4. Luca

Chapter 4

Luca

I got to work extra early the next morning, wanting to be there before Knox arrived. He'd completely disappeared the night before at the casino. It was a risk to talk to Bobby and Walt, and I had a nagging feeling Knox saw me with them. Maybe they had something to do with his leaving.

I could tell Knox was a good agent, smart and earnest as hell, but I'd been around a lot longer and could see where his horns were still green. He was harmless and hopefully wouldn't be hurt in all this.

My chair was facing out the glass doors so I could see the elk, grazing in the early morning light. In my younger days, people who crossed me got hurt. A lot. I was an angry young man, hot-tempered, and fresh out of the Army. I didn't know there were other ways to do things.

But I'd matured quite a bit and knew people often responded better to praise than punishment. Rewards instead of threats. I didn't know how things would go with Knox, but if I could get what I wanted while giving him what he wanted, it would be a win-win.

Eventually, he'd figure out that I knew who he was, if he hadn't already. But that reality didn't make it easy to ignore those moments at the casino when my heart skipped a beat from touching his hand or every damn time our eyes met.

Clicking my pen anxiously, I watched the elk and absent-mindedly stroked my thickening dick. Before I could get too in my head, the intercom buzzed and Carla's disinterested voice came through. "He's here."

She meant Knox, of course. I'd asked her to keep me informed of his whereabouts at all times.

"Thanks." I went to the locked case on the wall where I kept my guns and took out two Winchesters.

Knox definitely knew how to handle one of these. Between military and FBI training, he probably had me beat.

I took my time checking them and packing them up. By the time I walked into the lobby, Knox was looking a bit nervous. He jumped up from his chair and automatically stood at attention.

Fuck, he was too adorable.

I motioned with my head for him to follow me, and we walked out to my truck.

"Where are we going, sir?"

I slid the guns behind the front seat and saw his eyes widen. Smiling, I wished I could read his mind and discover where he thought we were going. His thoughts were probably racing. Why did I enjoy toying with him so much? Something about his boyish innocence was just irresistible. "Field trip."

As we drove to Starbucks and sat in the drive-thru, I stayed quiet, keeping the corner of my eye pinned on Knox. He was definitely nervous, but he did a good job of hiding it. Which made it hard for me to suss him out.

Last night, unable to sleep, I came up with a few ways he could be useful. The trick was to wait for the perfect moment to drop the hints. Unfortunately, being subtle and tactful wasn't one of my strong suits.

When it was our turn to order drinks, I ordered my usual black coffee then turned to Knox and raised my eyebrows.

He cleared his throat. "I'll have the same, please."

I sighed. "Order what you really want."

Knox stared at me with a blank expression for two seconds then looked up at the windshield. "Grande iced skinny caramel macchiato with vanilla foam and one pump of mocha."

I tried my best not to laugh, but it was just too funny. And brave. He was obviously uncomfortable, but it took balls to order something like that in Gilded Lake.

Leaning my seat back, I waved toward the window. "You're gonna have to order that yourself, omega."

Knox narrowed his eyes but leaned toward me, and his delicious soapy scent filled my nostrils.

The girl didn't question his order at all and even surprised me when she said, "Sure thing, Knox."

His cheeks filled with color as he withdrew back to his seat. "I…come here most mornings. Well, every morning." He sat tall in his seat, trying to look dignified. "And sometimes at lunch."

"No judgment here. That was just a lot of words for me to remember, is all."

When we were handed our drinks, the baristas all crowded into the little window to shout their thanks at me for sponsoring their homecoming fair that was happening over the weekend. I waved and pulled away, embarrassed by the attention. There had been a lot of that last night at the casino too, with people coming up to thank me for random things.

It was a little much, even for me.

Knox probably thought I was staging it all for his benefit. I put my coffee in the drink holder and got us onto the highway.

"You sure are well-liked around here." He took a sip and then dropped his drink into the other drink holder.

I didn't say anything, figuring silence was the best response. Anything I said would just feel like bragging.

For his part, he didn't ask where we were going again, and it wasn't long until we reached the forest road and then the bluff. I pulled over and shut off the engine, then sat drinking my coffee.

Finally, his curiosity got the best of him. "What are we doing here?"

"Elk hunting." I kept my eyes locked on the trees ahead of us, actively avoiding his gaze.

But we both knew that elk hunting wasn't really why we were here. This whole thing was just a game, one he was surprisingly good at playing. I was here to get to know him, to see if I could trust him, but it was fun to leave him a little on edge.

You can learn a lot about a man by how he acts when he's afraid.

When I was done with my drink, I got out the guns from behind the seat, then motioned for Knox to grab the cooler. The hike up to the bluff was short and worth every strained step. It was one of my favorite spots, and I spent many quiet days out here just thinking.

I kicked a few sticks out of the way and then we settled in the soft grass behind a little knoll so the elk couldn't see us when they gathered in the meadow below.

Knox exhaled softly then looked at me, awaiting instructions.

"We just wait."

"Okay." He looked forward again, only sneaking glances my way every twenty seconds or so.

We sat in silence for a long time. Patience, check. Ability to follow orders, check. Hot as hell, check. I shook my head to knock those thoughts out. They weren't part of the plan I had for Knox. It didn't matter that I was itching to know what he'd look like if I unbuttoned his flannel and pulled off the white t-shirt underneath.

At least he'd started dressing to fit in better with the locals. The feds really needed to step it up if they wanted to catch us off guard.

Every once in a while, Knox would peek over the knoll, scan the meadow for elk, then sit back down with a look of disappointment. Finally, I sighed and stretched my body out, lying back in the grass. It felt like a well-worn bed after all the hours I'd spent lying just like that, watching the clouds roll by.

Knox sat awkwardly beside me.

After a few minutes, I pulled a long strand of grass from its stem and flipped it over to chew on the milky stalk. Then I pulled one for Knox and handed it to him.

He grinned and slipped it into his mouth before he started to chew.

We were ready. Relaxed and unguarded. "So, omega, tell me about the Army."

He leaned back and studied me thoughtfully. "I wasn't in the Army. I'm a SEAL."

"Are? Or was?"

"It's in my blood now. I'll always be a SEAL, sir."

I shrugged and nodded at that. "Impressive. Wish I felt like you did. I was actually glad when my duty ended. It just wasn't the lifestyle for me."

Knox's blue eyes locked on mine while I spoke. I stopped talking and swallowed, thinking about leaning against him last night in the casino. Finally I found my voice. "Lie down with me, Knox."

Obediently, like the good omega he was, he laid beside me in the grass. The warmth radiating from his body was mesmerizing as I stared up at the clouds listening to him breathe.

Knox's breaths were shaky, and I wondered if he was as nervous as I was.

He reached up and pointed to a cloud. "Look at that. I found an elk."

My eyes found the cloud he was pointing at, and I laughed. It really did look like an elk. When he brought his arm back down, he dropped it closer to mine.

Like a virginal teenager, I slid my pinky over until it was lightly grazing the side of his hand. My chest felt like it would explode with the lust that surged through me. "Tell me about being a Navy SEAL. I'm very impressed."

His breath hitched before he cleared his throat. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything. Start from the beginning."

We stayed like that for a long time with my eyes closed and Knox's quiet voice entertaining me with his stories. He was funny, and I found myself laughing out loud. Eventually, I rolled onto my side and watched his profile while he spoke.

Occasionally, he glanced over at me and smiled. It took every ounce of my willpower not to lean down and kiss him.

When he started talking about his life as a civilian, I knew he was lying. I already knew he'd gone on to the academy, but that was okay. We all had our secrets. His just weren't very well hidden.

After a while, he stopped talking and sat up. "I need some water."

Nodding, I sat up and opened the cooler. I took out the sandwiches and water and handed him one of each.

His eyes bounced between my hands and my face as he grabbed them. "Thanks."

"Check this out." Instead of sitting down again, I climbed onto the bluff, and Knox came to sit beside me. We ate in silence while looking out over the stunning view of the valley and river below.

"What about you, Mayor Francesco? Why were you so glad to leave the Army?"

"I've never been great at following orders." I looked at him and winked. "I'm much better at giving them."

His gaze dropped to my lips, and he blushed.

What was he thinking?

Just then, the elk strode into the meadow about a hundred yards away, and Knox gasped. Seeing them this close really brought home their magnificence.

"Pretty magical, huh?" I handed him my binoculars, and he held them up to his face for a long minute before he handed them back to me.

His expression conveyed that he really understood what he was seeing. "Stunning." He looked right at me when he said this, and I felt helpless under his blue gaze. Knox could be very dangerous for me if I allowed him to get under my skin.

We watched the elk, quietly and contentedly. Without either of us seeming to move, our bodies slowly slid closer until we were almost touching again. I leaned back on my arms in such a way that I had to plant one hand behind Knox in order to keep my balance. As if he'd done it a thousand times before, he leaned into me and rested his shoulder on my chest.

I closed my eyes and breathed him in, feeling intoxicated by my desire for him. My dick was swelling in my pants, and I didn't try to hide it. Truthfully, I hoped he would notice.

Then his hand slid down to his lap and he adjusted himself.

My heart hammered in my chest, surely palpable to him as he leaned against me. I brought my hand up and pressed it to his back. "Knox."

His breath hitched. "Yes, Mayor?"

"You should call me Luca."

"Luca." He turned to me and smiled. For a moment, I was sure we were gonna kiss, but then he pulled back and looked at his watch. "It's almost five."

Well, damn. "Yeah, you're right. We should go."

We packed up our stuff without much conversation, leaving the elk in peace as we walked back to the truck.

I'd learned everything I needed to know about the boy. Now I just had to find the right opportunity to ask Knox if he was willing to switch to our side of the game.