Page 56 of Attraction (Mobsters + Billionaires 3)
I get in the car, and forty-five minutes later, I’m ready to put a bullet in the next motherfucker who feathers their brakes when they should gun it. Thankfully, I arrive at my destination before it comes to that.
Letting myself through the fussy-looking wrought iron gate, I jog up the steps, right on time for Ford’sappointment.
I ring the doorbell, then ring it again. Why yes, Iamincredibly frustrated.
The door opens, and Ford’s pretty green eyes go round.
“Luca?” He looks behind me, perhaps anticipating Tristan instead of me. “I’m so sorry, I have an appointment in…”
“No,” I say, sliding past him into his foyer. “You donot.”
16
FORD
He knows.
Luca is standing in my foyer, angrier than I’ve ever seen another human being. Murderous. I was already a hot mess in anticipation of tonight, but now my hands are shaking violently and my knees feel like they’re about to give out. Even though I used a different name like Rand and Mads suggested, there’s no way he doesn’t know.
His anger is so big that my heart is exploding and panic squeezes the air from my lungs. On instinct, I step toward the door, reaching for the knob. He holds up his hands and steps back.
“Jesus, Ford. I’m not going to hurt you. You do know that, right?”
I just wanted to be good for him.
I’ve been blindly grabbing for the doorknob, missing it. Finally, I chance a look and snag it, banging it open. Too afraid to keep Luca at my back, I stumble backward through the door, down the stoop, missing a few steps in the fading light. I sorta keep it together until the last step, where my foot slips out from me entirely, and I land on my ass.
“Ford!” Luca shouts, racing through the door, a wild look in his eyes.
I scramble back on my hands and feet.
“Ford. I amnotgoing to hurt you.”
I bang into the wrought iron gate and pull myself up. Struggling to unlock it, Luca’s soft voice causes my breath to hitch.
“Ford, your hands. Look at your hands. You’re hurt. Please come inside. I’m not mad, I promise. Please come inside. It’s freezing out here, and you’re hurt.”
I blink, recognizing the tenderness in his voice.
That’s real.
That’s the Luca I know.
The street lights turn on, and I realize the anger I saw on his face was only the shadows. Now that he’s closer, I can see the concern in his eyes.
Oh, goddammit. This was a monstrous overreaction.
Calm down, you fucking virgin.
“Ford,” Luca says, his voice still soft. “Please let me take care of you, and then I’ll go.”
After a few more breaths, I finally look down and see my scraped-up hands.
“It’s not that bad, I promise. I’m sorry. I overreacted.”
“Did you?” he asks, a line forming between his brows.
I look down, shame boiling under my skin.
