The beautiful Saturday evening had drawn out droves of people, which meant every food stand and game booth had a line. After a careful scan of the options, I committed to the ring-toss game and failed miserably. Luca was a different story. He went straight for the shooting game, perfectly picking off each target like a practiced marksman and earning me a large stuffed bear.
“How in the world did you learn to shoot so well?” I gawked at him over the head of my new furry companion.
“Lots of practice at the range,” he explained matter-of-factly.
“We have gun ranges in the city?” I wracked my brain and couldn’t recall ever noticing signs for any gun ranges.
“Of course. Most of them are underground.”
My steps faltered, and the woman walking behind me nearly collided with my back. “You go to illegal gun ranges?” I hissed as he pulled me aside out of the way of the flow of traffic.
“When I said underground, I meant that literally,” he said with an amused grin. “They aren’t illegal—they’re built in basements to make use of the concrete walls.”
Oh. “Illegal sounded much more exciting.”
“Sorry to disappoint—I’ll try to be more lawless with my future hobbies.”
I peered up at him curiously. “What other hobbies do you have?”
His eyes became hooded, and a lazy smile spread across his face. “There are a number of things I excel at—shooting is only one of them.” The heat in his eyes was so prolific, I could feel the warming effects across every inch of my skin. Luca closed the distance between us and slammed his mouth down on mine, devouring my surprised gasp with his hungry kiss.
We were starving for one another, tongues tangling with urgency, hands groping frantically. I wasn’t normally prudish—public displays of affection never bothered me—but I had always had enough common decency not to be overly showy. In Luca’s arms, with the cool ocean breeze blowing through my hair, there was no such thing as decency. There was only me and Luca, and I couldn’t get enough of him.
He made me feel desired and precious.
He made me feel … everything.
Before we got too carried away, his phone began to ring. The interruption was probably for the best, but I still wanted to throw the infernal device in the ocean. Luca pulled away reluctantly, sucking at my bottom lip, his eyes simmering pools of liquid heat. He groaned at the caller ID.
“What is it?” he snapped at the caller, surprising me with his clipped anger. “You can’t handle that on your own?” He shuffled his feet agitatedly as the person on the other end answered his question.
I couldn’t hear if it was a man or woman, let alone the nature of the call, but an urgent call on a Saturday evening had me curious.
Luca offered a resigned, “I’ll be there in thirty,” then hung up the phone. His lips pursed as he peered off toward the water and took in a deep breath. “I have to take you home,” he said coolly.
I stepped close to him and laid my hands on his chest. “What was that all about?” I asked quietly, knowing my question was likely prying into private matters.
He dropped his gaze and cupped my jaw with both hands. “Just business.”
“On a Saturday night?”
“Some of my associates can be more demanding than others. This one’s a pain in my ass.”
I smiled up at him, and he placed a soft kiss to my forehead.
“Come on, let’s get you home.” Luca wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me back to the car.
As he drove, I wondered why a client might need his banker on a Saturday night. Credit card fraud? With twenty-four-hour internet sales, bankers might be on call longerhours than I had originally assumed. Perhaps corporate lending was more time-intensive than I realized. There were viable reasons for the call, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was odd. However, I’d had such an amazing night, I refused to let the phone call spoil the evening.
Luca had been fun-loving, engaging, and even romantic, despite his claims otherwise. I was hardly out of his car before I was already longing for the next time I’d see him.
CHAPTER 9
ALESSIA
My driver,Leo, was supposed to pick me up at five to take me out to my parent’s house for Sunday dinner. Until that time, I spent the day moping around the apartment. It was insane. I’d only just met Luca less than a week before, but I’d seen him each of the last five days, and a day without him felt like an eternity. I hardly knew the man, but it didn’t seem to matter.
Luca had swept into my life with the force of a freight train. When the train passed through the station, the only thing left was dirt wafting in the air, making it hard for me to breathe. Everything about the situation was crazy. How could I be so caught up in a man I’d just met?The intensity of my feelings for him worried me, and I wondered if I needed to put distance between us to regain my bearings.
