“I never agreed to anything.” He lifts his hands.
“He’s no fun.” She pouts.
I laugh as she lowers herself back into her chair, still buzzing with energy.
Noah shakes his head. “You two exhaust me,” he mutters.
“You love us,” Maeve sings.
He doesn’t argue. He turns the laptop toward me. “I cleared out the obvious plants. What’s left…isn’t great.”
The lightness from the conversation leaves me as I’m brought back to our current reality. Daniel, Gideon, everything waiting outside the room rolls back in like dark clouds from an incoming storm.
Noah reaches over, squeezing my arm and grounding me. “We’ll figure it out.”
Maeve nods. “All of it.”
I swallow hard, nodding slowly.
35 GAME ON
My door slams open, and I jolt, heart in my throat. Luca fills the doorway.
“Come on, pretty girl!” He claps once,grinning wide enough to split his face.
I set my book down, raising my eyebrow. “Come on… where?”
“On me.” He winks.
I just stare at him.
He drops his hands with an exaggerated groan. “On our date, duh!”
He crosses the room in three long strides, his hands landing on my shoulders just as I stand.
“What? Now?“ A startled laugh comes out as he takes my hand and steers me to my closet.
“No time like the present!” The doors of my closet swing open with a dramatic flourish. He immediately starts rifling through my clothes like a raccoon in a dumpster.
“So you're dressing me too?“ I ask dryly.
A pair of jeans flies at my face. “How else are you going to know what to wear if I'm surprising you?” He gives me a charming smile before throwing aflowy top.
“I mean…you could just say ‘casual’ like a normal person,” I mumble, dodging the leather jacket he chucks next. He holds up a pair of boots like a trophy.
“But this is way more fun.” He steps close, trailing a finger down my cheek, heat following the touch. “See?”
I roll my eyes, though my pulse betrays me. “Okay, get out so I can get dressed.”
“Or,” Luca's lip ring glints as he leans against the doorframe. “Hear me out, I could stay and watch. Get a bit of a preview, you know, a little sample.” He wiggles his eyebrows.
I laugh and shove him out of the closet. He lets himself be pushed, dramatically stumbling out of the room.
The vibration travelsthrough my thighs and into my chest. Wisps of hair, flying out behind me.
“Have you ever been on this road before?” Luca’s voice comes through the Bluetooth in the helmet.
“No.” My arms tighten instinctively around his waist, fingers curling into the fabric of his jacket. Even through the layers, I can feel the heat of him, solid and grounding. “I didn’t even know it existed.”
