Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 102607 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102607 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
His eyes go wide. “Who would be crazy enough to dump Gio Montagalo?”
Um. Plenty of people.
I accidentally snort. “He’s not that great a prize, trust me.”
“You’re only saying that because you’re his sister.”
Oh. He did know who I was…
My belly goes warm.
Luca’s lips twitch, like he’s trying very hard not to laugh. His mouth opens, probably to tease me, but I beat him to it.
“I know. That was—horrific. Ignore the snort.”
He smiles. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”
“Liar,” I mutter, covering my face for half a second with my hand. “God, that was so loud.”
“I thought it was cute.”
All of it is cute. The blushing, the way he keeps brushing his thumb along the side of his thigh like he doesn’t know what else to do with his hands…
“Did you, uh…” I start, then clear my throat. “Did you come here with someone?”
It comes out way more loaded than I meant it to. Immediately, I want to yank the words back.
But Luca just blinks, then shakes his head. “Nope. Just here with a couple guys I went to college with. No plus-one.”
My stomach flips for reasons I refuse to examine.
“Oh,” I say. “Cool.”
The silence stretches just a little too long—long enough for me to feel that familiar panic creeping up my spine. I shift awkwardly, suddenly very aware of every inch of satin clinging to me.
“So…” he says after a second. “Are you planning to stay the whole night?”
That I’m not sure about. “I’m at my brother’s mercy. He bought my dress and paid for the hotel, so…”
“Ahh.” Luca nods, hands stuffed back in the pockets of his expensive suit pants.
“Well,” I say finally, because I can feel myself falling into the moment too fast, too hard. “I should get back.”
He nods, but there’s a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
“Yeah,” he says. “Same.”
Except neither of us moves.
It’s like…we’re waiting for something more to happen.
I take a small step toward the ballroom, heart pounding now for new reasons: nerves. Attraction. Excitement.
Put one foot in front of the other, toward the ballroom. And just as I’m about to round the corner, his voice catches up to me.
“Hey, Nova?”
I turn. “Yeah?”
He shifts, the weight of his dark eyes settling on me. Appraising. “It was really nice meeting you.”
I shiver. “You too, Luca.”
And this time when I turn to walk away, I go.
But I swear—I feel him watching me until I disappear through the door.
I reach for him in the dark, scooting back until my ass hits his pelvis, his arms automatically going around me. Luca’s nose nuzzles the crook of my neck and inhales, though he’s been fast asleep for hours.
I blink, the hazy fragments of the dream still clinging to me.
The red dress. The velvet ropes. That quiet hallway outside the bathroom.
That first long look.
That nervous smile.
The way he watched me walk away like he’d already fallen in love with me… and now I’m lying here, tangled in his limbs, wondering how the hell we got from those shy, bumbling moments in the hallway to this.
I love him so much.
I did from the second I laid eyes on him.
Behind me, Luca stirs.
His grip tightens around my waist, just slightly, like even unconscious he doesn’t want to let go. His nose nudges my neck again, slower this time. More intentional. And then I feel it—his lips brush against my shoulder, warm and lazy.
“Why are you awake?” he mumbles, voice thick with sleep.
“I was dreaming.”
“Mmm,” he hums. “’Bout what?”
My smile is lazy. Tired. “You. Us.”
“Sounds nice.” He kisses my shoulder, his palm sliding down my stomach and down between my legs.
I breathe in sharply, body already responding to his familiar touch.
“It was,” I whisper, eyes fluttering shut. “We were sweet in it.”
Shy.
Smitten.
He hums again; this time I can feel his small smile against my skin. “I’m sweet in real life.”
I moan softly when his middle and forefinger begin their slow, circular motion over my clit; even half-asleep, he still knows exactly how to undo me.
“Want me to prove it?”
“Mmhmm. Yes, please…” It’s a breath and a whimper, my hips tilting instinctively into his hand. Wanton.
I love him so much…
Love his hands.
His mouth.
It curves against my skin, and I swear I can feel the smug satisfaction in the way he moves—slow, unhurried. He has all night to remind me how well he knows me.
39
luca
Why do I feel like I’m meeting her family for the first time?
There’s no guidebook for how to show up to your girlfriend’s family party two weeks after her twin brother gave you the green light to date her.
But here we are.
Pulling into a gravel parking lot surrounded by cowboy hats, worn-out boots, and what I can only describe as honky-tonk chaos. There's a banner out front that says “Happy Birthday, Austin!” with little boot and baby bottle graphics on it, which doesn’t totally make sense until I remember—