Page 12 of A Very Grumpy Green Beret

I fiddle with the hem of his shirt. “I like looking at you too.”

The wooden spoon in his hand stills. His eyes lock onto mine, and the air in the kitchen suddenly feels thick.

“Careful, Pumpkin.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m trying to take this slow.”

My heart pounds against my ribs. “Is that what you want?”

“No,” he says immediately. “But it’s what you need.”

No one has ever put what I need ahead of what they want before. The knowledge makes my chest ache.

Luca turns back to the stove before I can think of anything to say. I watch him add garlic to the pan, filling the kitchen with a smell so good that my mouth waters.

“What do you do for work now?” I ask, desperate to steer the conversation somewhere safer.

“I freelance.”

“Doing what?”

“Computer security, mostly. Sometimes private investigators hire me to find people or dig into records.”

A flicker of unease runs through me. “You find people?”

His shoulders tense as he picks up on my change in mood. “Sometimes.”

“Could you find anyone?”

“If I had enough information.”

I stare down at my hands. “Could you find Bryan?”

The pan clatters as Luca sets it down harder than necessary. When he turns to me, there’s nothing soft in his expression. He looks cold. Dangerous.

“Yeah,” he says. “I could find him.”

I should be frightened by the quiet promise in his voice, but I’m not. For the first time, Bryan is the one who should be afraid.

“What would you do if you found him?” I whisper.

“Whatever was necessary to make sure he never came near you again.”

My breath catches. Luca studies my face before coming around the island. He stops in front of me, close enough that I have to tip my head back to meet his gaze.

“Does that scare you?” he asks.

It probably should.

“No.”

Some of the tension leaves his shoulders. He slowly lifts his hand, giving me plenty of time to pull away before he tucks a damp strand of hair behind my ear.

“Good,” he murmurs. “You never need to be scared of me.”

“I’m not.”