13. Kylie

Chapter thirteen

Kylie

I feel the blood drain from my face at his announcement. Of all the people Luca could have us meeting, why did it have to be two men who know my dad? I don't want my dad to meet Luca yet and if Chief Canton sees me with him tonight, he'll call him. These guys are worse than a bunch of gossipy old women.

My door opens, but Luca tells the valet that he has me. I unbuckle and put my hand on Luca's waiting one, trying to keep my smile since the valet guy is watching us, but I'm not sure I succeed.

"Relax Angel. It's going to be fine."

"A heads up would've been nice," I whisper.

He grins and leads me to the entrance, but I pull on his arm. Trying not to panic, I tug at the hem of my dress again as I look around, making sure no one is paying attention to us. He captures my hand and pulls me to him, wrapping his arms around me, and studies me. Unable to hold eye contact, I turn my head.

"Angel, look at me. What are you scared of?"

I blow out a breath. "I'm scared they'll find out how we met." I bite my bottom lip in worry, snagging his eyes with the movement. He looks away, groaning.

"You're killing me." Bringing his eyes back to my lips, he tugs it from my teeth before focusing back on my eyes. "Stop worrying. We signed an NDA clause for a reason. Anywhere we go, I'm introducing you as my date. You're concerned the chief will talk to your dad, correct?" He waits for my nod. "Do you have an issue with your parents knowing we're dating?"

I lower my eyes to my hands lying on his chest and pick at his shirt.

"It's just … my parents are old-fashioned. You're affectionate—which I love—but they'll view it as us moving too fast. Plus, you're older—not by much, but enough that my dad may not approve. He's going to think I'm too young for you." I gauge his reaction before continuing, "My plan was to keep my parents from knowing about us for a little while for that reason. I also don't want to put any stress on him right now and if we're only going to be together for six months," I shrug. "There's no reason to bring you to my parents' attention."

Then I realize he may not know about my dad's cancer.

"Did Rafael's report tell you about my dad's condition?"

"He did," Luca says softly. "My goal is not to give him any undue stress either, but I also don't want to be a secret. It's understandable why you would initially think to keep this from your parents, but I have no issues with meeting them if the occasion arises." Luca's hold on me loosens. "However, I can lay off some of the PDA in front of our guests, but I'm not slowing things down. I'm not unreasonable, Angel. I want you to be comfortable." With that said, he steps back, dropping his arms from around me.

Why is there a pang in my chest at the loss?

"I'll try to act appropriately." He smirks. Discussion over, he laces his fingers with mine and leads us into the restaurant.

Luca had successfully calmed my nerves until my eyes skate past the hostess and connect with Chief Canton's.

Well, damn.

I plaster a smile on my face before turning my attention back to the hostess just in time to witness her laying a hand on Luca's arm—which he dislodges. He's so smooth about it. I'm not sure she even recognized it for what it was.

A warm sensation spreads across my chest, knowing most men would eat up that kind of attention. I like that he respected my presence. So far, this has not been the experience I was expecting when signing with Sweet Connections .

Luca pulls me forward to where Chief Canton and Mayor Daniels stand as we approach the table.

"Gentleman," Luca greets. Both swing their eyes from me to Luca. He shakes each of their hands, but it's obvious the men are surprised by my presence. "Let me introduce you to my date, but I believe you already know who she is. Kylie, this is Chief Canton."

I gather my courage and extend my hand to shake Chief Canton's hand. "Hi Chief. How are you?"

"Good. Good. Surprised to see you here. How's your father?" He side-eyes Luca with suspicion. Clearly, we caught him off guard, showing here together.

"He's much better now that he's in remission. Thank you for asking."

I turn to Mayor Daniels and Luca introduces us next. "Mayor Daniels. Kylie Davis."

Mayor Daniels is grinning from ear to ear as he shakes my hand. I've met him before, but I didn't expect him to remember me.

"Kylie, it's so good to see you again. You're beautiful, just like your mother." He brings his other hand around to cover mine in both of his as he gushes.

While it sounds like a compliment, it felt slimy. I always thought he gave my mom too much attention, but that was nothing new for her. Now that he's directing it at me, I don't like it. I wonder if this is how it makes my mom feel.

Luca tugs my hand from Mayor Daniels and narrows his eyes at him. The mayor's eyes widen before he looks down and clears his throat, tugging on his tie. I pull my lips between my teeth, trying not to laugh.

"Have a seat. We've ordered some appetizers already and they should be here soon," Chief Canton says, trying to disburse the tension.

To my relief, Luca maneuvers me to sit in front of the chief and does as he said he would—keeping the PDA to a minimum. He's still an attentive date. He pulls my chair out for me. When the food arrives, he takes my napkin and spreads it over my lap. He places the appetizers on my plate before putting any on his own. When I request the only wine I know anything about, he takes the bottle from the server and pours my drink for me .

I've never had a man pay so much attention to me, even as he discussed business with our dinner guests. At one point, he placed his hand on my thigh as he spoke, but I don't think he realized he did it and by then, I didn't mind having the touch despite the chief catching the action.

As we finished our meal and discussed the future of the charity gala, Chief Canton chose that moment to turn the conversation to Luca and myself. I knew it was coming, but I can't say I'm prepared.

"So, how did you two meet? Your father didn't mention you're dating anyone, Kylie."

Patting my mouth with my napkin, I take a moment before responding. "I'm not surprised. I don't think dad would talk about my dates, chief. He's been busy focusing on his health."

Chief Canton flushes at my slight reprimand. Good. He needs to know I won't be a pushover.

Luca's chuckle pulls our eyes to him. He has his elbow on the table with his cheek resting on his fist. His eyes sparkle with humor. With his free hand, he tucks my hair behind my ear before moving his attention back to the chief. "Kylie and I are new, so I have not met her parents yet, but it will happen soon." He winks at me, causing me to flush. He grins before turning back to the chief. "How's Mrs. Canton? I know she likes to help plan the charity gala and I'm hoping she'll like the new location. Once the construction is complete, I'll be glad to show her around the space."

I take this moment to excuse myself from the table to visit the ladies' room. The men stand as I do and I note how different this date is compared to my few dates before Dad received his diagnosis.

I'm feeling pretty good about the night, which is why I'm smiling as I enter the restroom. The two women standing at the counter stop talking and give me snooty looks in the mirror. Averting my gaze, I dismiss them and continue past to enter one of the stalls. It's a few seconds of quiet before one woman begins talking again.

Loudly .

And about Luca.

Well, damn.

I fume as they discuss their "experiences" in his bed. I don't know if these women are telling the truth or if they're trying to get under my skin.

Which they are.

Hating it, I'm also not going to do anything about it. Luca had a life before me and I will not hold it against him. Besides, I don't think he would approve of the women's catty behavior.

Schooling my features, I fix my dress and flush the toilet before stepping out and going to the sink. Both eye me with a smirk. I smile back as if I'm holding my own secret, knowing it's the last reaction they would expect from me. They're glancing at each other in confusion as I wash my hands.

I don't hold back a laugh.

"What's so funny?" The redhead asks. She's got her nose scrunched as if she sniffed something bad. She leans on her foot and puts her hand on her hip as she looks me over.

Drying my hands, I turn and lean my hip on the counter. I take my time looking them over before tossing the paper towel in the trash and turning my focus to my purse to look for my lip gloss. "I now understand why Luca told me he needed a change." Flashing them a smile, I shift to lean toward the mirror and apply the lip gloss.

I glance at the redhead in the mirror to see her open her mouth, no doubt about to spit something back, but the brunette grabs her arm and drags her away. "Come on, Celia, she's not worth it. Luca will come back to us. You know he always does." She sneers at me over her shoulder as they leave the bathroom.

When the door shuts behind them, my false confidence dissolves, and I sigh in relief. I can hold my own, but a cat fight with two women was not on my agenda for the night. I find my hands shaking and take a few deep breaths to calm my nerves.

What the hell have I gotten myself into? First the woman at the club and now these two .

I've stalled long enough, so I put the lip gloss back in my purse and turn to the door. As I step out, a man is leaning against the wall, watching me. Trying not to show my discomfort, I move to go past him,but he places his hand in front of my path. I take a quick step back and frown at him. He straightens from his relaxed pose to face me, blocking me from the view of the restaurant.

"What are you doing?" I brace myself, moving my right foot back to get into a defensive pose I learned in self-defense class.

He glances down at my movement and smirks.

If we weren't in a busy restaurant, I'd be shaking in my heels.

"I just wanted to meet my cousin's date and find out what your intentions are." He smiles, spreading his hands out as if he's innocent of trying to intimidate me.

Tilting my head, I frown. "Cousin?"

"Leo, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Luca growls from behind the man.

I sigh in relief and relax my stance.

Leo's lips tip higher as he turns to face Luca. "Cousin!" He goes in for a hug, but Luca puts his hand on his chest and shoves him back.

That's when I see the look on Luca's face. And boy, is he pissed. He's clenching his jaw and his nose flares as he stares this Leo guy down.

"Don't cousin me, asshole. What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Luca points at me. "She's off limits." He stalks closer to Leo, backing him into the wall despite Leo being taller. "You are to never approach Kylie without my presence. Do you understand me?"

A heavy sigh escapes Leo's lips as he watches Luca's anger. When he looks over at me, Luca steps into his face, demanding his attention again.

"Don't even look at her without my permission, Cousin," he spits out.

"Okay, okay. Message is clear. I'll wait to meet her when you're ready." He pats Luca's arm, then slides out and walks away, the two women from the bathroom following behind him.

"Luca?" Confused by their interaction, I hesitate to ask. I'm gathering Luca does not have a good relationship with his cousin .

He sighs, extending a hand out to me. "Come on. Our guests have left and I've settled the bill. Let's get out of here."

"Okay." I let it go for now as I place my hand in his.

Luca's quiet on the ride home. I want to ask questions, but he's miles away. The encounter with his cousin upset him. It was clear he didn't like the way the guy approached me and I'd have to agree. It was weird.

Luca escorts me to my apartment and before I can say anything, he pulls me into his arms to give me another one of his soul-shattering kisses. Just when I think he's about to lift me and carry me to my room, he releases me and tells me to be ready at noon before walking back out my door. When it shuts behind him, I stare at it in confusion.

"Angel, lock the door!" Luca demands from the other side.

I jolt, but then rush to do what he asks before leaning my ear against the door to listen for his retreating footsteps. When I can't hear them anymore, I turn and lean my back against the door and relive tonight's events. In my position, I have no right to ask Luca questions, but I want to.

Badly.

Sighing, I stoop to take my shoes off.

This is the most bizarre relationship. Here I thought the first thing he would do was sex me up and all he's done was kiss me and squeeze my ass. Shaking my head, I move to the bathroom to wash my face and change for bed. At least I'll be able to study tonight.