He bumps his shoulder against mine. “Thanks. You don’t know how much I needed to hear that.”
I bite my lip. “Can I tell you a secret?”
My question elicits a raised brow and a cheeky grin. “Please.”
I lower my voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I know absolutely nothing about soccer.”
He bends and scoops the soccer ball off the ground before bonking me on the head with it. “Clearly. It’sfootball.”
“So, maybe you should school me.” I shove him playfully and we both laugh.
Luca places the bobble-head figurine back on his desk and walks over to the bed. He makes himself comfortable on one side, patting the space next to him before settling back into the pillows with his hands tucked behind his head. “Come on,” he coaxes me when I don’t move. “I don’t bite… hard.” He smirks, and I roll my eyes as I pick up a pillow and hit him with it despite my pussy clenching at the thought of him biting into my body.
This is so wrong.
“That’s reassuring,” I deadpan as I climb onto the bed next to him, making sure to leave a safe distance between us. Every fibre of my body is hyper-aware of his proximity, and I struggle to concentrate on anything other than reminding myself to breathe. I know this man’s body so intimately—the way his muscles contract under my touch, the feel of his tongue meeting mine in slow, surestrokes, the delicious noises he makes before his release. My heart is thumping so damn loud in my ears, I’m terrified he can hear it. Despite feeling like I’m about to combust, I try to play it cool. “You’re such an idiot.”
“But a loveable idiot, right?” he says with an exaggerated pout.
“Keep telling yourself that,footballstar,” I tease.
He laughs, and the sound is so carefree and real that it makes me reconsider coming clean to him. The words are on the tip of my tongue.It’s me. I’m the one you were looking for tonight. But I can’t. The moment I tell him, the bubble will burst, and I don’t want to see the disappointment in his eyes when he realises he was searching for me this whole time.
I lean back against the pillows, and the distinct scent of clean male engulfs me. “Teach me, oh wise one.”
Luca shoots me a sceptical look. “You don’t want to listen to me talk about football.”
“You’re stuck celebrating your awesome news with me, so if I’m going to reach the right level of enthusiasm to be your wingwoman on this, I need to know everything there is to know about football.”
“Everything?” he asks with a smirk.
“Everything,” I reply seriously. “Don’t leave anything out. I’m a blank canvas.”
He shakes his head but starts going through the basics of football—how many players are on the pitch, the positions, the rules. As he talks, I turn onto my side to watch him, and a small smile tugs at my lips at how animated he is. Football is clearly his passion.
“And this team that you’re going to play for… they’re good?” I ask.
Luca grins. “Middlesbrough? Yeah, they’re good. They’re a Championship team, which is just below the EPL.”
“EPL?” I scrunch my brow.
“The English Premier League. It’s the highest level of football in the UK.” He blows out a deep breath and rakes a hand through his hair. “I’ll be playing with some incredibly talented footballers.”
“I may not know much about football, but you looked pretty good out there tonight.”
“Thanks, but it’s a pretty big leap from Beckford U to a Championship team.”
I hate the doubt that has crept into his voice. “They wouldn’t have signed you if they didn’t think you were up to it.”
He stares down at me, his head cocked to the side. “Why does this feel so easy between us? It’s making me regret the last four years.”
You and me both.
I can’t speak around the lump forming in my throat, though, so I simply shrug. Luca’s hazel gaze is intense, and I look away first, fighting to hide the emotions that are threatening to overwhelm me. It wouldn’t be fair to Luca. This is his dream. I won’t stand in his way. It’s better that he doesn’t know who I really am.
Chapter 9
Luca
