Page 33 of Twisted Needs

Something in his expression drops the moment I do, like he wasn’t ready to give the moment up yet. But there isn’t anything I can do about it, because the sound of Luca’s voice puts an abrupt end to whatever the hell was about to happen.

He finishes off his beer before slamming the glass back down on the bar.

“Think I’m gonna call it a night,” Luca finally says. “I didn’t realize how late it was.”

I lean forward too fast, my heart pounding.

Did he see? Jesus Christ, did he fucking see?

“You need us to walk you back to your hotel?” I ask, hating the way my voice sounds a little too shaky.

“Nah.” He grabs his jacket, then pauses long enough to look directly at me. “Just get my baby brother home safe, okay?”

Baby brother. The words land like a warning shot.

“It was good seeing you, mano.” Luca ruffles Anders’ hair roughly.

“Stop,” Anders groans, swatting his hand away. “So annoying.”

“Are you gonna miss me?” Luca teases.

“Um.” He narrows his eyes at his older brother. “Perhaps.”

Luca hugs me next, arms tight around my shoulders. “It was good seeing you, man.”

“Yeah. You too.”

Then he pulls back just enough to meet my eyes, giving me a look that tells me I’m screwed. “Don’t do anything stupid,” Luca says firmly, holding my gaze before turning to look at his brother like Anders is the one he’s talking to. But I know better.

Guilt hits me like a wooden stake to the heart.

Anders brushes it off immediately. “Relax, Luc. I live with your Russian spy, remember?”

Luca shrugs vainly. “A little reminder never hurts.”

The second Luca walks out the front door, a heavy silence persists that holds Anders and I in some sort of spell.

He folds his arms across his chest and watches me carefully, pulling his mouth into a sultry grin. “I could go for another drink.”

And God…I want to stay here until closing time and see what happens when we finally stop pretending this isn’t heading somewhere catastrophic. That’s all I fucking want. But Luca’s voice keeps getting louder and louder, reminding me exactly why I tried stopping this in the first place. The only difference is that I know what it’s like now. I’ve tasted him. I’ve just about memorized the tiny noises he makes when words fail him.

“Pet’ka?” Anders takes a step closer.

My jaw clenches instinctively from how hard I’m trying to hold myself back. Instead, I force myself to grab my phone and pull my shit together like the man I’m supposed to be.

“Maybe we should call it a night.”

His expression changes instantly. Hurt flashes before it’s instantly masqueraded by indifference. “Okay,” he says slowly, almost like it’s a question. “That’s new.”

“It’s been a long day.”

He laughs a little skeptically. “You always have, like, three energy drinks before your games.”

Fuck.

“God. Really can’t get anything past you, can’t I?”

He doesn’t take the bait. “You’re acting weird.”