I could see the sky behind the mountains in the distance as it transitioned to darker shades, reminding me of how long I'd been sitting there.

I think it's time to stop wallowing in self-pity, I told myself.

Deciding I would make dinner, I stood from the couch, catching a glimpse of the pool in the backyard as I did so.

A swim would feel so nice right now...

Forgoing dinner, I went to retrieve my bikini from my suitcase. I changed and wandered downstairs where Luca had mentioned the pool access was.

On the lower level were two empty bedrooms, two accompanying bathrooms, and a large bonus room in between the two bedrooms that boasted a TV the size of a small vehicle.

Surrounding the TV was a large sectional sofa and several pieces of sports memorabilia. Hockey sticks, shadow boxes full of jerseys and pucks, and shelves lined with trophies were hung on the wall.

Along the far wall was a large window that had a sliding door to get outside into the backyard.

I slid the door open to be met with a patio where a hammock was swinging in the gentle breeze between two posts that supported the deck overhead. I could see the adirondack chairs circling a fire pit to my left and the pool directly in front of me.

Walking past the pool chairs, I walked up to where the hot tub was, its waterfall flowing off one edge into the pool below.

Does he just leave this on? I thought, lowering myself into the warm water. The jets were running, massaging the aching muscles in my arms and back.

This was a great idea.

I felt the tension in my shoulders release as I continued to watch the sky grow dark around me, nightfall setting in.

Deep in thought, I almost screamed when the lights came on; illuminating the pool and the hot tub with a soft blue glow and scaring the shit out of me in the process.

I looked up to see Luca walking out of the sliding glass door.

This was a bad idea.

He walked over to where I was as I pretended not to notice him.

"It's a little chilly for that," he commented, sitting down near the edge.

"It's not that bad."

I sunk down into the warm water a little lower.

We were awkwardly quiet for a few moments, neither of us knowing what to say.

"You should get in," I told him, finally breaking the silence.

"I don't have trunks."

Sure, you own a pool, but not a swim suit, I thought.

"You don't have to have one," I said.

When I saw his reaction to my words, I immediately blushed.

"I meant that you could get in in your shorts," I clarified.

Luca didn't say anything for a few moments before he sighed, kicked off his tennis shoes, removed his socks, and reached behind him to pull his shirt over his head.

Tossing his shirt to the side, Luca lowered himself into the water to sit opposite of me. His pecs and shoulders flexed with the movement, the muscles in his arms prominent.

I looked away, feeling myself begin to gawk and drool.

However, I fought desperately to keep from making eye contact with Luca for another reason: I knew he wanted to talk about my dad and I couldn't even bring myself to think about him.

"Can I ask you a somewhat personal question?" I asked him, trying to find a way around the inevitable conversation.

"Sure."

I thought he looked sincere enough, so I continued.

"What do you do apart from being an Alpha?"

His eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

I gestured around us.

"I mean, what's your trade? How do you afford a house like this?"

He nodded, understanding.

"I own all of this land we're on," he told me. "There's a massive oil reservoir about forty acres east of here that I lease mineral rights to an oil company for. They drill and I get paid an eighteen percent royalty on every barrel they produce. I also own a few businesses in town and I make those who live within the gates pay a property tax for the extra protection. Paired with a decent knowledge of investing, it all adds up pretty well."

"Where did you get the land from?" I asked, unexpectedly interested. "I'm assuming you're not from Montana."

I didn't think it was a bold assumption given his olive complexion and affinity for exotic terms of endearment.

Luca gave me a slight smile.

"The land belonged to my stepdad's father. He left it to me after he died."

I'd heard him refer to his stepdad before, something that didn't make sense to me. Luca must have seen the confused look on my face.

"My mother and I immigrated from Italy when I was about six-years-old," he said. "She met my stepdad when she applied for a job with his company and they were married within the year."

"Are they mates?" I asked.

"No," he said quickly. "His mate died in a car accident a few years before he met my mom."

"And your mom?" I asked, almost hesitantly.

As soon as I asked, I wished I hadn't. Luca seemed to grow uncomfortable and I immediately tried to retract my question.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry-"

"No, it's okay," he said, shaking his head.

Luca drew in a deep breath and looked at me.

"My biological father is the Alpha of a pack in Italy, somewhere east of Verona. She left him."

"Why? If you don't mind me asking..."

He shrugged.

"Apparently, he was a real dick. He beat the shit out of her frequently and started to do the same to me, so she packed her bags one night and left with me while he was away."

Damn.

No wonder Luca had taken such offense the night we met when I was scared he'd hurt me.

"I'm so sorry, Luca."

He gave me a halfhearted smile.

"It's okay. I don't remember it and my mom has moved on. She's happy and that's all that matters."

I nodded, not sure of what else to say.

"Speaking of daddy issues..." Luca said, slinging an arm around the stone that lined the side of the hot tub. "I take it your disappearing act at the meeting house means your phone call didn't go so well."

I bit the inside of my cheek and stared off at the barely visible mountain peaks off in the far distance.

"There wasn't a conversation," I said finally. "He hung up as soon as I told him who was calling."

"At the least you can say you tried to make amends. You can't hold responsibility for anything that happens from this point on," Luca said.

"I know, it's just..."

I trailed off and turned my attention back to Luca, who was watching me intently.

"Never mind."

He leaned in.

"Go on," he prodded.

"It's nothing."

Luca's gaze never wavered and I drew in a deep breath, my will breaking.

"It's... complicated."

"We've got all night," he assured me.

I let out a breathy laugh.

No one could accuse Luca of lacking in persistence.

"My mom and dad are both doctors. They practice family medicine in their clinic that they started before I was born," I explained. "They weren't very subtle about making it known they expected me to do the same."

His eyebrows furrowed.

"Did you ever want to be a doctor?" He asked.

I shrugged.

"I considered it for a few years in high school, mostly just to make them happy, I think. But once I got to college and started taking the necessary courses to get into medical school, I backed out almost immediately."

"And they were disappointed," Luca guessed.

"Not at first," I told him. "They knew it was overwhelming and encouraged me to keep a level head. But it wasn't really the coursework that killed me. I just hated the subject matter."

"Did you leave college?"

I shook my head.

"I had to take out a few loans to stay because they stopped paying for it after they figured out I was serious about studying something different. But, I managed to get through three more years and graduate."

I scoffed.

"They didn't even attend commencement, or watch me walk across the stage to get my diploma," I continued. "I graduated with honors and an academic achievement award, so I don't know why they would have been ashamed of me. It's not like I'm an idiot."

I felt my throat begin tighten with emotion and I stopped talking.

"You've tried to stay in their good graces ever since then?" Luca asked, his voice a little softer.

I nodded.

"We're civil," I told him. "It's just something we've all swept under the rug and continue to stand on like nothing's wrong."

Neither of us said anything for a few moments before I took in a deep breath.

"And now I'm here, with you, whom my father hates, and I'm expected to love you like nothing's wrong and respect you, but I also have to love and respect my parents. It feels impossible to do both."

"It's not your job to make sure you learn to love and respect me, it's mine. Don't shoulder my responsibilities for me," Luca said.

He leaned back.

"But I am sorry you feel torn between loyalties. I know it's probably not easy."

I sighed.

"That's the thing," I told him. "It's getting easier but I don't understand how? I've been with you for a handful of days and I've known my family for my entire life."

Luca smiled slightly.

"I'm just so charming that you can't help it," he said.

I hid my laugh with a scoff.

"You keep telling yourself that."

Luca laughed.

"Alright," he said, standing up. "I'm starving. Wanna go grab something to eat?"

I felt my own stomach growl and nodded.

As I followed him out of the hot tub, the cool breeze blew against my wet skin and I shivered, suddenly covered in goosebumps.

"I can't believe I forgot a damn towel," I said aloud.

Luca turned to me and laughed as he grabbed his shoes and shirt.

"I told you it was too cold for a swim."

He came to walk alongside me as I hugged myself, shivering.

"Your tits look great in that bikini top, by the way."

My jaw dropped in shock of his blunt statement. Watching him laugh, I reached out and shoved him as hard as I could, clearly taking him off guard as he toppled over into the pool.

Luca was glaring at me as he surfaced and swam back to the edge.

Now it was my turn to laugh.

I didn't have enough time to run before Luca's cold, wet arm was wrapped around my torso and lifted me into the air. He chucked me into pool, but I had enough of a grip on his arm that he followed in behind me.

The difference in the water temperature between the pool and hot tub had me gasping for air when I swam back up to the surface.

"Jackass," I quipped, despite trying not to laugh.

Luca laughed and ran a hand through his hair, shaking the water from it.

"All jokes aside," he said. "I was serious about your tits."

"Stop talking about my tits."

"Why? They're nice tits."

I swam up to him, put one hand on his shoulder and the other on his head and dunked him under the water.

He wrapped both arms around my torso as he resurfaced, our chests pressed together.

"Can we please get out?" I asked him, trying to pry his hands from my waist. "I'm freezing."

"I can tell," he said, peering down at my cleavage.

"Oh my God," I muttered, putting a hand over his eyes.

"I still see them," he said. "I've taken a picture with my brain."

I sighed in feigned annoyance as he finally let go of me.

Luca followed close behind as I walked through the shallow end of the pool towards the stairs.

As I made my exit, he whistled.

"You've got a nice ass too," he commented.

I turned around and splashed him with my foot. I was only able to hope he didn't notice my cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment.

Luca laughed.

"Might have to spank that later."

He's actually enjoying tormenting me, I thought.

Mustering all the nerve I had, I turned to look at him.

"Is that a promise?"

I turned away before I could lose my composure, wanting nothing more than to double over in laughter at the look of surprise on Luca's face.

I twisted the water from my hair as I walked under the deck, towards the sliding glass door.

Luca walked behind me, over to a cabinet that sat next to the grill. He pulled a pool towel out and began to dry his face and hair.

"You had towels over here this whole time?" I asked him, pulling the cabinet door back wider to see a stack of them folded on a shelf.

He winked at me as he passed me to walk towards the door.

I grabbed a towel and dried myself off quickly, still cold in the early night air. I followed Luca into the house and up the stairs to his bedroom.

"I need to shower and get the chlorine out of my hair," I said, scowling as I tried to comb through the tangled mess with my fingers.

"Amore, you can get as naked as you want to."

I made my irritation audible with an exasperated sigh as I grabbed clothes from my suitcase.

"There's room in here if you want to hang those up," Luca said, walking into his closet and turning on the light.

"I need to do laundry," I muttered, seeing more than half of my suitcase was dirty clothes.

"Well, I'm happy to inform you that I own a washer and dryer," Luca said sarcastically.

I mocked him in a high pitched voice before turning to walk into the bathroom.

"Don't shut the door," he told me. "I'll be in there in a second."

"Like hell you are," I said, shutting the door and locking it in such an exaggerated way I knew that he would hear the 'click'.

Showering, I realized that I had barely any shampoo or conditioner left in my travel-sized containers. I was running equally low on soap and face wash.

I need to go shopping, I thought.

As I stood there under the hot water, I realized that I had gone from crying to the point of hiccups and puffy eyes to laughing and playful in less than an hour.

Whether Luca realized it or not, I needed the distraction and I was grateful for it.

After I was done in the shower, I combed through my hair and changed into clean clothes.

Luca was standing by the bed on his phone when I opened the bathroom door.

I gathered all of my dirty clothes and went into the laundry room to wash them. After starting the washer, I walked out into the kitchen and began to look for something to eat.

Too exhausted to cook, I grabbed a bagel and peanut butter. After toasting the bagel in the oven, I sat down at the counter to eat. Just as I began to smear peanut butter on the bagel, Luca walked into the kitchen, freshly showered and changed.

"You didn't want to go out and get something?" He asked.

I stopped and smiled sheepishly.

"I kinda forgot that was the plan."

He shrugged.

"It doesn't matter to me."

Luca walked into the pantry and came out with a Pop-Tart in one hand and a bag of chips in the other.

"My mom wants us over for dinner with them tomorrow night," he said as he sat down.

I paused in the middle of biting into my bagel.

"Tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Is that too soon?"

I shook my head slowly.

"No, I guess not."

Luca watched me cautiously.

"We don't have to if you don't want to," he said.

"No, we should," I said.

I bit into my bagel, still trying to convince myself.

I just met him, I thought. This is happening so soon.

I felt so intimidated by the thought of meeting Luca's mom and stepdad.

"We don't have to," he reiterated.

"We can," I told him. "That's fine with me."

"Okay..."

I hoped Luca didn't see the look of apprehension on my face when he turned away.

You'll be fine, I told myself.

We were quiet for the rest of dinner, each of us finishing our meals.

Luca asked if I wanted to watch a hockey game with him, but I declined. As soon as my clothes were moved over from the washer to the dryer, I was on my way to Luca's room, yawning.

Despite taking a nap that day, I was ready for bed.

I was so tired, in fact, that I didn't wake up when Luca came to bed that night.

I did, however, wake up when he left.

I was startled awake at some point during the middle of the night by the sound of the bedroom door opening and closing quickly. Sitting up, I saw that Luca was gone.

Feeling an unexplainable sense of urgency, I got out of the bed quickly. I opened the bedroom door and walked into the dark living room.

From where I was standing, I could see that the side door next to the kitchen was halfway open. As I walked towards the door, I saw the trail of his t-shirt, sweatpants and boxer briefs leading outside.

What the hell?

I opened the door and stepped outside into the chilly night air.

He was nowhere to be seen.

Confused and somewhat unnerved, I went back inside and closed the door, grabbing his clothes as I did so.

When I went back into the bedroom, I saw Luca's phone was still on the nightstand.

Maybe someone called him to an emergency?

I pondered this explanation for a moment, wondering why his phone didn't wake me up when it rang.

I got back into the bed. But, despite my best efforts, my heart was still pounding and I couldn't relax to fall back asleep.

I guess we were both good at the disappearing act.

- - -

Luca's weird af and hot af, can I get an amen? Lol

Chapter Thirteen will be posted tomorrow morning at 8:30am EST (New York time)!

Until then, don't forget to vote and let me know your thoughts in the comments!!

See you tomorrow!

MaybeManhattan .x