Page 40 of Rockwell Academy: The Twist

I almost spit out the delicious red wine I’ve already guzzled far too much of.

“Me?” I laugh out loud. “That would be over Frankie’s dead body.”

“Think about it.”

His words are casual, but I sense they have been calculated and his plan crafted from a devious imagination and I kind of like that quality in a guy.

He leans forward, caressing my hand with his thumb before raising it to his lips and kissing the knuckles softly. A shiver of expectation passes through me as I imagine what else he iscapable of and he stares deep into my eyes and whispers, “I convince him I am the best man for you. That I have your best interests at heart and will treat you like a queen.”

“He won’t care.” I shake my head. “Frankie is under instructions to watch out for me and — newsflash, you come from a rival family and are probably the last guy in Rockwell they want around their daughter.”

“Mistrust is a failing many families fall foul of.” He says with a nonchalant shrug.

“How come?”

To be honest, Luca mesmerizes me. I am stumbling into his dark web and already admit I’m trapped. All I’m waiting for now is the spider to eat me alive and, quite frankly, I would welcome every second of it.

“Call it a merger of our families for however long it lasts. We share nothing but our company. No secrets, no details of our business, just, well–”

He winks. “A relationship of a more intimate nature.”

Is it freaking hot in here because suddenly I can’t breathe? This is moving way faster than I anticipated and now all I can think of is what happens when this guy gets intimate. It’s not something I’ve experienced until now and picturing my first time with him pours oil on a hot flame. I am so ready for the knowledge that it appears every other girl but the ones in my family get to experience without a contract being put out on the poor guy who succeeded.

I’m guessing that Luca is more than able to deal with the consequences of what may happen and is probably the only one who can.

I shrug. “You’ll have to work harder than this to be intimate with me, Luca. I’m not a cheap date bought by a nice meal, good wine and pleasant conversation.”

“What must I do to prove I’m worthy?”

His eyes flash as I pretend to consider my options.

“You find a way to make it happen with my brother’s blessing. That would impress me more than anything and you would certainly deserve your prize.”

“And The Claiming?”

He asks, his gaze intense, and I nod. “I’ll sign up if you do, but you run the risk of somebody beating you to it. Have you got a plan for that?”

“Of course.”

His soft smile reels me in as he caresses my hand and yet before he can elaborate on that, his gaze slides past me and something catches his attention that diverts his attention away from me.

“What is it?”

I don’t turn around because that would alert whoever it is that we know they are here, and he shakes his head slightly. “I know that man and the woman looks familiar.”

He pretends to take a photo of me and I pose for the camera and as he shows me, I recognize the woman but not the man.

“That’s Miss Sloane. Jesses’s art teacher.”

Siri pointed her out to me yesterday and I’ve heard what she’s doing to Jesse and I don’t like it.

“Who’s the man?”

“Somebody youneverwant to meet. Not in a million years.”

Luca raises his hand, signaling for the check.

“We should leave before they see us.”

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