Aria’s pov
My brain shuts down and He deepens the kiss.
For half a second I melt into Luca’s warm mouth before I come back to myself.
My palm connects with his cheek before I even think about it.
The slap breaks the kiss and Luca jerks back like I burned him. “Aria…”
“Don’t,” I step back. “No.”
His jaw tightens. He runs a hand through his hair.
“s**t. Sorry. I must’ve misread the signs.”
I know he feels bad, but the mistake has already been made. I quickly grab my purse off the ledge where I set it. “Take me home.”
“Aria…”
“Now, Luca.”
He doesn’t argue further. We both enter the car quietly and then the engine roars.
The drive back is worse than the ride here. There’s no music this time, just the hum of the engine and the city blurring past.
He apologizes the whole wa
