And when my eyes are drawn to Luca, that ache in my heart turns to something different. Something soft, and warm, and fuzzy.
Something I have no business feeling but can’t stop.
Correction, something I’m not so sure Iwantto stop feeling any longer.
15
ISLA
“Okay,love you kid. Make sure you finish your homework before you start video games.” I end the call with Charlie and place my phone back down on my desk before letting out a weary sigh.
“That sound makes me think I’m working you too hard.”
My head shoots up at Luca’s voice, seeing him in the doorway to my finally furnished office, leaning against the frame with his arms folded across his chest. My palms grow sweaty just looking at him, corded muscular forearms on display, smirk on his face, and salt-and-pepper stubble lining his jaw.
“What would you do if I agreed?” I fire back, far more flirtatiously than I intended. Leaning back in my seat, I cross my legs, not missing the way his gaze drops to where they are, visible through my glass desk.
Slowly, he prowls into the room, coming to a stop across from me, placing his hands on the glass and leaning forward. “As your boss, I’d commend yourwork ethic but remind you about work-life balance. As…” he trails off, and in that pause, I know he’s trying to label the other side of our dynamic. The as-yet-undefined part. “As just me, I’d get Gabe to schedule you a spa day and talk to Dom about increasing your salary.”
That makes me choke. “Trust me, you’re paying me plenty, and I don’t have time for a spa day,” I say, spreading my arms out wide. “If I did, do you think I’d be here at eight o’clock on a Thursday night?”
Luca chuckles, low and deep. “Fair point. Why are you here so late, anyway?” He settles into the chair across from me.
I heave another long sigh. “The college grad you hired to run the social media accounts got an offer to work in England for some up-and-coming fashion designer. Apparently it’s their dream job, so they quit.”
His eyebrows lift up. “Well, good for them, I guess, but where does that leave us?”
I gesture to my computer. “Now we only have a halfway set up online presence, a handful of collaborations discussed, and nothing more. They were going to start content creation this week, which is why I’m here now. Scouring other teams’ platforms to see what’s trending.”
Without another word, Luca picks up his phone, tapping something out on it for a couple of minutes before looking back up at me. “Okay. How can I help? Put me in, coach,” he says, smiling.
I stare at him. “Excuse me?”
He leans forward again, reaching his hand out tocover mine. “What can I do to take some of the load off you?”
My head is already moving back and forth. “No, I’m sure you have better things to do with your evening. It’s fine, I wasn’t going to stay that much longer.”
“Well. When you are ready to leave, then I’ll walk you to your car. For now, let’s get going.”
He’s serious. I can’t deny the relief in my bones at the offer of help. “Alright, well, if you want to start looking at some of the major league teams’ online presence, and then writing down any ideas for posts, that would be good. Static and video.”
Luca gives me a mock salute. “On it, boss.”
We work in silence for a while, only talking when bouncing an idea past each other. It’s easy, fun, comfortable, and to my pleased surprise, Luca’s got a great eye for trends. Some of his concepts are things I never would have considered.
It’s been an hour or so when Luca stands. “I’ll be right back.” He starts to turn and stumbles, grabbing the back of his chair with a curse.
“Are you okay?” I push back from my desk and quickly start to move to his side, but he holds up his hand.
His reply is sharp. “I’m fine.” He takes a step forward, and then another, not looking back at me. I watch as he moves to the door, his gait stiff, but seeming stable.
He’s gone without another word, and I stare at the empty doorway, baffled by his behaviour. But I don’t have long before he’s back, carrying two paper bags that instantly make my stomach rumble with hunger.
I clutch my stomach. “Oh my God, that’s embarrassing.”
Luca sets the bags down on the desk and smirks. “Nah, I’m surprised you haven’t heard mine all this time.” He starts unpacking containers of food. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, but tonight seemed like a good night for sushi, so I got a variety of rolls.” He opens up all of the containers, and I try not to drool. Nodding at me, he says, “Ladies first.”
I fill my plate, then sit down in the chair next to his. I can’t help but check out the view of Luca standing in front of me as he selects his own food. His clothes are perfectly fitted to his body, the muscles of his back prominent when his shirt stretches as he reaches forward. My gaze travels down, and since he can’t see me staring, I drink in the goodness that is Luca Calloway’s ass. Damn.
