Renzo + Lucia: The Complete Trilogy - Bethany-Kris Page 0,33

Lucia’s way. “Lucia, you’re needed inside for something. But Renzo, you’re welcome to join us for this.”

“I probably should head—”

“Come in,” Lucia told him before he could refuse. “For a second, anyway.”

She was pretty sure he was going to tell her something else just now, but Laurie had interrupted him from doing just that. She really wanted to know what he was going to tell her.

Renzo’s tongue peeked out to wet his lips, and he nodded. “Yeah, sure. For a minute, anyway. Then, I gotta head back out. Work to do, you know.”

He didn’t offer a further explanation, and Lucia chose not to ask even after Laurie went back inside the shelter. Only because she was pretty sure Renzo didn’t want people knowing what he did on the streets to make money. Lucia only knew because she’d been a witness to him taking a cash payment from her brother.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t know.

“Thanks,” Lucia murmured, stopping next to Ren’s side as they came to the doors. The lift of his eyebrow made her shrug, and explain, “Just … for coming here.”

She pulled open the doors. Somehow, over the sounds of people shouting happy birthday, and Laurie coming forward with a cake, she was pretty sure she heard Renzo reply, “Still not sure why I’m here, honestly.”

But she couldn’t be sure, and she was already being pulled further into the dining room to check out her cake while everyone sang her happy birthday. She didn’t know where they’d hid the cake—it hadn’t been in the fridge earlier. Still, she was grateful.

“Thank you, you didn’t have to do this,” Lucia told Laurie.

The woman smiled. “Of course, we did. You’re part of the family, Lucia.”

They certainly made her feel like it, too.

Glancing up, Lucia searched for wherever Renzo had disappeared to for the moment. She didn’t find him in the crowd, or even leaning against the wall.

Instead, she just caught sight of the back of his leather jacket as he headed out the doors. He didn’t look back, either.

• • •

Lucia waved over her shoulder as a goodbye echoed out from behind her. Walking out of the shelter’s main doors into the darkness of the parking lot took her a second to adjust to the lack of light.

But when she did, she froze right where she stood. Leaning against her brand new, two-door black Lexus, Renzo shot her a grin, and lifted one hand in a silent hello. He was still wearing his leather and jeans ensemble from earlier, and still making her insides do the craziest things.

She should really get this under control.

She hadn’t known what to think when he slipped out earlier without a goodbye, but she really didn’t know what to think about him standing where he was right now.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Renzo pushed off the side of her car, and flicked the cigarette he’d been smoking to the ground. “Waiting on you.”

Lucia wasn’t sure she needed the whiplash that came with this man like a second bag he carried around twenty-four-seven. One minute, he was making her heart do the strangest things, and then in the next, he left her feeling cold.

“I didn’t realize today was your birthday,” he said, coming closer.

Lucia stayed rooted right to the spot. “Eighteen, yep.”

“I felt like I … intruded earlier.”

“Why?”

Renzo shrugged as he came to a stop entirely too close to Lucia. There was still a few inches of space between them, but he was close enough that she could smell his cologne on the breeze, and she had to stare upwards to look at his face.

He was a complex waiting to happen. All wrapped in a pretty package to distract her from the heartache he was probably going to cause her. She didn’t know why she felt that way, but she just did.

Silently, Renzo reached over to tuck a stray strand of wavy hair that had fallen from Lucia’s high pony back behind her ear. There was something amazing about the feeling of his rough fingertips gliding along her skin.

Electric, even.

She shivered.

“Figured maybe later would be better to talk,” Renzo said, “you know, when I wasn’t taking time away from you doing your job, or whatever.”

“They’re actually pretty easy-going here. It’s fun.”

“Yeah, Diego loves it.”

“You should bring him back. I don’t know if you stopped bringing him because of me, or—”

Renzo made a harsh noise, and glanced away. “We’ll see. Anyway, new car, I see.”

She didn’t miss his attempt at distracting her, but Lucia was fine with letting him think that