I permit a small smile to slip free. “He was cute.”
Vienna shimmies in her seat excitedly. “Where is he from? How long is he in town? Are you going to see him again?”
“Slow down, Vi. We talked for a few minutes, and then . . . I went home.” I look away as I finish my statement, because I know I’m leaving things out—details that no one would believe. I still haven’t decided if I believe them yet.
“That is so . . . not exciting.” Vienna sighs and gives a disappointed shake of her head.
“I’m pretty sure I dodged a bullet. He was . . .”
I forget what I was saying when the door opens and three jean-clad, hiking boots-wearing guys enter the café. They approach the counter with long, confident strides, and their presence fills the lobby.
While I suspect they are travelers, since guys like that don’t grow in Castien Valley, I feel an odd twinge of recognition as I watch them. My gaze is particularly drawn to the last one to enter, with a black Nirvana T-shirt stretched over his broad shoulders. He stands an inch taller than the other two and has a few more pounds of lean muscle. A low-riding ball cap conceals most of his face, but there is something about him that feels familiar.
“Sav.” Vienna snaps her fingers in my face. When I shift my gaze to her, she hands me a napkin. “You’re drooling a little bit.”
“Stop it.” I frown at her.
“I don’t blame you.” She surveys the three guys with an appreciative gleam in her eyes. “Those aren’t Castien Valley boys.”
“No, they are not,” I agree.
“I love tourist season,” she sighs dramatically.
“Too bad you’re going to miss most of it,” I remind her.
“Stupid family with their stupid vacation plans,” she grumbles. “What eighteen-year-old girl wants to spend an entire summer jammed into an RV on a cross country road trip with her family?”
“There will be plenty of boys along the way for you to fawn over,” I tell her cheerfully despite the lonely ache in my chest at the thought of spending the entire summer without my bestie.
Vienna looks pointedly at the trio as they order their drinks. “Not ones like that.”
“They’re not that good looking.” I squint at the guys, trying to find something wrong with them to make the words not a lie. It’s not possible.
Vienna suddenly perks. “We should invite them to sit with us,” she suggests and starts to slide out of the booth.
“No!” I lunge across the table to grab her arm.
She settles back with a groan. “Jesus, Sav. You need to live a little. It’s innocent fun.”
I cast a furtive glance toward the counter to find the Nirvana T-shirt guy looking our way after my outburst. His chin lifts a fraction, giving me a glimpse of his eyes hidden under the ball cap. I would say that they’re the most riveting eyes I have ever seen, but that would be a lie.
I’ve seen them before. Last night, to be exact.
I gulp as a grin slowly spreads across his face.
“That’s him,” I whisper to Vienna.
“Who?”
“Luca. That’s him.”
“Which one?” She turns to stare at the group. I’m too stunned to care how obvious she is.
“The one wearing a hat,” I tell her.
“You mean the extra, extra hot one?”
I nod rapidly, unable to look away from him. Even though I can no longer clearly see his eyes, I know they are on me. I am aware of how crazy it sounds, but I feel the power of his gaze. The barista sets a drink on the counter, and he finally releases me from his hold. I sit back in my seat as he claims his order.
Vienna glares at me. “You went home to read last night?”
“Don’t start, Vi,” I groan.
“You should have stayed,” Vienna scolded. “Or better yet, gone somewhere—anywhere—with him.”
I glance toward the lobby, where Luca stands off to one side as he adds a packet of sugar to his drink. His back is to me, and I can’t help but admire how the thin T-shirt hugs his shoulders.
“That”—Vienna thrusts a thumb in his direction—“is the kind of guy you’re supposed to give it to, Sav.”
Luca covers his mouth with a fist and coughs into it. Only it doesn’t sound like a cough. It sounds like a laugh disguised as a cough.
“Vi, shut up,” I whisper.
“Why? Are your virgin ears bleeding?” She grins across the table at me.
Oh. My. God. How long does it take to fix a damn coffee?
“Keep your voice down,” I tell Vienna. “He can hear you.”
“Really? Is he Superman?”
“You’re louder than you think you are.”
“Whatever.” She shakes her head and peeks over her shoulder with a little more finesse. “Look at how tall they are. They look like athletes. All rippling muscles and . . . hard places.” She finishes with a wink.
Finally, Luca replaces the lid on his drink, drops a bill into the tip jar, and joins his buddies where they wait near the door. As he passes, his gaze slides across the room to connect with mine.
I stop breathing. Images play out in my mind’s eye like an old black and white film. Luca, younger than he appears now, hovers above me with a lopsided smile on his lips. Then they touch mine. The warmth of the sun shining high in the sky warms me at the same time the cool sand at my back keeps me from combusting from his touch. My fingers comb through his damp hair as his mouth moves firmly over mine. Somewhere in the distance is the sound of water lapping at a shore. An overwhelming happiness swells inside of me, and I think it must be what love feels like.
I blink and the bizarre daydream vanishes. I’m left staring at Luca’s grin from across the café. He breaks the connection between us first and turns to follow his friends out the door and onto the sidewalk.
He’s gone, but I suspect this will not be the last I see of him.
Chapter 4
I spin across the dancefloor of a grand ballroom beneath a canopy of twinkling lights. The fog at my feet is thick and moves around me as if alive, and while I sense others nearby, I cannot see them. Only one is with me.
Large hands grip my waist over the red blood satin gown I wear, anchoring me to the solid wall of muscle that moves beneath my hands. My eyes drift up the lapels of a black leather jacket, and over a black button-up shirt accented by a red tie before my head is forced to tip back to continue the rest of the journey.
I find full lips, surrounded by a fine layer of scruff, twisted into a lopsided grin. I’m tempted to stare at those lips all night, but I force myself to keep going. I need to know who I am dancing with.
My gaze collides with a pair of blue eyes, and a gasp passes my parted lips. “Luca?”
He nods his head in a sort of curtsy. “The one and only.”
“Why you?”
With a sudden move that forces a squeal out of me, he spins me around. The dazzling lights above my head surge as a mesmerizing voice sings in the distance. I come to a stop, cradled in Luca’s arms with my back pressed to his chest.
His lips brush the side of my neck when he whispers in my ear. “Who else would it be?”