That, my friends, is a good night.
With a heavy sigh, I started searching for my purse again.
“If you want, we can go grab lunch or something. I know this great Italian place nearby.”
I absolutely did not want to grab lunch or something. My hands flew over the plush carpet under the bed until they landed on a shoe and my purse.“Almost there,” I muttered.
“Damn.”
I froze at the sound of his voice so close behind me. On my hands and knees, I peeked over my shoulder. Damn was right.
Luca leaned against the doorway with a towel wrapped around his narrow waist. His body was lean but broad. Something I hadn’t noticed the night before were the scars that marked his tan skin. They added an edge to his appearance that I very much appreciated. But honestly, what was there not to like with him all wet and fresh from the shower?
My gaze lingered on the tiny beads of water dripping from his black, wavy hair to his chest. They disappeared one by one into the bit of dark hair below his navel.
Dragging my tongue across my furry front teeth, I pried my eyes away from his glistening body. I needed to focus on the task at hand.
Too bad everything about Luca was a distraction.
Even his goddamn face left my hungover ass stupefied. The sunlight hit his sharp cheekbones and sizable nose, emphasizing the harsh angles, but warm brown eyes and pouty lips added an unexpected softness to his face.
He was no pretty boy.No, he was a rough, handsome man.
The longer I stared, the bigger his smile grew. He let out a chuckle, and it occurred to me I hadn’t said anything back to him and was instead staring at him like he was the last piece of cheesecake in the fridge.
Shaking off whatever spell Luca’s mere presence put me under, I gave him a toothy smile. “Hey, I was just looking for my other shoe.” I kneeled, steadied myself, and stood up as gracefully as a hungover bridesmaid could.
“I see.” Pushing away from the door frame, he strolled toward the closet. As he rummaged through his suitcase, I ogled his firm backside and thick thighs. I let out a little sigh of appreciation, and he glanced back at me around his legs, wiggling his ass at the same time. “I figure fair is fair.” His smile made my heart stutter, almost making me forget operation “get the hell out of dodge.”
Tearing my attention away from his bouncing backside, I lifted his pants off the floor, huffing when I came up empty-handed yet again. I stalked around the room, becoming more frustrated by the second. This was not the easy exit I wanted.
“Looking for this?” In Luca’s big hand was my heel.
“Yes, thank you!” I reached for my shoe, but he raised it above his head. Quirking an eyebrow, I put my hands on my hips. “Keep away? Really?”
He leaned into my space, the smell of his soap filling my nose. I wanted to nuzzle into his chest, kiss, stroke and-
“Get lunch with me.”
For fuck’s sake.
Rolling my eyes, I jumped up and snatched my shoe out of his hand. I tugged down the tails of the shirt, and yet another button popped off at the top of my bust. So much for tasteful cleavage. I sucked my teeth and tried to smooth the front of the shirt. Let’s be honest. Nothing about this busted ensemble was tasteful.
Balancing on one foot, I slipped on my right shoe, then teetered on that slim heel to slide on the left. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”
Luca’s eyebrows pulled together. “So that’s it?”
Standing to my full height in the four-inch heels, I was over six feet tall but still an inch or twoshyof his hairline. “Does there need to be more?”
His eyes narrowed,andhis mouth set in a straight line. “No, I guess not.”
I had my out, but I couldn’t take those first steps away from him.Sowe stood there, staring at each other.I couldn’t look away from his dark stubble or stop thinking about it rubbing against the inside of my thighs. His pink tongue darted out to wet his lower lip, and my lips parted in response. God, I wanted to taste him.
Luca watched me with hooded eyes, his body leaning toward me, but he didn’t take a step closer. He didn’t need to. Doing nothing more than standing there, I struggled to keep myself from reaching out to touch him. A blush crept up my neck.
“How about your phone number? Can I get your phone number?”
The softness in his voicegave me pause. It coaxed me to give in, to give Luca whatever he wanted. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m not in the market for whatever you have in mind.”