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“What?” I snorted. “Please. He’s just trying to find out more about me so he can get what he wants. I guess I’m a little too nice to him, but I like having fun with him.”

“Is it just having fun?” Rafael eyed me. “Or is it more?”

“It’s just fun.” Even as the words left my tongue, they didn’t feel true, but they had to be, right?

Feeling something more for Luca was just impossible.

He might be my husband, but that didn’t mean there was any love between us. I was keeping him prisoner here anyway.

It would never work.

“Maybe I should talk to Luca myself,” I said. “Send him to my room. I want to have lunch with him.”

“Lunch? Yeah, of course.” Rafael’s lips quirked up.

“Hey!” I lightly smacked him on the shoulder. “Don’t grin at me like that. It’s just lunch.”

“Yeah, just lunch.” He tried to imitate my tone of voice, and I rolled my eyes at him.

“Stop it before I forget you’re my friend and shoot you.”

“You’d never shoot me. You love me.”

“Most of the time.” My face turned serious. “Did you tell him how we met?”

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s not a secret your father picked me up off the streets and brought me to live with you, and that we practically grew up together. You’ve always been like my little sister.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Was Luca a danger to me? Was he trying to tangle himself into my life? Was he hoping he’d achieve something big?

Maybe he wasn’t as innocent as he sometimes seemed.

That fire in his eyes was a potential threat.

Instead of seeing it as something likeable, maybe I should see it for what it was.

But what if I was wrong about everything?

Despite Luca thinking so, I wasn’t a mind reader.

Maybe I could find out.

***

WHEN LUCA ENTERED MYroom, his gaze immediately scanned every single detail. The guards remained near the door, giving us enough privacy.

I didn’t have much in my room, except for the bed, a big desk with chairs, a TV, and a large bookshelf.

My things were in a walk-in closet, and I had a private bathroom too. Anything else that I might need was in the other rooms, and I shared a lot of it with everyone else.

“Sit,” I said to Luca.

Everything had already been set up so we could eat, and a table had been brought in, so it was a good thing I had plenty of space.

“Your room is nice,” he said as he sat opposite from me.

“Yeah, it is.” I picked the bowl with salad so I could put some on my plate. “I thought we could talk while we eat.”