the cleaning staff. Becky Lincoln, a sophomore from Idaho, was the only other resident in her building supposedly staying during the break, but Gia had spotted the girl leaving that afternoon with an overnight bag on her back as she climbed into her boyfriend’s black Chevy with wheels three sizes too big for its frame.
It was nearly eleven p.m. and Gia was alone. There was a can of pepper spray in her bedside table and a baseball bat underneath her mattress, but she didn’t grab either as the footfalls on the other side of the door grew louder. Some part of her brain told her there was nothing to worry about. A dumber, more hopeful part promised her Luka had managed to track her down.
“Yeah, right,” she whispered to the empty room, pulling the bat out from between the mattress and box spring after she slipped from the bed, making it to the door to press her ear against the wood. No one stood in front of it from what she could see out of the peephole, but it wasn’t exactly a 360-degree view. Her grip tight, Gia waited, wondering how long she’d have to stay there, half-guessing what would happen, her heart pounding against her ribs until something did and then, with no warning at all, three sharp rattles sounded against her door and Gia jumped, dropping her bat in the process.
The polished wood clattered onto the tile floor and Gia had to jump out of its way as the base nearly came on top of her foot. “Shit!” Another quick succession of knocks on her door and Gia jerked it open, picking up the bat to lift it while she did.
“Hold up!” Luka said, hands up in surrender as he jumped back and out of Gia’s reach. “Easy.”
“What are you…” She relaxed, dropping her shoulders as she moved into the hallway, looking up and down the corridor before she looked back up at him. “What the hell?”
Luka went still, only moving his chin and shifting his gaze to the bat, then to Gia’s grip on it before he motioned to her once more. Gia frowned, glancing at the bat herself before she moved it behind her.
“Sorry…I’m alone here.” She deposited the bat in her room, not moving the door open as she did.”
“Don’t apologize,” he said, not moving until Gia leaned against the door frame. Luka slipped his hands into his pockets and fought a threatening grin, something that Gia knew should have annoyed her, but she couldn’t for the life of her name why. After several quiet seconds, Luka stepped closer, that grin slipping, and his voice became soft, sweet. “I know better than to bang on doors this late at night. I could get us both into trouble.”
“No,” she said, liking the way his tone sounded, how it seemed to calm her, shoot smooth, sweet waves of warmth inside her. Or, maybe those were warning bells she tried to silence. She couldn’t quite tell when he looked at her the way he was just then. “No one’s here and technically, this is a university break. School regulations don’t apply.”
“Oh, they apply,” he said, leaning against the door frame. This put Luka just inches from Gia, close enough that she could make out the hint of mocha on his breath. He liked the coffee shop next to the university bookstore. She’d noticed him hanging out there a few times a week when she passed the shop on her way from her management class. He shrugged, the movement a little guilty, reminding Gia how Luka could pull off the unabashed bad boy thing with little effort. “They apply especially to me.”
“Because you’re on the football team?”
That earned Gia a wider grin and a noise that sounded somewhere between a snort of laughter and an exasperated sigh before he shook his head. “Because I’m a Hale.”
Luka had a rounder face than Kona and softer features. Gia hadn’t spent much time focusing on Luka’s twin. He was a little too larger-than-life for her, too much of the center of attention. But she’d have to be blind not to notice how beautiful both Hale men were. As Luka stared down at her, she decided right then that she wanted to know if his lips tasted as sweet as they looked.
“Gia…” Luka started, that voice still low, still as hypnotizing as the sight of his mouth and those dark eyes as he watched her.