Herandhim…
No longer did they hear the footsteps of Cain and Abel thump away in excitement. Both lost in the proximity of each other; Luca took his time taking La’Nova fully in. His eyes landed on her beautiful heart-shaped face that looked well moisturized free of makeup.
One hand held a bouquet of moon flowers mixed in with crimson roses, while the other hand rested in his pants pocket. Salaciously, his eyes roamed her full figure with hunger. He gave her a disarming smile that made her center moisten.
“Come here,” he whispered lowly.
Without thinking twice, La’Nova’s feet moved on their own accord. Luca looked every bit of fine. Her stomach flipped at the sight of him. He smelled like sandalwood mixed with coconut oil.
“You look sexy as fuck.”Luca signed, tugging at the bottom of La’Nova’s dress.
She frowned, licked her lips then took her flowers from Luca’s hold.
“I don’t know sign language, so tell me what you said,” she said, leaning her head down to inhale the flowers.
“I love these, thank you.” She blushed softly.
Luca had his ways of making La’Nova’s hard exterior melt away instantly. She never was the type to swoon or blush in the proximity of the opposite sex, and yet, here she was. Feeling dainty, he had her nerves bad as they closed the little bit of space between them.
“I said, you look sexy as fuck, Nova baby,” Luca whispered.
She exhaled his intoxicating scent; he inhaled her sharply. His lips spread into an enthralling smile as he continued to eye her intensely. La’Nova took a small step back just to take in his casual attire that still made him look like he stepped off a GQ magazine.
His charcoal shirt clung to his broad chest, perfectly matching the tailored slacks and pristine white sneakers he wore. The effortless combination of his style, topped with a gold chain glinting at his throat, left La’Nova momentarily speechless.
“You look sexy as fuck too, Luca baby.” She flashed him a Colgate smile.
She couldn’t help but admire the way his confidence seemed to radiate, making the air between them almost electric. The dim lighting highlighted the sharp lines of his jaw, and as his gaze lingered on her, La’Nova felt her cheeks warm again despite her best efforts to play it cool.
“Stay with me tonight.” He lowered his chin until his lips pressed against her temple.
“Already made plans on it. The boys and I plan on going tomyart room to color and get to know each other better after dinner.” She winked and backed away from him before they both got busy out in the opening.
Luca watched her walk away, finding it hard to take his lingering eyes off her curvy backside. Her vanilla scent lingered behind. Negative thoughts popped into the forefront of his brain. He hoped like hell he wasn’t making a mistake letting La’Nova finally meet the twins.
His biggest fear was her getting too far in her own head about them, even though he wasn’t forcing any labels on them no time soon. La’Nova was something special to him. Someone he didn’t want to let go of despite everything he already knew about her.
He’d rather she hurt him by disappearing forever then the twins. He loved them with everything in him and had finally got them well-grounded enough to trust him and actually like living withhim. The boys got to visit Tracy and were let down. Nothing had changed, and she hadn’t made any efforts or even inquired about fighting for them back.
He considered Cain and Abel his since the moment he took them out of the parking lot. So this was a delicate balance, trying to blend the worlds of his children and his new love.
Luca's heart hammered with uncertainty, wondering if tonight would mark the beginning of harmony or the onset of unexpected friction. He knew La’Nova’s kindness could win anyone over, but the twins were guarded. It was something he taught them in order for them to protect themselves from disappointment.
Chapter 26
People like us deserve to feel…
The ocean always made things feel peaceful to La’Nova. She embraced that fact soon as she stepped out of her truck and onto the wooden boardwalk leading toward the beach house restaurant Serenity had surprisingly picked. She inhaled the strong scent of salt water then looked out at the waves that rolled slow and steady against the sand below.
It was beautiful in a way that made her feel content and relaxed, satisfied that she didn’t turn down Serenity’s offer to meet. The restaurant sat half on land, the other half over the shoreline. It had huge glass walls that let the ocean pour straight into the space. Soon as she stepped inside, the smell of lemon butter, seafood, and fresh coffee battled with the sea air.
La’Nova paused for a second at the entrance, setting her eyes on Serenity who stood near a railing. In seconds, Serenity spotted her with excitement brightening her feline eyes.
“Girrrrllll!!!” Serenity shouted, rushing forward, not caring about the attention she brought to herself.
Before La’Nova could even react, Serenity wrapped her arms around her tightly.
“You just disappeared off the face of the earth! I was calling, texting, even asked Roy’s mean ass about you months ago.” Serenity rushed her words out, finally letting La’Nova go.
