanching with worry. “I know you’ve said you’re okay with this, but if you’re not, please let me know, and we can scrap everything.”
“Honey, I am all in. Xavier and Jeffrey down the hall are thrilled to be getting their ugly mugs out in the world. Lupe is bragging to her family about how hip she is now.” His grandma walked up to me and put a hand on my forearm. “I appreciate your concern, and I’m sure some of this is coming from Luca’s overbearing protective streak, but we agreed to be a part of this.”
The first real smile stretched across my face, and I nodded. “Well, in that case, do you have time to film more for posts?”
“Why do you think my hair looks this good? Yes. I’m ready!” She twirled, fluffed her hair, and grinned.
God she was a spitfire, and I adored her.
Laughing, I pulled up my notes on my phone.
Text from Eric.
I’d somehow missed that notification, and I swiped it away. I’d read it later.
“Okay, I want to revisit the advice portion. What can the youths learn from your generation?”
“I’ve been working on a bit with my gal Gertie.” Luca’s grandma had an ornery expression on her face, where her eyes sparkled and she seemed on the verge of laughing. “It’s a winner.”
“I’ll follow your lead then.”
His grandma pointed to the window. “We need to be in the parking lot for this one. Follow me.”
She waltzed out of her unit, and I trailed her, but Luca gently gripped my elbow, stopping me. Even though there was a layer of fabric from his fingertips to my skin, I felt the warmth from his touch all the way to my toes.
“Hm?” I asked, a little breathless.
“You frowned. Is everything okay?”
“I’m great.” I chuckled, trying not to breathe in his clean scent or think about what would happen when we got back to the house. His lips wereright there,and his tongue wet the bottom one, sending a bolt of lust to my core.
“You had your concerned face though, where you get a little line here.” He touched his pointer between my eyebrows, smoothing the skin. “What made you frown?”
“Honestly nothing.” I shrugged. “I’m in a – oh, I know. I got a text from Eric.”
“What did he want?” Luca growled.
“Oh, no idea. Didn’t read it.”
His left cheek twitched as his grandma said his name. “Luca, you can flirt with her later. I want to get this filmed before I forget my idea, so come on. I know you can move fast.”
I smiled, charmed even more by this sassy-mouthed woman. Luca’s eyebrows remained furrowed, the wrinkles along his forehead dented into his skin. He wore a frown well, hell, he wore nothing well too. Was I so horny for him that his frown was sexy?
Yikes on a bike. I needed to get ittogether.
