Page 12 of The Russos
“Hey,” Luca muttered playfully. “Less of that. Can’t have you ganging up with my favourite sister-in-law.”
Snorting with laughter, I chuckled, “I’m going to be your only sister-in-law. And I may have to take Renee up on that just to keep you in line.”
Luca gasped in mock shock at me, “Anton, come get your woman. Renee is corrupting her.”
With a quick grin at me, Anton picked me up and deposited me in the back of the vehicle, saying, “Come on trouble, before you give Luca a heart attack.”
After depositing me in the back seat, Anton walked to the driver’s side. Looking out the window, I watched a laughingRenee as she grinned up at Luca from within the circle of his arms. What was interesting to me was the unhappy look on Miah’s face as he watched them. Catching Anton’s eye in the rearview mirror, I noticed a gleam in his eyes. He’d seen what I’d seen.
Hitting the hooter to get Luca’s attention, Anton called out, “Come on, we’re going to be late.”
With a flick of his hand at Anton and a cheeky grin at Miah, Luca pressed a kiss to Renee’s head. I swear the human in front of me growled.
Anton stifled a chuckle, but I saw his shoulders moving up and down. His eyes filled with amusement when he caught mine in the mirror.
A small smile on my face, I stuck my hand out of the window as we moved off, calling goodbye to Renee. With a happy sigh, I snuggled into the pillows and blankets that were waiting for me on the back seat, my eyes already drowsy from the movement of the vehicle.‘I’ll just catch a little nap,’I thought as my eyes drifted shut, listening to the low hum of Anton and Miah’s voices from the front.
CHAPTER 11
LUCA
Wrapping my arms around Renee, I gave her a hug to say goodbye, which was returned as I knew it would be. Then, pushing it, I decided to kiss her. Just one perfectly innocent kiss on the temple. I couldn’t help myself. Because if what I expected was true, then Miah would make some sort of reaction, and I was right. With my hearing, I’d heard the subtle human growl from Miah. I was hard pushed to keep my grin to myself.
Grumbling at me, Renee pushed me away but stayed within the circle of my arms, “Would you stop?”
Smirking at her, “Nope. Had to have my curiosity satisfied.”
She rolled her eyes at me, “I swear you spend too much time with the cats. There’s no curiosity that needs satisfying.”
“Oh, I beg to differ, my beautiful friend. And mine has been fully satisfied.”
“Well, it shouldn’t be, because nothing is coming from whatever it is you think is happening.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” I informed her. “We’ll see.”
Her eyes turned serious, “No, Luca. Nothing is going to happen. We had this conversation last night, remember?”
Narrowing my eyes at her, I see she is serious, “So you know he’s your mate. I wasn’t sure if you would.”
I watch as tears well in her eyes, and my eyes trace the one that ran down her cheek. “I knew as soon as you arrived. But like I said, nothing is going to come of it. Miah is human and he won’t feel the pull like I will, not if you leave. It will get better with the distance.”
I wasn’t sure that she was right, but I’d leave it for now as I could see my friend was hurting. “Okay, I’ll leave it for now, but if you need me, you call. Promise me, Renee, I’m not leaving until you do.”
Renee nods, before hugging me once again, “I promise, Luca, I’ll call if I need you,” she assures me.
Squeezing my friend tight, “Okay, sweets, now wipe those tears, smile like you mean it, and I’ll get out of here and go bug someone else.”
With a last sniffle, Renee smiles up at me, I press a last kiss to her forehead and wave at Anton, who is impatiently hooting at me to get a move on and walk to the driver’s side of the vehicle I’m driving, smiling a little at the glare I’m getting from Miah. Jumping in, I wave one more time as we move out.
“You did that on purpose,” Sam states from the back seat.
My eyes meet his in the rearview mirror and I nod, “Yep.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s his mate, but she won’t claim him because of family history, and I was hoping to push him enough for him to make a move.”
Drake snorts next to me, “Miah isn’t the type to be pushed, and he’s been around shifters enough to know about mates. He probably thinks you have something going on. You forget he’shuman; he’s not going to recognise his mate like we would. Right now, he’s wondering if she’s a woman you regularly sleep with.”