his mother and whatever awful things that followed her in Luka’s new Mustang had vanished. She leaned back, rubbing his face as she watched. “There. Now. Is that better, Oedipus?”
“God, don’t call me that, lolo.” He pinched her bottom, giving Gia a playful slap that made her squeal. “Tell me, seriously.” He motioned around the cab, to the black interior and diamond patterned seats. The car wasn’t new, but it was pristine. “You like it?” Luka did this often, had done similar things, Gia noticed in the past few weeks that they’d been together. For all his ability and confidence, she suspected deep down he was always seeking approval. It seemed to matter to him what she thought of the gifts he bought her—though they were always sweet and simple, not expensive or flamboyant, which she preferred— or the places he’d taken her. Luka wanted Gia to be happy. To be satisfied. He wanted her approval.
“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you,” she said, brushing a kiss against his lips. “There’s nothing you do or have or want that I don’t love.”
He leaned back, hand on her hip as he watched her. “You’re too much. Too sweet.”
“I can be a bitch if you want, with very little effort.”
Luka smiled, snaking a hand up to hold her face. “No, nani. I don’t want that. Stay sweet and sexy and kind. Always be kind.”
“The world isn’t always kind, Luka.”
“I think we both know that, but you, G, you’re better than this world.” He rubbed her arms, fingers light over her shoulders like touching her was a gift he wasn’t quite convinced he deserved. “Show them how much better you are. They’re mean and ugly. You show them how kind and beautiful you are.”
It was hard to refuse someone like him, especially when he said things like that and meant them. And Gia knew, the way he spoke to her, how he held her when he did, that Luka meant it all. It was in the way he moved his wide, amazed gaze over her face when she spoke; like listening to her was something he didn’t think he’d ever get tired of. He watched her and listened. He saw her when no one else had.
Gia wondered how they’d gotten here and why it had all happened so quickly. Would they flicker out just as quickly? God, she hoped they wouldn’t.
“It’s not the same, seeing you every day. I don’t like it.”
“Well, you can always go to my uncle and tell him you want to date me,” she said, her laugh dying when he didn’t smile back at her. They’d talked this over a hundred times, always ending up in the same argument. Always coming to an impasse. She didn’t want to ruin the good day he’d had. You only have one time buying your first car, but from the look on his face, the same worn argument was going to happen.
“Luka…please don’t.”
“A million damn times, I’ve said it. I don’t care who knows.”
“You should,” Gia said, slipping off his lap to sit in the passenger seat. He was unbelievably stubborn when it came to coming clean to her uncle. “He was serious about that warning and you know it. I’m my father’s only daughter. The only one. Uncle Mike promised my dad that he’d keep me safe and, my God, Luka, to Italian men, keeping their daughters safe means keeping them away from anything even resembling an… unapproved penis.”
“Unapproved…” He glanced down at his lap and then back at her. “So…I’m the unapproved…” Gia nodded, looking at his lap herself before his loud grunting exhale brought her attention back to him. He gripped the steering wheel, his jaw tightening. “Well, it’s too damn late now.”
“Luka…”
“You’ve had my unapproved dick. A lot.”
“It’s not that simple. If my uncle…”
“Fuck this…”
Luka interrupted the argument the way he usually did— with his mouth against Gia’s and his hand holding her face still so he controlled the kiss. He demanded and took, leaning her back against the passenger seat, maneuvering them so quickly that she hardly noticed when he pushed back the seat, his kiss stealing her breath and any good thought as he moved on top of her. It was a stupid, careless thing to do, making out on campus, in the parking lot just outside of her dorm, but Luka had been so excited to show her his new car and Gia hadn’t seen him all day. A quick ride around