Page 84 of Knights Game

His face is transformed, and I frown.

He leans closer. “What?”

“I’ve just never heard you laugh before, not so carefree.”

He covers my glass and shakes his head as the waiter goes to pour me wine, and I pull a face at him. “Just humour me for the next thirty minutes. You’re still on edge, the alcohol won’t help.”

The table laughs again, which pulls us out of our little bubble. “Rome looks like he wants to stab her with the fork.” I muse, watching as he grips it tightly in his hand. “Are you sure we’re safe sitting here?”

He tilts his head assessing his friend. “Curious. Your friend Katy—”

“Is a liability.”

“Can we swap seats?” she asks Luca, interrupting our conversation, “Your mate Roman has his head so far up his own arse I can’t tell where he starts and where he ends.” She stands, picking up her glass of red. “Don’t worry, you’ll still be next to your girl. Quick, quick, the starters are on their way.”

She grabs her clutch bag, flips Roman the bird and waits patiently for Luca to vacate his chair.

“She won’t move,” I explain as Luca tilts his head to look at Katy tapping her foot impatiently, waiting. “She will stand there for the full meal if she has to.”

“I’ll do it,” she says, nodding. “I’m really annoying.”

“She is.”

“Fucking women,” Roman mutters.

“Woman. You mean woman. She’s the nightmare.” I say pointing at Katy.

“I am.” She nods smiling, her eyes widening. “Bonkers me, with zero shame, and who can still do the splits.”

Roman sips his wine.

“Careful, Rome, you almost cracked a smile there,” one of the women says from across the table.

“They say when that happens, a leprechaun shits a pot of gold,” Luca adds, standing, as the table laughs again. He crosses over to Katy’s seat and squeezes his friend’s shoulder as he sits.

“That man is an arsehole,” Katy mutters, huffing out an agitated breath as she takes Luca's seat. “He rocked up at the flat, thrust a dress bag at me, and told me I had forty minutes to get ready. Forty minutes. No explanation where I was going, just said he was a friend of yours and Luca's,” she says loud enough for Roman to hear, and the full table for that matter. “Like that would fill me with a great amount of comfort.”

I purse my lips softly and look away, no, a warning to bring it down a level, thankfully she understands.

“Why’s your glass empty?” She nods at mine before taking a gulp of her own.

Luca at that moment rests his hand on my thigh, and I know that even as he holds court with everyone else at the table, he’s fully aware of what is happening beside him.

“Luca is a controlling arse-wipe.” I reply and his response is to squeeze my leg making me squirm, and I can’t help but grin.

Dinner passes in a flash of amazing food, more alcohol, yes, he did allow me some more, and shockingly good company.

Luca has surprised me, showing another side of him. Relaxed, at ease, and dare I say it, having a good time.

“After dinner we all go back out to the reception area and terrace while the tables in the centre are moved, and it’s converted into a dance floor.”

“I can’t imagine anyone here cutting shapes on the dance floor.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” Henry says, although I don’t know what Henry does, I do know it has something to do with computers. So, in my mind, Henry is a hacker.

Henry, Tom, William, and James along with Emily, Isla, Emma, and Sophie. They work for Luca, with their own jobs within the organisation and all are members of his inner circle, his most trusted.

“Even you?” I ask Luca.

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