“Yeah, well, I was pretty sure I was going to find your corpse rotting at the bottom of the harbor, so I don’t really give fuck about invading your privacy.”
My anger thaws a bit, at that. “I get it. You were worried. But now that you can see I’m totally fine, not remotely in danger, certainly not fish food in the marina… Can you please get the fuck out of here?”
He doesn’t move an inch except to cross his arms over his chest. “Thought we didn’t have secrets?”
“We don’t,” I say immediately. “But we aren’t kids anymore, Luke. And, frankly… who I choose to spend my time with is none your business.”
The muscle jumps in his cheek when he glances at Parker. “Thought, after that shit last spring, you were done with this family, Zoe. Why’d you lie?”
Fuck.
Parker doesn’t know about last April, when I helped his sister get away from the MacDonough mob. I’d never intended for him to know. Never thought Phoebe would even come up in conversation, considering I planned to avoid him for the rest of eternity after today.
I dart a glance at Parker and see his eyes have gone intent.
“Last year?” he grumbles, his stare never shifting from mine. “What’s he talking about, Zoe?”
“Nothing,” I say quickly.
Luca snorts. “For fuck’s sake, he doesn’t even know? Jesus, Zoe. I don’t know what the hell kind of game you’re playing, but we need to leave.”
My eyes fly back to my oldest friend. “This isn’t the street. You don’t make the rules anymore, Luke.”
“I do if it means protecting you from scumbags like this.” He jerks his chin at Parker. “Don’t be stupid, Zoe.”
I open my mouth to snap back, but Parker beats me to it.
“I’ve been pretty tolerant. Let you insult me, push me around in my own home. But you ever speak like that to Zoe again in front of me, you’ll regret it,” he warns in a deadly voice. “Sorely.”
“You don’t even know her,” Luca growls. “You think, because she let you fuck her, that you mean anything? You’re nothing.”
Oh, shit.
Parker’s control snaps. He lunges at Luca, fist swinging out like lightning. I’m shocked to see him clip Luke across the chin — most people never manage to hit him. He’s too damn fast.
In a frozen moment, I see a small trickle of blood leak from the corner of Luca’s mouth. His tongue darts out to taste it and I watch, terrified, as a familiar look creeps into his eyes. It’s the look he gets before every match.
Excitement. Anger. Bloodlust.
He lives for this — the fight. The rush.
And he’s great at it, if the three semi-pro heavyweight titles he’s got under his belt say anything about his skill level. Parker may be tall and strong, but Luca’s a professional. No way in hell will this be a fair fight.
“Didn’t think you had it in you,” Luca mutters, wiping the blood from his lip with the back of one hand. He’s eyeing Parker like a snake about to strike. “This is going to be more fun than I thought.”
“Luca, don’t!” I rush to stand between them, holding my arms out to either side against their chests — as though my petite frame could possibly keep them apart. “This is insane!”
Parker’s chest presses hard into my right hand; Luca’s weight leans into my left. Combustion is imminent.
“I hope you’re not expecting your security deposit back,” Luca growls at Parker, jerking his hand around the beautifully furnished yacht. “This place won’t look the same after I toss you through that table.”
“You going to talk me to death or fight me?” Parker’s grin has a decidedly dark edge. “I’ve had first dates with less conversation.”
“Enough!” My head whips from one man to the other. “You want to kill each other, that’s just fine. But don’t do it on my account. Frankly, seeing this idiocy, I want nothing to do with either of you.”
The pressure lessens slightly on both hands as they absorb my words, but neither backs away.
Testosterone-fueled imbeciles, the both of them.
“Luca, you so much as touch him and I will never speak to you again,” I whisper hotly, zeroing in on his chiseled features. He’s handsome, but not in an open, obvious way. His mouth is too severe. His nose has been broken one too many times and never reset properly. There’s too much darkness in his light eyes.
Still — that doesn’t deter most women from flinging themselves at him.
His eyes drop down and scan my face. He sees how serious I am — I can tell, because the weight against my left hand finally disappears as he steps back. He looks about as happy as a dad at a Taylor Swift concert, but at least he’s in control of his rage.
“We’ll talk later.” His words are clipped — he wants to say more but he’s holding back. For now. He shoots Parker one last withering look before turning and climbing up the ladder. Just before he disappears into the dark, I hear a gruff order.
“And keep your damn phone on.”
I roll my eyes and feel my lips tug into an involuntary smile. Luca’s a pain in the ass, but he’s my pain in the ass.