“There’s no way the driver didn’t hear that,” I murmured.
“Mmm. I pay him enough money not to listen.” He curled a lock of my hair around his finger. “I like that you didn’t even try to be quiet.”
“I did try.” I lifted my head from his shoulder with great effort. He’d liquefied my bones. “It’s just that I failed.”
He laughed softly. “I doubt you fail at much, so I’ll take it.”
“You’re right. I don’t give up, so I can’t fail.”
“Pretty, persistent girl. You even managed to melt Shira’s icy facade.”
“She isn’t icy. She’s very, very shy. You’d know that if you weren’t so quick to judge.”
“Hmmm. Something to think about. Now…let’s get you off my dick so I can thank you for coming with me tonight.”
I snorted a laugh and patted his cheek. “I like you, Luca Rossi.”
He unwound my hair so he could drag his finger along my jaw. “I like you too, Saoirse Rossi.”
The funny thing was, it didn’t even sound strange to hear his name attached to mine anymore.
Chapter Twentyseven
Luca
I cracked one eye open. Seven thirty a.m. An ungodly hour for a Saturday. But the persistent tapping on my door had dragged me out of my much-needed sleep.
“The condo better be burning down,” I called in the direction of the closed door.
Saoirse’s muffled laugh came from the other side, then she pushed it open, peeking her head into my dark room.
“Hi.”
I cracked the other eye, taking her in. She was fully dressed and far too bright-eyed.
“You don’t look like you crawled through smoke to get to my bedroom, so I’m assuming there’s no fire.”
With a soft laugh, she strode across the room and plopped down beside me on the bed, pushing my hair off my forehead. That small gesture was all it took for most of my grouchiness to fade.
“This is the last farmers’ market of the season. I wanted to see if you’d like to come with me.”
I would have liked her to climb into my bed and wrap her lips around my cock. Or put her head on my chest while I slept. None of my preferred activities involved me getting out of this bed before ten.
“As much fun as that sounds, I’m going to have to pass.” I closed my eyes, hoping she’d leave me in peace.
“Mmm…too bad. I noticed you really like the cheese I bought you, even though you never mentioned it. I was going to buy you more, but now…”
The genuine disappointment in her voice woke me up a little more. My eyes opened so I could look at her in the dim light. She stroked my hair off my forehead again and sighed.
“Okay, I’ll let you sleep. You need it. And I’ll even bring you some cheese.” She leaned down and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “See you later, Luca.”
She was on her feet when I remembered the fucking honey guy. The man she’d been reeling in for months. He’d see her in her pretty little dress, probably spend time with her, make her laugh, all while I lay in bed.
“Hold on.”
She swiveled around. “Are you coming?”
“Yeah. I’m coming.”
Spending time with Saoirse was easy. We strolled through the market, no direction in mind. She pointed out her favorite booths, introducing me to people she’d come to know. Each time she told another person we were married, they gifted us something—from apples to jam to a small, carved-wood ring holder.
She wandered ahead of me while I got stuck talking to the cheese guy about motorcycles. I kept one eye on her, so I didn’t miss when she stopped at a booth and the man running it walked around to her side to give her a hug. The massive fucker even lifted her off her feet.
Honey guy. Spinning my wife around. Making her smile. She’d been reeling him in, and it appeared he’d been caught.
Barely saying goodbye to the person I was speaking to, I charged in their direction. He’d set her on her feet but was still far too close when I reached them.
I slipped my arm around her waist, pulling her back against my chest. She yelped, turning her head to look at me.
“Oh god, Luca, you surprised me.”
I squeezed her hip. “Introduce me to your friend, Saoirse.”
“Oh, of course. Luca, this is Mick. Mick, this is Luca.”
Mick had torn his eyes off Saoirse to study me, and I studied his overgrown Viking man bun, wannabe hipster ass right back. His jaw rippled when he landed on my fingers curled around Saoirse’s waist.
“Mick, of course.” I rocked back on my heels. “My wife has told me all about you and your honey.”
His gaze lifted to Saoirse’s. “You’re married?”
“I am.” She held up her left hand, wiggling her fingers. “We got married a little over a month ago. It was a whirlwind.”
He folded his arms over his big chest. “I wondered where you’d been.”
I chuckled. “I’ve been keeping my wife busy.” He could let his little imagination run wild by guessing exactly what I’d been keeping her busy doing.
He grunted, not bothering to acknowledge me in any other way. “Congratulations. I wish I’d known.”
“Now you do,” I said flatly.
Saoirse laid her hand over mine and drove her elbow into my side. “Thank you, Mick. As I said, it’s been a whirlwind. Sorry I haven’t been by in a few weeks. I made sure I had time to stop by today since it’ll be a while before I see everyone again.”
“Thanks for coming.” He averted his gaze, eyeing the slowly streaming crowd. “It’s a busy day. Gotta get back to it. Pick something out if you want. My wedding gift to you.”
He turned his back on her and returned to his place behind his table. Saoirse stared after him for a moment before removing my hand from her hip. Instead of dropping it, she wove her fingers between mine and tipped her head to the side.
“Come on. There’s more to see,” she said as she pulled me along.
“You okay?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I feel bad for stringing him along. I could tell he was disappointed.”
When we were far enough away from Mick and his honey, I tugged Saoirse to the side between two booths and wrapped my arms around her waist. She slid her hands up my chest to curl them around my neck.
“Here’s the thing, pretty girl: Mick had his chance and didn’t take it. He saw you, gorgeous fucking you, and didn’t do everything he could to have you for himself. That alone tells me he’s not good enough for you. The douchey man bun and his sad little pout sealed the deal. Don’t feel bad for moving on. If he’s disappointed, that’s on him.”
She scooted closer and pressed a hard kiss to my lips. “That was exactly what I needed to hear.” She kissed me again. “Thank you for coming with me, Luca. I would have had a guilt spiral if you hadn’t set me straight.”
She went in for another kiss, but this time, I caught the back of her head, keeping her mouth sealed to mine. What started as a hard, closed-mouth kiss melted, her lips parting for my tongue to sweep inside. Always mindful we were outside, in view of anyone who cared to look, I kissed her with slow, gentle caresses, licking away any residual sadness. Saoirse didn’t get to be sad over other men in front of me. I’d cure her of that quickly and with precision.