Page 31 of Sweet Deception

I take this moment to excuse myself from the table to visit the ladies' room. The men stand as I do and I note how different this date is compared to my few dates before Dad received his diagnosis.

I'm feeling pretty good about the night, which is why I'm smiling as I enter the restroom. The two women standing at the counter stop talking and give me snooty looks in the mirror. Averting my gaze, I dismiss them and continue past to enter one of the stalls. It's a few seconds of quiet before one woman begins talking again.

Loudly.

And about Luca.

Well, damn.

I fume as they discuss their "experiences" in his bed. I don't know if these women are telling the truth or if they're trying to get under my skin.

Which they are.

Hating it, I'm also not going to do anything about it. Luca had a life before me and I will not hold it against him. Besides, I don't think he would approve of the women's catty behavior.

Schooling my features, I fix my dress and flush the toilet before stepping out and going to the sink. Both eye me with a smirk. I smile back as if I'm holding my own secret, knowing it's the last reaction they would expect from me. They're glancing at each other in confusion as I wash my hands.

I don't hold back a laugh.

"What's so funny?" The redhead asks. She's got her nose scrunched as if she sniffed something bad. She leans on her foot and puts her hand on her hip as she looks me over.

Drying my hands, I turn and lean my hip on the counter. I take my time looking them over before tossing the paper towel in the trash and turning my focus to my purse to look for my lip gloss. "I now understand why Luca told me he needed a change." Flashing them a smile, I shift to lean toward the mirror and apply the lip gloss.

I glance at the redhead in the mirror to see her open her mouth, no doubt about to spit something back, but the brunette grabs her arm and drags her away. "Come on, Celia, she's not worth it. Luca will come back to us. You know he always does." She sneers at me over her shoulder as they leave the bathroom.

When the door shuts behind them, my false confidence dissolves, and I sigh in relief. I can hold my own, but a cat fight with two women was not on my agenda for the night. I find my hands shaking and take a few deep breaths to calm my nerves.

What the hell have I gotten myself into? First the woman at the club and now these two.

I've stalled long enough, so I put the lip gloss back in my purse and turn to the door. As I step out, a man is leaning against the wall, watching me. Trying not to show my discomfort, I move to go past him,but he places his hand in front of my path. I take a quick step back and frown at him. He straightens from his relaxed pose to face me, blocking me from the view of the restaurant.

"What are you doing?" I brace myself, moving my right foot back to get into a defensive pose I learned in self-defense class.

He glances down at my movement and smirks.

If we weren't in a busy restaurant, I'd be shaking in my heels.

"I just wanted to meet my cousin's date and find out what your intentions are." He smiles, spreading his hands out as if he's innocent of trying to intimidate me.

Tilting my head, I frown. "Cousin?"

"Leo, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Luca growls from behind the man.

I sigh in relief and relax my stance.

Leo's lips tip higher as he turns to face Luca. "Cousin!" He goes in for a hug, but Luca puts his hand on his chest and shoves him back.

That's when I see the look on Luca's face. And boy, is he pissed. He's clenching his jaw and his nose flares as he stares this Leo guy down.

"Don't cousin me, asshole. What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Luca points at me. "She's off limits." He stalks closer to Leo, backing him into the wall despite Leo being taller. "You are to never approach Kylie without my presence. Do you understand me?"

A heavy sigh escapes Leo's lips as he watches Luca's anger. When he looks over at me, Luca steps into his face, demanding his attention again.

"Don't even look at her without my permission, Cousin," he spits out.

"Okay, okay. Message is clear. I'll wait to meet her when you're ready." He pats Luca's arm, then slides out and walks away, the two women from the bathroom following behind him.

"Luca?" Confused by their interaction, I hesitate to ask. I'm gathering Luca does not have a good relationship with his cousin.

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