“I was happy to do it.”
She goes over and gives him a big, tight hug. I clench my jaw, glaring at the two of them. I don’t like the way he looks at her when she pulls back.
“Seriously. Thank you. She’ll never say it, but she appreciates it too.”
“That’s all right. I have a feeling your sister doesn’t like to say thanks very often.” He glances at me, smirking now.
“Oh, god, you have no idea. That girl is so freaking stubborn. And her pride? It’s like bigger than Mt. Everest.”
“Thanks for that,” I say quickly, cutting into their conversation. “But we don’t need to sit here and talk about my flaws.”
“I wasn’t aware you had any of those.” Now Luca’s straight-up teasing me. “From where I’m standing, you’re perfection.”
My cheeks turn red as I look down at myself. Baggy ripped jeans stained with oil and grease. An oversized men’s t-shirt, similarly filthy. “Don’t be an asshole.”
“I like this one,” Elisa says, touching his arm. “Are yousureyou have to marry him?”
“Okay! That’s enough!” I steer my sister away. “What are you doing?” I whisper at her.
“Just seeing if you can still get jealous.” She beams and winks at me, the tricky little bastard. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Luca!”
He looks amused as I usher her off and kick her out of the garage. When I get back to my car, Luca’s looking it over thoughtfully, kneeling down on the dirty floor to get a better view of the undercarriage. I take the opportunity to appreciate his tight, powerfully built butt and his very broad back before he notices me look. I pretend to clean my nails on a rag.
“You’re doing good work,” he says, getting back onto his knees. An odd little thrill runs into my core, seeing him like that.
“You know something about cars?”
“Not as much as you, but a little bit.” He gets to his feet and tilts his head. “You’re pretty good at this.”
“I’m surprised you were willing to get your fancy suit dirty on my floor.”
“I’ve got others.”
“Well, good for you. Why are you here?”
“Just wanted to check and see how you were doing.” He’s still staring at me. There’s not an ounce of shame or self-consciousness in this guy at all. Only pure confidence. I like it, but damn, I wish he’d stop looking at me like he’s thinking about the way my nipples taste.
“I’m doing fine.” I gesture around me. “Back to the scene of the crime already.”
“That’s good. I’m glad. Some people go through it after a near miss like that. Happy to hear you’re fine.”
“Yep. Right as rain. Perfect as the day I was born.” I gesture toward the door. “You can go.”
He doesn’t move. “But if you did need to talk?—”
“Definitely don’t.”
“I’m happy to listen.” He walks over and grabs my wrist. Normally, if anyone else tried that, I’d punch them right in the trachea. But for some reason, I don’t move as Luca presses a business card into my palm. There’s a work number printed in the center and a cell number handwritten underneath it. “That’s my private phone. Call or text anytime.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“The option’s still there.” He keeps holding onto my wrist. His grip is strong and warm. I like the way his skin feels. I’m tempted to lean in closer and breathe in deep to see if he still smells like in my dreams.
But then I yank back because that’s pure insanity.
“You don’t have to do this, okay?” I shove the card into my pocket. “I’m fine. It’s all fine. I’ll see you in a month.”
He frowns slightly, head tilted, then he sighs like he understands. “You think I’m here just because we’re getting married?”
