Luke continued to stare, and Nico shifted in his peripheral vision. A foot tapped his under the table, lurching Luke into action.
“Kent.” Luke glanced at Nico, who threw daggers at Kent on his behalf, foot still casually pressed up against Luke’s. “What are you doing here?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing.” Kent gazed at his new boyfriend, hearts in his eyes. “Sebastian was showing me one of his favorite bakeries.”
Kent turned his attention back to Luke and then swiveled to Nico, his brow quirking.
Luke jumped. “Oh, right. Kent, this is Nico. Nico, Kent.”
Nico’s foot moved, stirring air around Luke’s ankle, and Luke weirdly missed the slight pressure.
Nico stood and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Right. Standing. Maybe Luke should too.
He pushed to his feet, awkwardness settling heavily on his chest, his shoulders.
Kent’s eyes swept over Nico, and Luke noted the subtle change in his demeanor. “Same.”
Kent introduced Sebastian, and the entire stiff exchange made Luke uneasy.
Luke hadn’t meant to imply there was anything between him and Nico, but the way Kent watched them, that’s what he thought.
Nico tensed at Kent’s dirty look, then met Luke’s gaze. He smiled broadly, moving closer until his hand brushed Luke’s. Tiny sparks skittered along his skin, and it fueled Luke enough to keep his head high.
“How long have you two been dating?” Nico asked Sebastian.
“About three months.”
Three months? Luke cut a look to Kent, who avoided his eyes, cheeks blazing.
“That’s great,” Nico said tightly. Like he’d done the math, too. “Congrats.”
“How about you two?” Kent asked rigidly.
Nico grazed his knuckles over the back of Luke’s hand, then hooked their index fingers together. “Oh, not as long as you,” Nico said, squeezing Luke gently as if to say sorry, or play along. Or both. “We’re in the fun stage.”
Luke’s voice came out an octave higher than normal. “We’re getting to know each other. Well.”
“Really, really well,” Nico added with a sly, sexy smile Luke’s way. Luke felt the effects ripple through him. Damn, Nico. Potent.
“Well, we should get going.” Kent tugged Sebastian toward Esposito’s.
“Nice meeting you two.” Nico’s friendly wave seemed to irk Kent into retreating faster.
“See you tomorrow,” Luke muttered. He waited until they were out of earshot and exhaled. “Talk about awkward.”
“Just a bit. Sorry about the three-month revelation.”
Luke sighed and slumped back into his seat. “Yeah, well. I guess I’m not surprised.” He still felt the ghost of Nico’s touch on his foot, the back of his hand, and tight at the base of his index finger. “Thanks for . . . you know.”
Nico nodded, a gentle blush on his cheeks, and returned to his sfogliatelle. “Kent clearly did not like that you’d moved on.”
“You caught that too?”
Nico chewed for a minute. “He may as well have it written in permanent marker over his forehead.”
“You and permanent marker,” Luke said, shaking his head, a grin pulling at his lips. From the corner of his eye, he caught Kent kissing Sebastian and groaned, stomach roiling. “Fuck, why do I care so much?” He looked desperately at Nico. “How did you get over your breakup so fast?”
Nico looked at his pastry and set it down. His face tightened as he played with the lid of his coffee. “I haven’t. I just hide it better.”
Not what Luke expected.
Exhaling loudly, Nico looked at him, sadness swirling in his brown eyes. He shrugged. “I’ve broken up with guys before, but this one really hurt. I’m still processing it. Part of the reason I agreed to come to Philadelphia was to work through what happened.”
Something itched in Luke to take Nico in his arms and hold him. Protect him from anyone who could lessen his spark, even for a moment. He settled on nudging his foot against Nico’s. “That’s his loss.”
Nico gave him a half smile. “Life happens, right?
“Yeah.” They ate more of the sfogliatelle. A splotch of cream stuck to Nico’s lip, and Luke reached over and gently rubbed it off, freezing when he noticed what he was doing. Nico watched him cautiously, big brown eyes that had experienced far more in the dating world than Luke had, and Luke jerked his hand back, willing the heat at his throat to subside. “Ah, thanks for pretending. I owe you.”
The wariness leaked out of Nico, and he shrugged, grinning. “Someday, and that day may be soon, I will call upon you to do favor for me. But until that day, accept this gesture as a gift in honor of my sister’s wedding.”
Nico sounded just like Marlon Brando in The Godfather. “You’re sure you’re not part of a family?”
“No,” Nico continued the imitation. “But I’m serious about you owing me.”
Luke played along, staring hard into Nico’s eyes. He pushed Nico’s plate back. “Fine, Godfather. What’s your verdict on the sfogliatelle?”
Chapter Seven
Nico
Elisa: Change of plans next weekend. You need to come home. Nonna wants to have a family dinner.