Now I follow Luca, who shoulders his way into the apartment and walks over to the kitchen to place the bags of groceries on the counter.
Then, he proceeds to walk around the flat, making sure all of the windows are secured.
"What are you doing?"
He doesn’t reply.
"I thought you didn’t care I’m likely still in danger from whoever kidnapped me."
He completes his check on the windows in the living room, then heads into the bedroom.
"Hey!" I rush forward and grab at his sleeve. "What are you doing?"
He glances down at where I’ve hooked my fingers into his shirt, then back at my face. Those blue eyes of his flash, and it’s like I can hear waves crashing on the shore.
I blink and release my hold on him. He straightens his sleeve, walks to the lone window in the bedroom, shuts the pane and locks it.
"Why did you do that?" I protest.
He draws the shades then turns on me. "This stays closed, as do the windows in the living room."
"Aren’t you taking things too far?"
He glares at me, and a little shiver of anticipation squeezes down my spine.No, no, I do not find his anger a turn on.I lock my fingers behind my back, then watch as he takes a last look at the bedroom and stalks out and toward the front door. There, he pauses and glances over his shoulder. "Make sure you eat something before you go to the rehearsal. Also, don’t forget to lock the door behind me."
"You're boring for a Mafia man, you know that?"
He merely jerks his chin at me, then heads out of the door and shuts it behind him.
I blow out a breath and turn toward the kitchen, when he pushes open the door and scowls at me. "Told you to lock it, didn’t I?"
"All right, okay. Seriously, you’re turning out to be a nag."
He merely stands there and smolders, and god help me, my core melts a little. Maybe I can ask him inside my bedroom so he can stand in the corner and glower at me all day. I wouldn’t need the heating at night. He could warm my room with the heat that pours off of his body. He could drive away my chills with the sparks that seem to fly every time our eyes meet. He could—
"Angel!" he snaps.
I jump. "What?" I frown.
"Shut. The. Door. And. Bolt. It."
"Fine, gosh. Some people have no sense of humor." I walk to the door, shut it in his face.There, happy!Then I bolt it.
I stand there for a few more seconds and place my palm on the door. Is it my imagination, or can I feel the heat from his body through the wood? I flatten my cheek against the door and tremors spiral down my spine. He’s definitely standing there. I close my eyes, and the touch of his fingers on my hips, on my skin, as he’d tugged on the strand of my hair earlier in the car, washes over me.
Then I hear the sound of his footsteps recede. I open my eyes and step back.Snap out of it, woman. You’re home in one piece, aren’t you?And in time for the final rehearsal before the premiere tomorrow.
I glance at my phone and realize I have enough time to shower, change my clothes, and get something to eat before Adrian returns to pick me up. I head to my room, and in just under an hour, I’m ready. I head to the kitchen and look inside the paper bags to find fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, pasta, and ready-made pasta sauce. I whip up a quick pasta and eat it, then make sure the perishables are in the fridge. Finally, I get on the phone with my bank to cancel my credit cards and order new ones. I have extra cash that I keep in the house. I shove that into my back-up purse, then place my phone in it. Right on time, too, for there’s a knock on the door. Adrian sure is punctual.
I walk to the door, throw it open and stare.
"You?" I blink. "What are you doing here?"
21
Luca
Good question. Exactly what I was asking myself. I had planned on Adrian coming over and driving her to her rehearsal, but the thought of anyone else going over to her place and accompanying her had been too much for me. My guts had twisted, a stone had taken residence in my stomach, and it felt like a heavy weight was squeezing down on my chest. I didn’t dare put a name to those feelings. It was probably just my system reacting to having a decent meal at home after not having eaten properly for a few days. Yeah, that’s all it was. Indigestion. I grabbed antacids and chewed on them before I showered and slid into my car and came over to her place.