“Okay, let’s go.” Taking a twenty-dollar note from my wallet, I paid our bill telling the photobomber to keep the change. “Next time, don’t steal my thunder, bud.” Getting a cocky smile in reply, Prue and I headed for the front entrance.
“I say we pick up a whole shit load of side dishes from that pizza joint on Bakery Hill Road,” Prue suggested, hooking her arms through mine as we walked out to her car.
“Ohhh yes! And milkshakes, topped with whipped cream and hot chocolate drizzle.” My mouth started to water, my belly grumbled, and a little of the sadness of missing Luca lifted.
Time with my bestie. Not even a man can stop the bond and force of that kind of friendship.
***
“Where are you, baby?” Luca’s smooth, baritone voice caressed my ear as soon as I put my phone to my ear.
“Hey, honey! I’m just walking out of Coles. I thought I might make lamb kofta wraps for us for tea tonight.” Juggling my keys, wallet and grocery bags, I walked to my car, my phone lodged between my ear and shoulder.
“An Italian-Frenchman eating Greek food,” Luca chuckled, “sounds great, baby.”
“Where are you? Are you on your way home?”
“Actually, I am sitting on your front porch waiting for you.”
“What? Don’t move!” Ending the call, not before I heard Luca’s deep laugh, I pressed the button on my key fob to unlock my car. Tossing everything into the passenger seat, I quickly jumped in and started the car. Luca was home! And sitting on my porch waiting for me and I wasn’t there.
“Good idea Meadow to go the supermarket,” I grumbled, wrangling my ten-year-old Suzuki Jimmy out of the car park faster than the speed limit allowed. Eager to get to Luca, I opted to take the side streets rather than take the more direct route and risk getting caught at traffic lights.
Last night we talked for hours on the phone, swapping to Skype halfway through our session so we could see one another. He spoke to me about his difficult client and the issues he was having dealing with him. Luca explained that the man, Dave he said his name was, had been Luca’s father’s best friend. Luca felt that he owed Dave for helping his father make a name for himself and build the business and its reputation. But that Dave insisted on the same level of personal involvement his dad gave him back in the day, but those times had been different and not as hectic as it had become today.
Luca said he’d tried to reassure Dave that he had the best crew available to get the job done in his absence, but Dave refused to budge. He wanted Luca to oversee the project and that was that. I saw the tension and stress in Luca’s face as he told me this, heard the anger in his voice. He explained he put together such a capable crew, so he didn’t have to be on-site as much, that his design work kept him busy and happy.
I loved that Luca opened up so much about those aspects of his life that he felt he could confide in me, trust me to listen, and not insert my opinion but just listen.
Turning into my street, the first thing I saw was Luca’s big Ford FI00 sitting in my driveway and Luca sitting on my front steps, looking better than a man had the right to do.
“Yay!” I yelped, swinging my red rocket up the bumpy drive and parking it right behind Luca’s car. Hastily throwing the car out of gear and unbuckling my seat belt, I practically threw myself out of the front seat and hit the ground running.
“Beautiful!” Luca shouted, pushing to his feet and bolting down the steps two at a time. We ran to each other like a scene from a cheesy romance movie, Luca covering more ground than me because he was … well faster than me, plucked me off the ground and twirled me around.
“Dramatic much?” I giggled, loving the feel of his strong arms around me again. Just over twenty-four hours for cripes’ sake without him, and here I was acting like it had been days, not hours.
“I believe that is your department, baby,” he laughed but still held me to him.
“Shut up and kiss me,” I demanded, “it has been far too long.”
Luca smirked that smirk before his lips descended and devoured mine in a kiss that had scorching hot written all over it. While kissing me mindless, Luca turned us and started to walk us back towards the house.
“Groceries,” I panted against his mouth, not willing to lose our connection.
“It’s not that hot out, they will be fine for an hour or so,” he insisted, taking us up the steps without any effort at all.
“I love how strong you are.” My voice was panting from our kisses.
“I love how sexy you are in those jean shorts and that tank top,” he growled, his mouth working its way down my neck and over to the soft spot behind my ear—pausing to take the lobe between his teeth and giving it a sensual bite.
“I can’t concentrate when you do that,” I moaned but still tilted my neck to give him better access.
“And I can’t concentrate when you are with me,” he retorted, “keys.”
Shaking the sexual fog off, I handed him my keys, which I don’t remember bringing with me, and he leaned down and unlocked my door.
“You know, you can put me down,” I sassed, pretending to be put out.
“Not on your life, baby,” Luca countered, pushing the door open. “I’m not letting you go for the rest of the night.”
“You’re sleeping over?”
“No sleeping will be taking place, but yes, I am staying the night. Got a problem with that?”
“Only if your mouth doesn’t go near my pussy,” I quipped back, feeling the heat already spread through me in
