Page 26 of Worth the Risk
Luca moves and puts one arm behind my knees to lift me, carrying me to my bed. As I slip under the covers, he steps away from the bed. My eyes are closed and I assume he slipped out.
“It’s not fair,” I mumble out loud.
“I know.”
My eyes squint open as I look up to see Luca leaning against the wall, watching me with a closed-off expression on his face. I can’t read him.
“Why are you still here?” I ask him bluntly. He shrugs.
“Can’t seem to move my feet to leave.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Just go to sleep, baby. Wanna watch you for a minute, yeah?”
I nod as I close my eyes, feeling a weird sense of comfort that he’s here, even though I know he shouldn’t be.
As I’m beginning to drift off, I feel his lips touch my forehead softly as his scent wafts over my body in a comforting embrace.
“I think I could fall in love with you so easily, Pix,” he whispers. Or maybe I dreamed that part. God, what an amazing dream that would be.
Luca
She smiled in her sleep when I told her I could fall in love with her. Problem is, I think I already have. Maybe? I don’t know. I’ve never felt this way before. It’s so different from how I’ve felt from any other woman. I can’t seem to leave the room. I know I need to go check on my sister, but I can’t leave Hannah. Never met someone who seemed to complete me like she does.
When Hannah lets out a very unladylike snore and rolls over, I decide I need to leave. I lean down to give her one last kiss across her forehead and breathe her in. Jesus, she smells so fucking good. Vanilla and something else, I’m not sure of what. If I’m gonna survive the whole season with her near me, when I’m not allowed to touch her, I can’t decide if I should bottle that scent up to keep with me or plug my nose any time she’s close by. Her scent could be the death of me.
I leave her a note that I have her keys so I could lock the door, and head back into my apartment to check on Arianna. She’s dead asleep, snoring like a freight train in my guest bedroom. Essentially it’s her bedroom. She’s stayed here so many times after drinking too much at bars near here and barged in here for a bed.
I grab a bottle of water and quietly go out to my balcony. It’s a beautiful night heading into autumn. A crispness to the air tells me my days of running outside are limited. Lots of people here still run in the winter, but I choose to stick to a treadmill. One slip on a patch of black ice, and my career is over.
Pulling out my phone, I text my dad.
Me: You up?
Dad: I’m not going to Netflix and chill with you, Luca.
Me: Nice.
Dad: Is this how you interact with all of your partners? It’s a wonder you get as much ass as you do.
Me: It’s after ten, Dad. I just wanted to be sure you were awake. Can I call you about something?
My phone immediately rings.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Son. If you’re calling to tell me about an illegitimate child, we need to figure out a plan to tell your mother so she doesn’t have a stroke.”
“You really are on a roll tonight,” I respond sarcastically. “Love knowing how highly my family thinks of me.”
“We are teasing you, Luca. I know you aren’t that way. We all know that. You’ve had some periods where you definitely went through women like it was an Olympic competition, but that’s not who you are. In all honesty, you were tamer than Alex in high school.”
“Why does everyone bring it up, then?” I ask quietly.
Dad sighs. “Habit, I think. But you’re right. We shouldn’t. I’ll talk to the girls, and remind them to treat you respectfully. They do it in jest, Luca. They’d annihilate anyone else who said it.”
I know that. My sisters would cut a bitch without question.