Page 39 of Desperately Delicate Viper

“Hey, once I can feel my legs again, you want to go to dinner? I have a stupid amount of money in my bag and a very good boy who deserves a proper first date.”

Luca’s breath hitches and his fingers still for a second, and then he laughs.

“I hate to tell you, but we already had our first date, little viper.”

I scoff and look up at him. “That wasn’t a first date, it was a kidnapping.”

“You know you’re a huge pain in the ass, right?” He offers me his hand to help me back to my feet, then drags his thumb over my damp lips as I lean in close to bump my nose against his.

“Then it’s a good thing you’re such a pain slut,” I tease, reaching around to pinch his ass.

The laughter that echoes between us, cut off by the softer kisses we trade while I blindly tug all of his clothes back into place and make us both presentable, feels cleansing somehow. It feelsintimate. It feels like I’m falling for Luca Moretti.

Chapter 15

ANDERS

Theanimalpartofmy brain is on high alert stepping back onto campus after what happened last time. But it’s the middle of the day, with smiling students hurrying between buildings and as far as I know, Finn hasn’t been drinking, so fingers crossed this is a very different kind of visit.

I shove my hands into my pockets and tilt my head back to take in the full, towering height of the brick building in front of me. I don’t know how they do it, it’s just bricks and mortar, but somehow itlooksintimidating and smart, beckoning me in with the promise of knowledge and sneering at me for being the “wrong kind of person” at the same time. I huff and glare defiantly. I could be a college student if I wanted to.

“Ands.” Finn’s booming voice drags me out of my one-sided staring contest with the Humanities building.

I spin around to find my brother jogging towards me, his floppy blond hair bouncing with his stride like he’s a golden retriever. I chuckle and pull my hands out of my pockets,opening my arms just seconds before he crashes into me with a laugh.

“You big doofus,” I say, stumbling before he catches me in a crushing hug.

“Who are you calling a doofus?” He scoffs, ruffling my hair. “You’re looking at a soon-to-be college graduate.”

I smile and shove him off of me. “Just wait until you figure out that both can be true.”

He throws an arm around my shoulders and we head in the direction of his favorite coffee shop. While we walk, Finn talks about his friends and his upcoming finals. I listen, nodding or laughing in the appropriate spots and doing my best to ignore the knots in my stomach. Of all the things I resent my shitty, drunk father for, putting this invisible wall between me and Finn is right at the top of the list.

I want to tell him about Luca, about the week I’ve spent staying at his place and how unexpectedly sweet he is. I want to gush about our late nights watching terrible horror movies and talking until sunrise. I want to tell Finn that I’ve never felt this way about anyone before and that I think I’m falling for the gorgeous, thoughtful, subby mafioso. But I can’t. If I tell him any of that, I’ll have to lie about how Luca and I met, and I’m so fucking tired of all the lies.

“You okay?” Finn asks, dropping his arm and pulling the café door open. “You got really quiet all of a sudden.”

I shake my head and force a smile. “I’m good, just a little tired.”More lies. Sigh.

He nods and just keeps grinning, as usual. I nudge my brother towards an empty table and then go up to the counter to order our usual drinks. When I slide into the seat across from him, Finn is sitting on the edge of his chair, bouncing his knee under the table.

“Everything okay withyou?” I ask, scooping a little bit of the whipped cream from his drink onto my finger and shoving it into my mouth.

“Yeah, I’m good. It’s just… I called dad yesterday to remind him about graduation and he seemed…” He bites his lip and shakes his head.

Goose bumps erupt all over my skin and my heart squeezes so tight that I’m almost positive I’m seconds from having a heart attack.

“He has a cold, he probably took some cold medicine.”Lie. Lie. Lie. “Don’t worry about it.”

His eyebrows pull together and he looks at me for a second, clearly skeptical, before he grunts in acknowledgment and takes a sip of his drink.

“Yeah, okay,” he agrees.

“Listen, Finn…” Can he hear the tremble in my voice? I hope not. I curl my fingers into a fist under the table, flexing them open and closed for something to focus on other than the cold feeling seeping into my bones. “If Dad ever makes you nervous or shows up acting weird, I want you to call me right away, okay?”

He cocks his head and frowns deeper. “What do you—”

“Just promise?”

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