Page 6 of Silent Night With Luca

My mouth opens, and my brain scrambles for something to say. “I was… uh… looking for you,” I stammer, crossing my arms in what I hope looks like casual defiance. “I thought you might want coffee. You know, since I was heading out.”

His smile fades into a scowl. “Yeah, sure you were.”

I roll my eyes. “I was! What’s with the look?”

He steps forward, cutting off the distance between us, his towering frame casting a shadow over me. “If I could trust you, going out for coffee wouldn’t be a big deal,” he says, voice low and clipped. “But because you insist on finding trouble everywhere you go, I have to join you. Everywhere. You. Go.”

I throw my hands up. “It’s just coffee, Luca.”

He shakes his head. “It’s never just coffee with you, Fiamma.”

I bite my lip to keep from snapping back. The last thing I want is to get into another argument with him, especially when I’ve already lost this round. “Fine. Coffee together, then,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Good choice.” His eyes narrow slightly, like he’s daring me to try something. He turns, gesturing down the hall. “Let’s go.”

We walk in silence through the winding halls of the lodge and into the icy outdoors. The snow crunches beneath our boots as we make our way toward the café in town, the air biting at my face, but I ignore the cold.

I’m more focused on Luca, who strides ahead of me with that same stupid confidence, as if he knows everything. I guess he will take out all the bad guys with one fell swoop.

For a while, neither of us speaks. The silence is thick and uncomfortable, like a ticking bomb waiting to explode. I can’t take it anymore.

“So, I didn’t recognize you at first,” I say, breaking the quiet. “Yesterday when I landed in town, I mean. I noticed a hulking figure following me, but I didn’t realize it was you.”

Luca glances over at me, one brow raised. “Didn’t recognize me? Interesting. I’m not usually one to blend in.”

I shrug, keeping my tone light. “I thought you were just some guy trying to hit on me. That’s why I was trying to lose you.”

He lets out a rough laugh. “Yeah, right. I don’t believe you, Fiamma. Plus, you weren’t going to lose me no matter how hard you tried. Especially not in those leather pants and high heels you were wearing.”

Heat creeps up my neck. “Whatever. Arianna had just landed and we were going to meet up for a nightcap. A low key night, that’s all.”

His grin is infuriating. “You don’t do anything low key. Case-in-point: who wears stilettos in a place like this?”

I scoff at him. “Fine, maybe I underestimated the walking conditions.”

“You think?” he teases.

The café is just ahead now, warm light spilling from the windows. For a second, I almost feel like this is normal. Like we are just two people out for a stroll and stopping in for a coffee.

As we walk up the steps to the door, Luca glances over his shoulder at me. “Where were you going last night, anyway?”

I pause for just a second, long enough for him to notice, before forcing a casual shrug. “I was… out for a walk. Trying to find a place to meet.”

“At eleven o’clock. In four-degree weather.”

I fidget with the hem of my coat, avoiding his gaze. “I like the cold.”

“Uh-huh.” He pushes open the door, holding it for me, but I can feel his gaze on the back of my head as I walk inside. “Well, if your idea of an evening stroll involves sneaking around the town, remind me to put ‘protecting you from frostbite’ on my list of duties.”

I don’t respond. I can’t tell him the truth—that I was planning to meet friends at the club and wanted some space away from the suffocating lodge. He’d never let me hear the end of it.

Instead, I follow him to the counter, my mind still spinning from the fact that I can’t shake him no matter how hard I try.

My phone buzzes and I pull it out to see that Arianna must have finally woken up.

Missed you last night. You’re going to have to figure out a way to shake Luca. The guys were hot at the club. I’ll drop off your stuff later. How do I get in, where do I leave it?

You can walk through the gate and the guards won’t bother you. Come to the south side of the lodge. I’ll leave the back door unlocked. If I’m not in my room, 119, just leave it outside my door. It will be safe. I’ll text you when I figure out how to ditch him! LYLAS!

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