Chapter 121

As I anxiously study Luca, waiting for his next move …damn, but I can’t help but notice how good he looks. Luca’s freshly showered, dressed in the Cadet black that makes him look so sharp, his hair falling a little into his face in a way that just begs me to touch it, wanting to push it back. His lip is a little swollen and a bruise spreads beneath his left eye, but I don’t know – something about it really works for him. He just looks tough and sexy and a little dangerous in a way that I really, really like.

“Don’t worry,” Luca says with a smile as he puts up a defensive hand, smiling around at us in a way that makes his dimples flare. I melt, just a little…

Because god, he’s just so cute –

“I’m not going to flip out,” Luca continues, shaking his head at himself like he’s disappointed in how he acted last night. “I’m just…here for breakfast. As promised.”

Luca steps into the room a little more as he closes the door, his eyes moving over Ben and Jesse and Rafe before falling on me like that’s the only place they want to rest. I hold his gaze, a little smile on my mouth. Because, I mean, I really am happy to see him – I’m always happy to see him.

But…what do we do now? Do I…should I get up and hug him? Throw myself into his arms, which is what I really want to do?

“Hey,” he murmurs, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smile that’s just for me.

“Hi,” I whisper back, though I know he can hear me. A quick pulse of joy and anxiety and apology and warmth comes down the bond, letting me know that he’s still conflicted but that he’s really, really happy to see me.

I grin, because I feel the same way.

“Of course there’s enough coffee!” Rafe says, his voice booming and making me jump as he steps around me and plops the silver coffee pot on the table with a loud thump, clearly intent on breaking the vibe between Luca and me. “So,” he says, straightening up and putting his hands on his hips. “Rumor has it that you’ve been secretly dating my sister for months. Are you going to be nice to her today?”

And I burst into a grin when I see Luca grimace a little as he runs a hand through his hair, because I suddenly realize that Luca’s been keeping a secret too. This whole time, he’s been secretly dating his friend’s sister – which I’m pretty sure is against the rules, when it comes to guy friendships.

“Of course I’m going to be nice to her,” Luca murmurs, looking around Rafe and finding me again, taking in my wide grin. Ben laughs as he moves to the coffee table, carrying plates of pastries and cups for the coffee.

“Good,” Rafe says, the words carrying a great deal of weight. “Ariel?” he says, turning to me. I sit up in surprise. “Go get showered and changed – you’re a mess.”

I squeak in appalled surprise, but when I look down at myself I realize that he’s right. I am very rumpled. And if we’re going to have a nice big chat, I’m going to want to look and feel my best.

“Fine fine,” I mutter as Ben offers me a cup of coffee made just how I like it. “But if you all eat all the breakfast while I am gone, I’m going to be mad!”

“No promises!” Jesse calls after me as I carry my coffee into the bathroom and work on making myself more presentable.

About twenty minutes later, when I draw the curtain back from my nook, freshly showered and changed with my hair braided onto my head but not yet tucked beneath my cap, I jump when I realize that Luca is leaning against the fireplace about a foot to my left, clearly waiting for me to come out.

“Hi,” he murmurs, immediately slipping an arm around my back and tugging me to his side, lowering his face to my hair and taking a long, slow sniff of my scent. “I like this,” he murmurs, “your scent by itself, not all mixed up with Jesse, of all revolting people.”

I grin, pleased despite my anxiety, leaning into him and putting a hand on the hard muscle of his stomach, looking up into his face. “Still mad at me?”

“Livid,” he whispers, but the way he smiles, and tugs me closer…I have to bite my lip, because I think it means we’re going to be okay. I tilt my chin up, wanting nothing more than to –

“Enough of that,” Rafe calls from across the room where he’s tossing what few personal possessions he has into a backpack. “Hands off, Luca. Still my sister.”

“Still my mate,” Luca calls back, but his voice is cheerful as he pushes himself up from the wall, letting his arm drift from behind my back so that he can grasp my hand as he tugs me over to the sitting area. Ben’s there too, his already-packed backpack at his feet, but he stands when we approach, going to pretend to help Jesse pack and giving us our space.

“So, I’ve been thinking about it,” Luca says, sitting down on the couch and pulling me with him so that we sit close together.

“Yeah?” I ask, encouraging him to go on. I turn towards him, taking his hands in mine, listening closely. Because I want, desperately, to know what he’s thinking – how he’s feeling about all of it.

“And,” he murmurs, reaching out a hand to tuck a strand of hair back from my face, “we still have to talk about…about you keeping this from me, Ariel. That was deeply unfair, and I…I think it’s going to take a while for me to trust you again.”

I nod, understanding, listening to him and holding back my opinion on the matter. Because I do think that I was in a hard place with that – it would have been horribly unfair to Jackson if I had told Luca that Jackson was my mate before I even told Jackson. But…that’s not really important now. Instead, I just want to hear Luca, to understand how he feels.

“But I didn’t lie last night,” Luca murmurs, his pretty brown eyes intent as he squeezes my hands. “I’m in love with you, Ariel – you’re my mate, you’re…you’re everything to me. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right with us.”

“Luca,” I breathe, leaning closer, completely overwhelmed at how good he’s being. “Thank you – I feel the same way – I’ll do whatever it takes too, you’re so important to me –“

“So, you’ll reject him, then,” Luca murmurs, tucking that same strand of my hair back again, his fingers warm as they caress the shell of my ear. “And then we’ll move on! It will be amazing, Ariel, I promise – I’ll do everything I can to make you happy, everything, and we’ll be so –“

I sit up straight, rigid, staring at him unblinkingly. Because wait…what? What is he asking me? What…did I agree to something? “Luca,” I say, putting a hand out between us, my palm flat as it presses against his chest. “Luca…no…”

“No?” he asks, likewise sitting up straight and staring at me. “No to…no to what?”

“Luca,” I whisper, horrified, leaning closer. “Luca, I’m not going to reject my bond with Jackson…”

“What!?”

“Hey!” Jesse says, shoving Rafe’s armchair ridiculously close to the couch and flopping down into it. “This seems sufficiently intimate and complicated and like you might start yelling at each other! Thought I’d join in!”

“Get out of here, Jesse,” Luca growls as Rafe comes around the couch and stands on the other side of the coffee table, his arms crossed. “This is between me and Ariel.”

“Oh, I’ll go,” Jesse says calmly, raising his eyebrows and holding Luca’s gaze for a pause before shifting his eyes to mine. “If Ariel wants me to.”

I bite my lip, hesitating, because…I mean, even though Luca is right that this is between us…

God, but I have trouble saying no to him. And quite frankly, I do want my brother and my cousin’s support.

“Ariel,” Luca growls, leaning closer to me and glaring, “are you seriously going to let them budge in on this!? This is our personal relationship! This is between you and I, and you’re going to –“

“Let us advocate for her?” Rafe interrupts, his voice smooth and a little mad. Luca gapes, turning towards him. “Intercede? Not let you bully her, when she’s emotional and clearly wants to do things to help you feel better, even when they’re not in her best interest?”

I feel a great deal of relief that my family is helping me, but it mixes awkwardly with the sinking pit in my stomach at making Luca feel so bad. God, crap, but this is horrible.

“Bully!?” Luca spits out, dropping my hands and staring at Rafe, truly offended. “Are you seriously saying that I would stoop so low as to bully the woman I love!?”

“You’re kind of doing it now,” Jesse says, a little dry.