“I may have been playing around with the idea.”Thanks to her.
She smiles triumphantly. “What would you name your restaurant?”
“I’ll have to think about it.” A lie, as I already know what I’d name it.
We arrive at Bridget’s apartment, and having learned my lesson, I escort Luna to the door. Aldo catches up with us on the stairs, carrying pizza boxes.
“Non perdere di vista Luna. Se è mezzanotte e non hai mie notizie, portala a casa,” I tell my brother.
“Two a.m.,” Luna counters. “And don’t be a weirdo; your brotherwilllet me out of his sight if I have to pee.”
“She speaks Italian?” Aldo eyes Luna, then me.
I sigh. “Fluently.”
My brother howls with laughter. “See, this is why I needed an invite to dinner. I’ve missed so much.”
“Maybe your nosy ass didn’t get an invite for a reason,” I inform him. “Luna,comportarsi.”
She holds up her paws like a panting dog, and my brother snickers as they’re greeted by Bridget.
I say my goodbyes, walking down the stairs. Luna chases after me, and I pause.
My eyes go wide when she wraps her arms around me. “Are you going to die tonight?” she asks, barely above a whisper
“Do you want me to die tonight?” I skim my nose along her hair, inhaling the sweet smell of apricots.
She looks up at me, eyes guarded. “I haven’t decided.”
“Would you kiss me if you thought I might die?” I cup her cheek, and she leans into my touch. I’ve never wanted to taste anything as bad as I do her mouth.
“Would you tell me your secrets if you thought I might kiss you?” she counters.
I drop my hand. “Go back inside, Luna.”
She huffs. “Be careful, okay?”
“I’ll be fine. I’ve already survived one attempt on my life,” I tease.
“Two.” Something hard pokes into my side.The barrel of my gun.The little con artist swiped it when she hugged me.
I bark a laugh as I disarm her, swatting her ass as she disappears up the stairs and inside the apartment.
Hopping in my vehicle, I check my messages before calling the janitor of the Chess Hall.
“Hey, man. Whatcha got for me?” I ask.
“Wesley threw a fit after his loss to Luna. Overheard him saying some pretty vile stuff about your girl.”
Words may never checkmate Luna, but I don’t play by chess rules. Wesley keeps it up, he’ll find out the hard way. “What about Aspen?”
“She thinks Wesley’s her boyfriend, but I overheard him tell someone else she’s a ‘situationship.’ Kids and their slang.”
“Thanks for the update. Keep your ears open.”
“Will do.”
Ending the call, I feel like the biggest ass. Luna was right: if Aspen is helping Brit Boy cheat and Luna points a finger, three fingers could be pointing back at Luna.