9. Luca

I smoothedthe creases of my shirt for the umpteenth time, realizing it might be making it look even more wrinkled.

With a frustrated sigh, I buttoned my jacket to hide the new creases and adjusted my tie, trying to center it just right.

Glancing up at the entrance of the hotel restaurant once more, Theo Blackwood still hadn"t arrived.

Another long sigh escaped me. Nerves were starting to get the better of me.

This suit was chosen by my mother. I couldn"t forget her nagging from last night when she practically forced me into it. It was annoying, being treated like a kid who can"t even dress himself.

I remember her looking away, feigning tears, and I handed her a tissue out of habit, even though I knew there were no real tears.

Years of experience had taught me that she"d be upset if I didn"t show at least that level of concern.

I agreed to wear it, mentally exhausted and just wanting to go to bed. At least I didn"t have to think about what to wear for my date with Theo.

Now, I was starting to regret it. Everyone in the restaurant looked casual, while I felt like some kind of agent waiting for a client who was either running late or standing me up.

The idea that this was like a business meeting crossed my mind, and in a way, it was, wasn"t it?

I stole another glance at the entrance and made a decision to loosen the suffocating necktie, the very one my mother claimed to be Theo's favorite color.

She kept going on about how crucial it was, but I couldn"t take it anymore. I"d just have to charm him with my personality, tie or no tie.

As I went to take it off, my phone buzzed on the table. A smile spread across my face as I glanced at it, seeing a message from Levi.

I was tempted to open it, but I held back. It didn"t feel right to be talking to him while waiting for Theo.

Besides, I knew if I opened it, I"d be tempted leave. My mother"s warning about the importance of this meeting echoed in my mind, so I flipped the phone over, screen side down.

Just then, I looked up to see a waiter escorting Theo to the table. He was wearing a jacket in the same color as the tie I had just taken off.

I silently thanked myself for ditching the tie. Otherwise, we might have looked like we"d coordinated our outfits.

Theo greeted me with kisses on both cheeks as he approached. "Oh, sorry, just came back from Europe," he explained casually.

I motioned for him to sit, trying not to think about the damp spots his lips had left on my cheeks. I wondered if it would be rude to wipe them away.

I smiled and nodded as Theo launched into a story about his month-long yacht trip around some European peninsula with some friends.

Despite his careful use of the word ‘friends', it was clear from the way he described things that they were more than just that.

I couldn"t quite figure out what he was trying to do here—wasn"t this supposed to be a date, a chance for us to get to know each other?

Was he trying to make sone kind of point, or did he simply not care about what he was saying?

Lost in my thoughts, I must have been too quiet. Finally, he asked me a question.

"So, Luca, are you excited to see my vacation home in France?" Theo asked, breaking the one-sided conversation.

"It sounds amazing," I replied, trying to sound genuinely interested. Theo continued talking about the vacation home, but my mind wandered.

He and my mother seemed equally excited about this house in France, which made me wonder whether they had talked about it before.

As Theo rambled on, he started to mention the benefits of being in a marriage with him. I braced myself for what sounded like a sales pitch and prepared to engage in the conversation.

I tried my best to listen and respond to Theo, but it felt like he either didn"t hear me or was too focused on talking about himself.

Every time I attempted to engage, it seemed he either didn"t hear my response or didn"t want one.

When I asked him questions, he either ignored them entirely or changed the subject to some other seemingly amazing thing he had done.

Eventually, I found myself tuning out. It didn"t seem to matter whether I said anything because Theo just kept going on and on.

My mind wandered to Levi and our recent date—the warmth of his hands, the sound of his laugh, the way his smile could brighten up any room, and those quick kisses that never failed to send a tingling sensation down my spine.

I couldn"t shake Levi"s text message from my mind. If this meeting ended quickly, maybe I could make it to the farmer"s market before it closed.

Maybe I could pick up some peaches from that same fruit stall and ask Levi if he wanted to bake a pie together.

Whoa, Luca.

The ridiculousness of the thought almost made me want to slap my imaginary self and bang my head on the table.

Bake a pie? Seriously?

I couldn"t risk it sounding like some weird innuendo, especially given the situation.

Focus, Luca,I mentally chided myself. On Blackwood. Remember your promise to Mother. Remember why you"re doing this.

But even as I tried to refocus, I still couldn't get Levi out of my head.

Suddenly, I thought I saw someone who looked like Levi walking across the lobby toward the reception desk.

It couldn"t be him, could it?

He didn"t know about my meeting, let alone where it was or who it was with. Besides, I hadn"t even seen his face properly.

But there was something about the way that guy walked and stood that reminded me so much of Levi.

And those broad shoulders, and the way his pants fit snugly around his ass as he leaned over the counter talking to the reception staff. It reminded me of the first time I saw him at the bar.

"What are you looking at?" Theo"s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I blinked, somewhat shocked—not because I was worried that Theo would find out I was looking at someone else, but because he had finally realized my mind was preoccupied and I hadn"t been listening to him.

Maybe the random smiles and nods I had offered earlier hadn"t gone unnoticed.

"I just thought I saw someone I knew. I don"t think it"s them though," I explained quickly, hoping to diffuse any tension.

Theo gave me a look that seemed to say, ‘why aren"t you paying attention to me?'

I hastily added, "Sorry, what were you saying earlier?" and flashed him a smile.

"Ah, right, so Eric and I..." Theo resumed his monologue, and I continued nodding and smiling, all the while stealing glances at the reception area.

The guy who I hoped wasn"t Levi was no longer there. I quickly scanned the lobby, making sure to maintain eye contact with Theo from time to time, all the while hoping not-Levi hadn"t left.

In that moment, I felt pathetic and desperate. All I could think about was Levi, to the extent that even a lookalike seemed more appealing than Theo.

Finally, I spotted not-Levi sitting in the lobby area, his back turned to me, so I still couldn"t see his face.

"Sounds like a good idea, huh?" Blackwood was saying, looking at me expectantly before furrowing his brows in confusion.

Frantically, I scanned through my mind, trying to recall what he had been talking about.

"France?" I asked hesitantly, like a shot in the dark. It was the last thing he mentioned, though I wasn"t entirely sure what he meant by it.

His face lit up, suggesting I had guessed correctly. It seemed Theo was proposing a future move to the Blackwood family home in France.

As I tried to imagine a life with Theo, I just couldn"t picture it.

Would it be just like this? Me nodding and smiling while he went on and on, not interested in a real conversation but just wanting someone to validate whatever he was saying?

The thought made me chuckle inwardly. Sure, I guess I"d get a killer jaw from all the smiling and nodding.

But, I didn"t want to go to France. My family and friends were here. And what about Levi?

Of course, I shouldn"t even be thinking about Levi in this particular scenario, where I moved to France with Theo, but thoughts of him lingered nonetheless.

All I could manage at that point was a smile. I wanted to congratulate myself for at least being able to muster, "That sounds amazing."

I probably sounded like a broken record by now.

Theo mentioned he had to leave for a dinner appointment and suggested setting up another meeting. I nodded in agreement as he asked for the check and promptly left.

Checking my watch, I realized the ‘date' had lasted exactly one hour, though it felt like an eternity. I was relieved it was finally over.

As I walked back to the lobby, I finally had the chance to check Levi"s message and began crafting a reply.

"If that"s for me, you can stop typing." I looked up to find Levi standing in front of me, smiling, a dimple forming on his cheek.

All that talk about moving out of the country made me briefly forget about the Levi lookalike. Turned out, the real Levi was right in front of me.

Glancing back at the door, I saw Theo Blackwood still at the valet stand, engrossed in a phone call, presumably waiting for his car.

Immediately, I grabbed Levi"s wrist and pulled him along, heading to the garden at the other end of the hotel to avoid being seen.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked as I turned to face Levi, my voice betraying a mix of surprise and curiosity.

"I found out from Liam. He mentioned something about a shared family calendar," Levi replied casually, but there was an underlying tension in his voice.

Levi"s gaze drifted in the direction of Blackwood, then back to me. His golden eyes were cold. "So that's my competition, huh?"

"Yeah," I said, feeling no need to lie to him.

But the look in his eyes, so angry and intense, made me pause. I felt a shiver run down my spine as Levi reached out to rub my nape, his touch possessive.

"I had to meet him," I started, wanting to explain myself.

Levi's eyes softened. "I know."

Then, with a gentle touch, Levi cupped my face, his thumb gliding over my lips in a teasing caress before his lips met mine.

At first, his kiss was tender, filled with a hint of longing and vulnerability. But it wasn"t long before it turned aggressive.

His lips pressed harder against mine. There was an urgency in his touch, as if he needed to claim me, to remind me of his presence and desire.

I could feel the heat radiating from him as his hands moved to tangle in my hair, pulling me closer to him.

Every touch of his lips against mine sent shivers down my spine, electrifying my senses.

"Do you still not know what you want?" he murmured against my lips, his tone laced with frustration and desire.

It felt like a silly question. It was not just about me, but about the future of my family.

My grandfather"s and mother"s voices filled my head, each urging me to choose a different path, each claiming to know what was best for the coven.

As Levi brushed his thumb against my cheek and deepened the kiss, I felt myself being swept away by the intensity of his touch.

For a moment, I allowed myself to lean into it, to forget about everything else and just focus on the two of us.

Levi had a way of making me forget about the world around us, if only for a moment.