Page 129 of Can't Always Get What You Want

Luca thinks for a second, then shrugs. “No idea.”

“Oh come on—there have to be other times you feel accomplished.”

“Maybe when I’m fixing stuff? Does that count?”

“Fixing stuff?” I echo, tilting my head.

“Yeah. Like—gear. Or furniture. I like working with my hands.” He shrugs. “When something’s broken and I can take it apart and figure out what’s wrong.”

My brows lift. “That’s kind of hot.”

His smirk is slow and dangerous. “You think manual labor is hot?”

“I think competency is hot,” I correct. “There’s a difference.”

He leans in a little. “So if I fix your broken doorknob, what does that get me?”

“That depends,” I murmur, twisting my drink on its napkin. “Do you own a power drill?”

His eyes flash with amusement. “Babe, I own two.”

Babe.

Just a word. But not just a word.

An endearment.

I shake the feathers out of my brain, trying to fight the blush crawling up my neck. “Stop it.”

He is so freaking cute!

I can’t take it. “I want to crawl into your lap right now and eat you up.”

Luca leans a little closer, like we’re the only two people in this loud bar, and I want to kiss him so badly it hurts. “What’s stopping you?”

I glance around—too fast, too guilty—but no one’s watching us.

“You’re going to get us in trouble,” I hiss.

“You like trouble.”

He’s not wrong.

His mouth brushes the shell of my ear. “What if we skip dinner? What if I take you back to my place and feed you something else?”

Something else…

Like. His dick?

My mouth waters at the same time my stomach grumbles.

We’re so close.If I lean an inch more, I’ll be kissing him.

We’re laughing when the bartender interrupts with a pair of menus to peruse while we wait, a flash of silver across her smile. “Your table should be ready soon, folks. Sorry for the wait—things are a little crazy tonight.”

“It’s fine,” I say, my voice high and happy. “No worries.”

As she walks away, Luca’s hand returns to my knee under the bar. His thumb starts drawing that same slow circle againand I swear to God, if someone doesn’t bring me carbs soon I will combust.

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