Page 21 of The Mafia’s Girlfriend

Until now.

Luke didn’t fawn, he didn’t smile or wink, or gaze at me with bedroom eyes. He glared and glowered, dead set on the proclamation that he didn’t have time for women like me. According to him, I was unfit, forbidden.

Yet, it was his reluctant attention that made my blood heat up with desire. Those reminders that he was near fueled me with the beginning teases of what if.

“Hmmm.” Krista smiled as she slid her sunglasses down. Lying next to me on her towel on the beach, she zeroed in on something that had caught her eye.

Or rather, someone.

Luke. My Luke.

I tracked the direction of her stare and found her gawking at him as he stood near the lifeguard stand, talking with whoever manned it.

Not my Luke.

I sighed.

She rose up higher on her forearms, letting the sun warm her back like I did. Licking her lips, she gawked at Luke in the distance. “Oh, I’d hit that, all right.”

“What?” I cleared my throat, refusing to play along.

“You know who.” She tipped her head toward him. “That sexy beast who can’t stop glancing at us.”

Us? Please. I doubted that he’d noticed her yet. Krista was gorgeous, but Luke reserved his glowers just for me.

“Not bad on the eyes. Not bad at all,” she teased.

I shrugged. “Then go for it. Nothing’s stopping you.”

“Not even you?” She turned, raising her brows.

I shook my head, frowning harder. “How would I stop you? I know I haven’t been much fun lately, but we are here to live a little. If you want that...” I looked at him, catching him watching me. He glanced away. “If you want him, go for it.”

“You wouldn’t care?”

Of course I would.

“Why would I?”

“Because you can’t stop looking at him either.”

I figured no reply would be the right answer here. Clamping my lips shut, I lowered my gaze and traced small circles in the sand in front of my towel’s edge.

“Why can’t you admit that you’re interested?”

“Because I’m not,” I snapped. “I can’t be interested in him. Remember? I’m ‘promised’ to Antonio.”

“Yeah, someday. You said you wanted to live a little and lose your virginity on your own terms.” She gestured at him. Her hair fell over her shoulder as she moved, but the breeze blew it back. “So why not with him?”

“First of all, that was just something I said in the heat of the moment.”

She laughed lightly. “I don’t buy that. You meant it.”

I sighed, envious that she’d lost hers a few years ago. “And second of all, I wouldn’t stoop to sleeping around with the hotel staff.”

“Why not? He’s not good enough?”

Luke looked good enough to freaking eat.