"However you're making them is fine." I moved to the coffee maker and poured myself a cup. "You're up early."
"Couldn't sleep. Kept thinking about last night." He glanced at me, suddenly uncertain. "About what we said."
My stomach flipped. "Regrets?"
"God, no. The opposite." He turned back to the eggs. "I kept thinking about how I get to wake up next to you now. How you chose to stay. How you were falling for me too."
I moved to stand beside him, hip leaning against the counter. "Still falling. Present tense."
"Good." He leaned over and kissed me, soft and sweet. "Because I'm not planning to stop."
We ate breakfast at the kitchen island, legs tangled together on the bar stools, talking about the week ahead. Luca had meetings about the property acquisitions—the legitimate business expansion was moving forward quickly. I had work to catch up on, an independent investigation I was developing about local school board corruption.
"What's your schedule look like?" Luca asked, spearing another bite of eggs.
"Meetings with sources Tuesday and Wednesday. Writing Thursday. The usual chaos." I took a sip of coffee. "I also need to... I need to respond to Reeves. Schedule that meeting we talked about."
Luca's fork paused halfway to his mouth. "When?"
"I was thinking later this week. Thursday maybe. Give us time to prepare."
"Thursday." He set down his fork, clearly trying to maintain composure. "That's only four days away."
"I know. But waiting longer just gives him more time to build his case. Better to deal with it now." I caught his hand. "We talked about this. I need to know what he knows."
"I know we did. Doesn't mean I have to like it." He squeezed my hand. "What do you need from me?"
"Trust. Support. Maybe Emilio's number so he can brief me on what to say and what not to say."
"Done. I'll text him this morning." Luca pulled me closer. "But Valentino? If at any point this feels too dangerous, if Reeves pushes too hard, you walk out. Promise me."
"I promise. I'm not going to sacrifice myself for this." I kissed him. "But I can handle one FBI interview. I've dealt with hostile subjects before."
"Not ones trying to build a federal case against you."
Fair point. "Then we prepare. Make sure I'm ready. But Luca—we can't avoid this forever. Eventually I have to face it."
He was quiet for a moment, clearly struggling with his protective instincts. Then: "Okay. Thursday. But I'm having security follow you. Non-negotiable."
"I can live with that."
We finished breakfast and cleaned up together. The domesticity of it felt surreal—loading the dishwasher side by side, both of us moving around each other with an ease that suggested we'd been doing this for years instead of days.
"I should probably go home at some point," I said, positioning the last plate.
"You could just stay here." Luca said it casually but I heard the want underneath.
I set down the towel. "Luca, I can't just move in. We've been together for less than a week."
"I know. I'm not pushing. Just—" He turned to face me. "I like having you here. Like waking up with you. Like this." He gestured to the kitchen, to the evidence of our shared morning. "I just wanted you to know you're always welcome."
The casual offering made something warm bloom in my chest. "Thank you. For not making it weird or pressuring."
"I'm trying to do this right. Even though every instinct I have says to lock you in here and never let you leave."
"That's disturbingly possessive."
"I'm aware. I'm working on channeling it into something healthier." He pulled me into a kiss. "Like just asking you to stay instead of making you."
