Luca shrugs. “I changed my mind.”
And something about this moment and his words and his nonchalant attitude sends goose bumps forming up and down my arms, although I don’t know why. I’m shocked that he killed it, but it was just a spider. An insect. But it somehow seems strange. Five minutes ago, he was dead set against hurting it and then he turned around and killed it without a second thought.
I think I should add mercurial after all.
I glance at his face and now it seems as though shadows have passed over it, thunderous and dark. I inhale sharply as I watch him gracefully wipe his shoe off in the grass. He’s lithe and muscular, like a lion, and I suddenly realize that a jungle cat is exactly what he reminds me of. He is sleek and powerful and masculine.
Dangerous.
The word pops unbidden into my mind and I try to shake it off.
He killed a spider, not a person or a puppy. I have no basis for thinking that he is dangerous. But as he turns his eyes toward me, there is something there, something in the dark depths that I can’t define, something dangerous.
And so I reluctantly add it to his list. This is just my first impression after all. It remains to be seen if my instinct has any validity whatsoever. I can just as easily take it off the list as I put it on. I look up to find him staring at me with his dark and fathomless eyes. Those are eyes that a person could lose themselves in.
Why does it seem like everything has turned tense? I didn’t mean for that at all. I was just surprised by the turn of events. So I tell him that. And then I hold out my hand.
“It was really nice to meet you, Luca. Thank you so much for taking care of the spawn of Satan. I really appreciate it.”
He nods, relaxed once again. “Anytime. I’m a spawn of Satan specialist. I’m just happy that I was nearby and heard you scream.”
“Yes,” I agree. “That was very lucky for me.”
“Hmm,” Luca says, drawing out the sound. “Let’s leave that verdict out for now, shall we?”
I stare at him, wondering what that means and why he seems so mysterious when he suddenly turns and walks out. I trail weakly behind him, trying to figure out what I had missed.
And then he is gone.
He is such a commanding presence that his absence is noticed immediately. The air around me lightens and the charged atmosphere is gone, like a thunderstorm that has abruptly moved on. I stand at the front door, watching him jog lightly down to the beach where he continues running in the wet sand. I watch his broad shoulders ripple as he moves until he is gone from my sight.
And I’m holding my breath. I realize it in an instant and inhale deeply.
Luca Minaldi, whoever he is, is intense.
I add that to the list and then examine it in my head.
Rich
Formal
Gentleman
Jaded
Unafraid
Intense
Mercurial
Dangerous
I have no way of telling at this point if these descriptors are accurate. In order to know for sure, I’ll have to interact with Luca Minaldi again. Luckily, as part of my research, I have vowed that if I have meaningful interaction with anyone this summer, I must follow-up with them in a second or third meeting so that I can ascertain if my initial theory on his or her character was correct. It’s the only way I can test my hypothesis in a practical sense.
But something deep inside of me tells me that my hypothesis should be damned in relation to Luca. I shouldn’t pursue another meeting with him. There’s something about him, something secretive and troubling, that I know I should steer clear of. My trained intuition is shouting at me.
And although I don’t have any basis other than my own intuition for it, I add secretive to the list. Because one thing is clear. Luca Minaldi is an enigma. I shake my head and lock my door before going back to bed.
To read continue Eva and Luca’s story, you can find it here on Amazon.
Or, if you are in the mood for something lighter (funny and wildly inappropriate), please continue reading to see an excerpt from Confessions of an Alli Cat.
Confessions of an Alli Cat (Book One, The Cougar Chronicles)
Genre: Women’s Contemporary Fiction
By: Courtney Cole
Chapter One
(Or: Why God invented BFF’s)
“Allison, I’m telling you, you need to try this. Honest to God, it’s been the best decision I’ve ever made for my hormones.”
“Which is exactly why I shouldn’t even consider it. I’m too old to be listening to my hormones.”
Sara stops in the middle of the frozen food section of our very local grocery store and puts her hands on her hips, glaring at me with her big brown eyes.
“And if you don’t take care of your hormones, who will? Rick the Dick?”
“Shhh, Sara!” I look around to make sure no one is listening to our conversation. I’m glad to see that, for the moment, we are alone.
“Well? Is he?”