Page 169 of A Dangerous Kind of Love

“Come on.”

I pull away before my self-control completely evaporates.

“Stop. We are going to dinner and then to the movies. You know how badly I want to see Chainsaw Prom Queen.”

“First of all,” he says dryly, “that is the dumbest movie title I’ve ever heard. Secondly…”

He gestures down at himself.

I shrug. “Sounds like a personal problem.”

“You created the problem.”

I stare at him. “I’m literally just existing.”

“Exactly,” he says. “That’s the issue.”

I laugh and shake my head. “I don’t suddenly forget how to function every time you walk into a room.”

He gives me a look. “Katie. Last week you walked into a wall because you were staring at me.”

“That happened one time.”

“You also put your phone in the refrigerator yesterday.”

I roll my eyes. “Irrelevant.”

He grins. “So we agree you want me just as bad.”

“Unfortunately for you,” I say, patting his chest. “Chainsaw Prom Queen comes first tonight.”

Then I walk toward the door while he groans behind me.

Michael drives tonight giving Luca a break. I sit in the passenger seat beside him. Sarah and Luca are in the back, currently yelling the lyrics to a song neither of them fully knows.

Michael’s hand rests heavily on my thigh while he drives, completely relaxed despite the chaos happening around him. Every time I look back at Luca, he’s smiling at Sarah like she could do no wrong. His face turns bright red whenever he laughs hard enough, which feels almost unbelievable considering how serious he usually is.

Usually, Luca is composed to the point of intimidation. He spends most of his time beside Michael handling schedules, security, driving, and whatever other mysterious business seems to follow Michael everywhere.

Most of the time, he feels older than twenty-seven. Sarah changes that. Around her, he turns playful and easygoing in a way I don’t think many people ever get to see.

Michael spends half the drive shaking his head at him. Every so often, Michael mutters something under his breath in Italian that makes Luca flip him off from the backseat.

I finally nudge Michael in the side. “Leave him alone.”

“I am leaving him alone,” he says, even though he absolutely is not.

“You act like this is embarrassing.”

“It is embarrassing for him.”

Luca groans from the backseat. “Can you stop talking about me like I’m not here?”

“No,” Michael and I say at the same time.

Sarah bursts into laughter beside him.

I grin and look back at Michael. “It wouldn’t kill you to let people see that you act like this too when no one else is around.”