Page 23 of Hot for Her Italian Mafia
“Are you ready?” Luca asks. He doesn’t dare breach the threshold of our front door.
“I am.”
I give Mom a hug goodbye and she whispers something in my ear. I can’t quite make it out, and where I want to believe it’s some kind of message about the night of fun I’m going to have, I know it’s more along the lines of be careful.
I don’t need to be careful when I have my protector at my side.
“Pleasant seeing you again, Mary,” Luca says.
He knows my parents? Of course, he does, he’s been watching me for months. It’s not so strange to believe he’s done the necessary due diligence on them. Still, there’s something odd about the way he says it. And he doesn’t utter another word to Dad. Hell, Luca doesn’t even give him another side-eyed glance.
Something’s up, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it.
But maybe not before we have our fun-filled evening together.
I brush past Dad, and Luca takes my hand in his.
“Bye, honey,” Dad says.
“Buh-bye.” I can’t stop my gleeful chuckle while Luca drags me down the hall like a caveman unable to control his urges.
CHAPTER 15
Luca
My monolith stands in the middle of Stillwater, towering high above the buildings below. Up here, the only lights that flicker and dance are the stars and moon. The first of many expansions across the town I want to use as a jumping-off point to usher it into a new era.
We came straight here from Josie’s place. If I had more forethought, I’d have treated her to dinner at the finest restaurants before, but I couldn’t wait to get her alone. So much of my time has been spent observing her in a full bar that being around people seems like some nightmarish cruelty.
Her and me, that’s how I want it to be.
“Nice place you’ve got,” Josie says as she tracks back and forth in the living room. Mindless small talk to still her building nerves.
She inspects every piece of furniture with dire intent, never nearing one enough to touch it. When she does get close, she barely breathes, as if she’s inspecting some priceless work of art rather than a sofa or side table. Soon this will fade and Josie will fall into the life of luxury she deserves.
Nice place, the words ring in my ears. A hollow, empty shell is what it is. Expensive things line every shelf. Hell, the carpet costs more than some folks make in a year. But I know the truth. It’s an open-plan prison decorated with fancy things to take my mind off the bitterness of being alone.
“Please have a seat,” I say, stepping behind the kitchen island. “I hope you don’t mind, I thought I’d cook a meal rather than going out.”
“You cook?” Josie chuckles finding her way to the sofa. “Judging by the place, I thought you’d have your very own butler to do the dirty work for you.”
“Sure, I could’ve had someone cook for us.” I grab two wine glasses and a bottle of red I bought for the occasion. “But I plan on blowing your mind in many ways tonight. And where better to start than the beginning of the night?”
“Is that so?” Josie perks up in her seat and a wispy moan passes through her lips.
“Before I bring pleasure to every inch of your magnificent body…” I bend over and open the oven, where my lasagna has been slow cooking since I left to pick Josie up. “I’m going to indulge all your other senses.”
“Taste.” I set the lasagna down on the counter. “The food. A recipe from my childhood that’s been passed down so many times, no one even remembers where it came from.”
I strip from my jacket and toss it on a counter to my side. “Sight. Well, if this physique doesn’t do it, nothing will.”
Josie laughs at the silly joke.
“Smell. Well, I cheated a little on this one.” I grab a corkscrew and start working on the bottle of wine. “Like taste, it’s going to come from the food.”
Her eyes are glued to me as I gently stroke the bottle. “Touch, I’m sure we can both imagine where touch comes into play.”
I wink at her and she burns a deep red. A moment passes and Josie’s face grows more quizzical.