Page 48 of Luca

Good lord,even cold, the leftovers from the other night are amazing. I twirl another forkful of pasta and pop it into my mouth and moan. I swear this man is like an Italian fantasy come to life. He’s good with kids, cooks like a chef, looks like a god, and kisses like his very life depends on it.

I can’t stop replaying that kiss. The feel of his full mouth on mine. His tongue on my skin. The hunger. I thought that was just the stuff of movies. But I’ve never been so swept up in anything in my life. If it hadn’t all felt so good, I probably would’ve worried about how my body was reacting to his. Jeez, a few Italian sweet nothings in my ear, and he barely had to touch me to make me go off like a rocket.How embarrassing.

I take one more forkful before putting the lid on the container and returning it to the fridge. That’s what you need to do with this thing with Luca, Jilly.

Put a lid on it!

Luca made it very clear he wasn’t interested in a relationship. So, if you allow playdates with benefits, that’s all on you. Youneed to know where to draw the line. Because you’ve already seen how easy it is to get swept away by this man.

I rummage through the cabinets to collect everything we’ll need for this backyard movie night. I’ll pick up a tray of chicken nuggets for the kids, and we’ll have finger foods along with the usual movie fare. Standing on my tiptoes, I reach for the leftover popcorn bags I have from Myla’s birthday party when I see my phone dance across the counter.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Jillian. It’s Meghan. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“No, not at all. What’s up?” God, I hope she’s not calling to ask if I can make a last-minute switch with her at the hospital. She’s been so good to me when I’ve needed help. But the kids would be devastated if I had to cancel this tonight.

“Do you work tomorrow?”

“Yes, why?”

“I made cookies for Trish’s last day tomorrow. But I’m leaving later tonight to pick up my mom and head out of town to visit her sister. She broke her hip and needs a few extra hands on deck. I’d drop them off before I go, but you know that place. They’ll be gone before Trish can get one. Even if I leave a note.”

She’s right. Nothing is sacred in that break room.

“Sure. Drop them by here, and I’ll take them with me in the morning. I’m glad you reminded me. I was going to pick up Country Style donuts in the morning on the way there. I probably would’ve forgotten all about it.”Jeez, with my mind on hot Italian men, I’d already forgotten all about it.

“Oh, perfect. Shoot me your address, and I’ll drop them off later.”

“You got it. Bye.”

Placing the phone down, I almost return to searching for the popcorn bags when I notice the time.Gah. I rush out the doorjust as the school bus comes to a stop. Thankfully, our house is so close to the stop, the bus driver doesn’t require me to cross the street. She merely has to see someone’s here before letting Myla and Caleb get off. Since Truitt is often napping this time of day, it works out well.

“Mama!” Caleb greets, running in my direction like his hair is on fire. “Are they here yet?”

“No, baby. Calm down. You’ll wear yourself out before they get here.”

Myla shakes her head and smiles, coming in for a hug before going inside.

Caleb and I turn to follow her in when we hear a strange rumble. Looking over my shoulder to track the odd sound, I see Luca pulling up in front of Cliff’s house in a beat up Ford F150. As the door opens and he steps out, I can’t fight the pull to him. He looks like a teen heartthrob, all masculine and self-assured. Mimmo joins him near the back of the truck, causing Caleb to go flying in their direction.

“Mimmo!” I’m shocked. He finally got his name right.

Luca hands a few things to the boys before pulling some long, dark pipe and a few tools out of the back of his truck. The boys race to the backyard, completely oblivious to the annoyingly loud greeting by Cliff’s dogs.

“Hi, Jill. Is it okay if I start working on the movie screen?”

“Of course. Wow. This is going to be a professional grade backyard theater,” I tease.

“Yes. I’m excited to show Tarzan a little of what I do for a living.”

I have to admit, I’m excited to see this myself. He’s wearing a snug fitting black T-shirt and jeans that hug his ass and muscular legs perfectly. Should I tell him it’s fine by me if he gets hot and needs to remove it? The shirt, I mean.Although…

“Where’s that head of yours?” He chuckles.

Gah. Busted. “Nowhere. I was just thinking about what we might want to eat later.” I can feel my cheeks heat and try to make a quick recovery. “I was going to run pick up some chicken nuggets and finger foods. Unless you’d rather have pizza.”

Luca looks at me skeptically. “No, that sounds fine.” He steps a bit closer. The clean pine scent of his cologne tickles my nose and apparently other places as I feel a familiar flip in my lower belly. He leans in as if sharing some top secret bit of info. “But your blush gives you away, Cucciolotta. And what I want to eat isn’t chicken nuggets.”

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