Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
When I finish off my drink, I set my glass down on the bar to go people watch. Every time my eyes drift around the reception they always land on one person.
Luca Cross.
He’s my new sister-in-law's older brother. Lux has Luca, and the oldest is Cooper. Cooper’s a straight-laced, no-nonsense cop. Luca is the polar opposite even now with how he has people all around him laughing. They hang on to his every word while Cooper looks like he’s been chewing gravel all night. It could be the dress Juno has on, but that’s just a guess from the way he’s glaring at it.
Luca is laid back without a care in the freaking world. So much so he almost missed his sister's wedding. Why do the men I find attractive always end up being self-centered assholes? It really is a curse.
I brush another one of my unruly curls from out of my face. As annoyed as I am at him, I can’t stop watching him. He reminds me of some kind of superhero with a big body all over, with muscled arms and legs. He’s casual even in his expensive tux, and I’m annoyed by the loose tie around his neck. His jacket is long gone, and his sleeves are unbuttoned and rolled up. The veins in his arms stand out, and I hate how hot it is seeing the lines along his tanned skin. I really need to get it together.
Suddenly his head turns, and he’s looking straight at me. I feel his eyes on me as I quickly turn around and walk in the opposite direction. We haven't even been introduced yet since he arrived seconds before the wedding began. We were both in the wedding party, but he hadn't given me a second look. Why the hell does that bother me?
I peek over my shoulder to see if he’s still watching me, and he is. He says something to the beautiful blonde that’s been laughing at everything Luca says and pawing at his shoulder all night. Not that I was watching.
As he starts to follow me, I can’t help but wonder how the hell I’m going to get away.
Short answer? I don’t.
2
Luca
“Hey, where are you headed in such a hurry?” Cooper puts his hand on my chest and I stop my pursuit of Selma.
“Just getting another drink.” I hold up my empty glass and shake the ice at him, but his eyes narrow. He looks over his shoulder to where Selma has already disappeared and then back at me.
“Glad you could make the wedding.” His comment makes me want to roll my eyes, but I hold back.
“I told you I’d be cutting it close but that I wouldn’t miss our baby sister’s big day.” I glance over to Lux and her husband on the dance floor holding each other close and swaying slowly, even as the dance music blasts and everyone around them is moving like they’re in a club.
“All right, I’ll lighten up.”
“Liar.” I smirk at my older brother, and he shrugs like he’s not about to apologize.
“So where were you this time?”
I glance back to the empty space Selma occupied and realize I might have missed my chance. Maybe if I can get rid of Cooper, I can still catch up with her.
“I had a deal close in Miami, and then I went to the Keys to look at a building. I’m still not sure if I’m going to buy it, but I’ve got to be in Houston tomorrow to close a listing I’ve been working on for over a year.”
“You really surprised us all with your knack for selling land.”
“They're not making any more of it,” I agree and clap my hand on his shoulder. As if he can sense I’m trying to leave, he grabs my wrist.
“When are you going to stow those wings and put down some roots?”
I give him my biggest smile and lean in close. “I think you and Lux have the family all taken care of with weddings and babies.” I wink at him as I walk away, and he calls out my name.
I turn around one last time to see him put his arm around Juno. “You can’t fight it forever.”
Without a response, I give him a little salute and go in search of the woman I can’t stop watching.
My life might look like an adventure to everyone on the outside. Yes, I travel a ton, and I get to go to really cool cities, but most of the time I’m either in meetings or alone in a hotel. Truth be told, I hate flying, but it’s the quickest way to get somewhere. Whenever I’m home in Pink Springs, I love my time with my family, but I always know it’s going to be short-lived before I’m on to the next business deal.