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I can’t hide the smile that forms on my face. Damn, I’m proud of her.
Maria picks up a flute of champagne and holds her hand out to Rosa. The table goes silent. “Oh, come on, let your hair down. You know you want to. You never know, one day you might get to marry a man like Luca. These kinds of men don’t want boring women like you.”With a twisted grin, she pushes the drink toward Rosa, who takes a faltering half step backward.
Fuck this.
Snatching the glass out of Maria’s hand, her eyes go wide. “Enough!” I snap.I hear Sienna gasp behind me.
Slamming it on the table, the stem shatters and the bubbly contents spill over the edge. I storm out of the VIP area and head towards the back exit.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-SEVEN
rosa
My cheeks heat up. Everyone’s staring at me. Maria scowls at me as Frankie steps in between us.
“Rosa, come on, I need another soda, anyway. Come with me?” Maddie says, sliding herself heavily out of the booth and approaching me with a smile, her green eyes searching mine. She knows.Grayson helps her up, and she holds onto her bump, stretching her back.
I nod and she loops her arm through mine and leads me away from the VIP lounge.
“Thank you.” I barely hold back the tears.
Instead of going to the bar, she diverts us to the left and taps a keycard against a scanner, opening a set of black double doors that lead into a hallway.
“Please ignore everything that vile woman said. I think she could tell straight away how Luca feels about you. The way he looks at you, Rosa, it breaks my heart. Go talk to him. I’ll wait here and cover you.” She gives me a bright smile before wrapping me up in a hug.
I already like Maddie.
She’s already shown me more kindness than any of my old friends. They didn’t even notice I was missing for two months.
“Thank you Maddie,” I say, giving her a tight squeeze.
“Go. You two need to speak.” She gives me a gentle pat on the back before she lets go.
I make a dart towards the fire escape as best I can in these heels and push open the door. The waft of cigarette fills my nose as I walk into a cloud of smoke.
Luca takes a long, silent inhale, the red ember glowing in the darkness. Without a word, he digs around in his suit pocket, pulls out the white packet and holds them out to me. I blink back the threatening tears as I remember our evenings together, sitting on his balcony puffing away, watching the sun rise.
Putting the filter between my lips, he flicks the Zippo. The flame dances in front of me as I lean in and light it. Closing my eyes and taking one long drag, I let it burn its way into my lungs.
I tip my head back and exhale. Luca lets out a low groan. “I miss you, tesoro.”
Crossing my legs like I have to every time I’m around this man, I take another drag.
Sadness fills his eyes as he stares at me.
“I miss you too, Luca,”I say softly. I just want to memorize him. This feels like a stolen moment.
He takes a step towards me and I take one away, my back now flush against the cool metal door. My blood is pounding in my ears. Tossing my cigarette to the floor, I suck in a breath. His familiar sandalwood cologne surrounds me. Dropping my chin down to stare at the gray pavement, electricity sparks through me as his thumb tips it back up. His deep green eyes search mine before settling on my lips.
I’ve craved this moment. When his hand wraps around my throat, desire pools in my core as his thumb gently caresses the column of my neck.
“I knew this tattoo would look gorgeous wrapped around your neck.” His lips tickle over my ear.
I furrow my brows and pull his palm back enough to look. I gasp when I spot the dark rose spanning across the entire front of his hand. “W-why did you get that?”
His thumb traces my lower lip. “To remind me of my endgame.”
“And what’s that?” My heart is in my throat. Deep down, I know his answer.
