Riding Dirty: Luciotti Crime Family (A Bad Boy Mafia Romance) - Kara Hart Page 0,17
He was just one of those guys who was happy to be alive. But ever since Lucas came into town, something had changed in him.
I tamped the espresso and pressed the button on the machine, watching carefully as the dark clay-colored liquid poured into the cup. For fun, I drizzled caramel on the bottom. Smiling to myself, I mixed it together, poured the milk, and let the ice cubes slide inside slowly. Voila! “One extra-sweet caramel latte for the tough guy in the corner!” I yelled out.
He looked up from his book, frowned, and then looked back down. “I’m over here,” he muttered. Ugh! I grabbed it and slammed it down on his table. It was childish of me, but he was being a total prick.
“There. Happy?” I asked him, steaming at this point.
“Very. Thanks, babe.” To save myself from smacking him in the face, I put my hair into a ponytail and took a few deep breaths. “I’m just messing with you. Calm down.”
“Yeah, just pay when you get a chance,” I said, turning to walk away.
“Wait just a second.” He grabbed my hand, forcing me to stop short.
“What?” I asked.
“I have some business to take care of in Detroit tonight and maybe tomorrow,” he said.
“And?” Initially I had tried to pull my hand out from under his, but after a few seconds, I stopped. He was repulsive, offensive, and every kind of wrong, and yet he was every kind of right. The strength, and his overall level of control made me stop pulling away. But the man needed to either let me go or pull me in, because I was not the girl to mess with.
“So we won’t be able to have our little lunches,” he said. “And, who knows? Maybe I won’t be coming back.” He let go of my hand and sat back in his chair, waiting for my reply.
I put my hands on my waist and thought about what he just told me. On one hand, who cared? He was just some pig who walked into town one day and made my life that much harder. On the other hand, it was a blow, straight to the stomach. Never coming back? Why? Was it something I did? Something I said? I needed answers.
“You’ll be back.” I found myself saying. “I’m sure of it.”
He chuckled to himself lightly. “Yeah? Why? You think you’re that special?”
I shook my head and smiled. “For one, your car is here. Two, you came here for a reason. Maybe that reason is simple. Maybe you just need some time to yourself. Or maybe there’s something else you came for? Either way, I don’t see you leaving without either. Not yet, at least.”
“You’re observant,” he said. “That can be dangerous for a girl like you.”
Dangerous? The only dangerous thing was my slow-building obsession with the thickness of his cock. “But wait, there’s a third reason why you’ll be back. And I’m willing to bet all my money on this one.”
“What is it? Enlighten me,” he said, eyes perking up.
“Your love for the café, of course!” I exclaimed.
“Cute,” he muttered back, eyeing me up and down. I felt my heart push against my chest and this time it was hard for me to keep my breathing normal. Cute.
“Yes, I think that’s it for sure,” I said, proud of my detective skills.
“Well, you got me. I’ll be back. Next time I’m thinking about trying that double-fudge Nutella swirl brownie. Is it as good as it looks?”
“It’s even better,” I whispered with a wink. But before I walked back to the counter, I said “My name’s Dahlia. There, now you know.”
He straightened his shoulders and outstretched a solitary hand. “Pleased to meet you, Dahlia.” I shook it, feeling his strong grip wrap around my fingers. When he released, goose bumps shot up on my skin.
I walked back behind the counter and Joel was looking at me intently. I resumed practicing my latte art, but every time I turned around, Joel kept staring at me. After about five full minutes of this, I finally hissed at him. “What is it?”
“Who’s the guy?” He asked me.
“Joel, you’re new here so I’ll be nice to you. Mind your own business,” I said, turning away from him as quick as I could.
“Wow, it really bugs you that I asked. Something’s going on between you two, isn’t there?” He stopped looking in my direction now, knowing that he had my attention. He went back to kneading some dough.