“See you then.” Kane hung up the phone and smiled. He glanced across the desk and noted Kelly’s smirk. “What?”
“Hot date?” she asked, her voice laced with more humor than was necessary.
He stood and grabbed his suit coat, smiling back. “Hot meal, anyway.”
She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest, sobering. “I really am happy things are going well. I worried about you two.”
Kane sighed, stilling all motion. “I’m not sure what all this is just yet but I like him a lot. We have fun. Maybe it’s because he’s young and our jobs are so intense, but I feel like I can just relax when I’m with him.” It was a huge thing to admit and frankly, Kane was surprised he’d shared so much. Luca seemed to have that effect on him. He consciously thought about his emotions more now than at any time he ever had before. He was slowly coming to the realization that a lot of things about his personality were changing.
She smiled broadly and nodded at him. “Honestly, that’s good. You’re a lot nicer than you were when I first met you.”
Kane screwed up his features. He didn’t like the sound of that but then again, maybe he should reexamine what a dick he’d always been. He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out his gun, sliding it into his shoulder holster before nodding at her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Murphy. We have a lot to do.”
“Night. Have fun,” she called after him.
After feeding the ferrets and playing with them for ten minutes, he changed their bedding and put them back into their enclosure. He changed into street clothes, grabbed the key to his bike, and locked up the house. He stuffed a small duffel with an extra change of clothes into the under-seat compartment on the bike and headed out to Luca’s on the L S 218, making his way through traffic quickly. He parked the bike on the street, reminding himself that he had to pick up his dry cleaning before going into the Brentwood station in the morning. He had a locker at work but he hadn’t stored any suits there.
If he was planning on staying at Luca’s, he was going to have to leave a change of clothes either at his place or at work. As he walked up the steps to Luca’s apartment building, he shook his head. He hadn’t lived with anyone since sharing a barracks in the Marine Corps and he certainly had never shared a space with a romantic partner. The very thought of an arrangement where he and Luca could share a space was odd but now that it came to him, he’d have to think about it. Things were moving quickly but for some reason, it didn’t seem to matter. Once he’d finally taken the plunge and allowed himself to feel attracted to the man without guilt, he’d gone for it.
Full speed ahead.
Kane walked up to the door to Luca’s apartment building and raised his fist to knock on the door. When he heard music coming from the inside of the unit, he stopped and pressed his ear to the door. It was… an opera… and Luca was singing along with the female singer… LOUDLY!
“Un bel di, vedremo levarsi un fil di fumo…”, he sang in what Kane knew had to be Italian. He grinned and knocked on the door as the lilting music continued. When Luca opened the door, he was holding his phone and singing into the speaker. He smiled at Kane, letting him in as he put a finger to his lips in a “be quiet” gesture. Kane smirked and shut the door quietly behind him as Luca walked back into the kitchen where his CD player blared the opera.
“Sull’estremo confin del mare…”, Luca sang. His voice was beautiful and it blended with the voice of the Italian woman’s with such perfection, it floored Kane. Luca set down the phone, keeping it on speaker as he picked up a knife and returned to chopping mushrooms on his cutting board. Kane sat on a barstool at the raised counter and watched him with amazement until the song finished. When Luca picked up the phone and shut off the music, Kane could hear sobbing on the other end of the line.
He’d been singing to someone.
“Thank you, Luca. Thank you so much, sweetie,” a man’s voice said shakily. “She would have loved that.”
“You’re welcome, lovely,” Luca said to the man on the phone, making eye contact with Kane. He had tears in his eyes. “Let me know when and where you’ll be having her service. I’ll be there.”
“Thank you, Luca. I love you,” the man said, tears still evident in his voice.
“I love you too, babes.” Luca swiped the phone and set it on the counter, smiling softly at Kane as he walked to the sink.
“What was that all about?” Kane asked, genuinely curious.
“My friend Ken… his grandma died today and so when he called, I just wanted to sing to him to make him feel better. She loved Madame Butterfly. It was her favorite.”
As Luca turned on the water to begin washing his hands, Kane stood up, feeling butterflies of his own twirling around in his stomach. He walked around the counter and picked up a dish towel and handed it to Luca before drawing him into his arms. He leaned down and kissed him slowly, loving the feel of this sweet, gentle man in his arms.
Luca dried his hands between them and then discarded the towel, wrapping his arms around Kane tightly as their bodies came together. They stood in the kitchen for long minutes just breathing each other in, just happy and content to be with each other. Kane was falling hard for this sweet man. This sweet man who decided the best way to cheer up a friend grieving the loss of a precious grandmother was to sing him her favorite aria. It was really quite something. Luca was really quite something and Kane felt privileged to know him. When he finally leaned back and separated their lips, he smiled down at Luca’s beautiful face.
“That was a nice thing for you to do, Luca.”
Luca smiled back, loosening his hold on Kane’s waist. “It’s only the least I can do for a friend.”
“You constantly surprise me.”
“Why?”
“I don’t think I know many men who could be so kind, Luca. You really have a soft heart, you know that.” He reached up and carded his fingers into Luca’s wild hair. The soft strands fell at odd angles but they almost seemed to sparkle under the strong halogen pendant lights which hung over his breakfast bar. He was stunningly beautiful. Kane’s wool-gathering must have given his thoughts away because Luca cleared his throat, letting go of him. He smiled at him as they separated.
“Will you still feel that way if I tell you we have to back out for wine? I forgot it and I can’t finish the chicken marsala without it.” The way he bit his lower lip made Kane smile again.
“Let’s go, then. I’m starving,” Kane said, grabbing up the keys he’d laid on the counter. “You’re gonna have to settle with riding on the back of my bike, though. I left the Charger at home so I could get here faster.”
Luca’s grin was broad as he picked up his pea coat and a scarf, wrapping it around his neck. He held out a hand to the front door.
“Sally on, then. The store is two blocks down. We could walk but the chance to get back on the bike with all that power between my thighs is the thing of fantasies.”
Kane laughed and preceded Luca through his front door. Luca settled onto the bike behind him and wrapped his arms around Kane’s middle. He loved the way his smaller body felt against his back. He drove them to the Bevmo on the corner and he parked the bike at the curb, waiting for Luca to get off before he did. They walked into the large wine and adult beverage store. The shelves were lined with every type of liquor Kane could imagine.
Luca immediately headed to the back of the store where the wines were kept, and Kane turned to browse over a selection of top-shelf tequila. His ears perked up when he recognized Luca’s raised voice. He glanced to the wine section and spotted Luca with his arms crossed, facing an older man who seemed to be confronting him. Kane immediately headed toward them, picking up on their terse conversation.
“No thanks, I’m here with a friend,” Luca said.
“You won’t find a friendlier face than mine, boy, and someone needs to teach you some manners,” the man said, reaching out and taking hold of Luca’s bicep.
Luca instantly y
anked his arm out of the man’s large paw. Kane noticed the older man was bald, sported a bushy salt-and-pepper beard, and was wearing jeans with a large leather belt to match the leather vest, open to expose a pot belly.
“Sorry. Like I said, I’m here with a friend,” Luca said, lifting his chin. “We just came in to get some wine.”
“Just one date, boy. You won’t regret it.”
“Sorry, I’m not into the rough stuff, daddy.”
His laugh boomed loudly as Kane got closer. “Well, I don’t usually date your kind either, boy.”
“What kind is that? Breathing?” Luca snapped, his irritation showing in the blush on his cheeks.
“What’s going on here?” Kane growled as he walked past the huge bear and threw an arm over Luca’s shoulder. Luca looked up at him, gratitude sparkling in his eyes.
“Nothing. This gentleman was just leaving.”
Kane turned and stared the older man down. He looked angry, wearing a black leather collar and bicep bands. Kane would have laughed at the overt attempt to look like a Dominant if the man’s nostrils weren’t flaring.
“Suit yourself, twink,” the man said, waving at Luca. “You can have your pretty boy all day long.” He turned to leave and Luca shouted at his back.
“This pretty boy is a Marine and he could kick your Dom ass if he wasn’t being charitable.” When Luca turned his face up to Kane’s, Kane couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Twink?”
Luca frowned but Kane could see the smile playing around his lips. “He’s an idiot. Ignore him and help me pick out a wine.”
“What would you have done if I wasn’t here? What did you say to piss off a big guy like that?” Kane asked, watching the guy walk out the door.
“He told me what he’d like to do to me with my scarf so I told him all that leather was just too twee outside of the Eagle,” Luca said.
“Okay, I have no idea what the Eagle is but you really shouldn’t piss off big guys like that,” Kane said.
“Listen, Delancey, I’ve been taking care of myself since I was little. Now. Help me pick out a nice wine or we’ll never get home and get dinner made.” The way his lower lip stuck out in a little pout was so darling, Kane couldn’t help pulling him into a tight hug. He kissed him solidly on the mouth and Luca opened up to him, tangling his tongue with Kane’s right there in the store. For someone who didn’t like public displays of affection, Kane was rapidly coming to realize when Luca was around, all bets were off. It was several minutes before they turned back to the wine racks to peruse the offerings.
｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
Luca set two plates on the table, looking proud of the chicken marsala he’d made. The white wine Kane had picked out was perfect and even though it was nearly eight by the time they finally sat down to eat, he was happy. Luca had cooked several pieces of chicken in the wine, mushroom, and garlic sauce because Kane told him he was starving and the pasta that he’d prepared while Luca cooked was done perfectly al dente. He was honestly surprised by how good it came out. His own refrigerator and freezer were a travesty of leftover takeout boxes and frozen pizzas and TV dinners. His stove was spotlessly clean which was a shame because it was a nice stove. Luca had told him that he looked forward to cooking a few meals there. That would be fine with Kane.
“So, what happened today? Did you make any progress on Freddy’s case?” Luca asked.
Kane debated telling Luca the whole truth. If he did, it was going to open a whole can of worms. For all he knew, Freddy had been drunk at some point and told Luca about his protection status in the WITSEC program. He wanted to be honest with Luca but Kelly had warned him once before about disclosing everything to him when they were working undercover on the jewelry store robberies. He picked up his fork and knife and began cutting his chicken.
“We learned a few things about Freddy that you probably didn’t know.” When Luca was silent, Kane glanced up to find him staring at him across the table.
“Well, are you going to tell me or am I just supposed to divine it from your brain?” Luca asked, smirking right before he popped a mushroom into his mouth. “I’m not Pimporn and I don’t have tea leaves.”
Kane put a bite of Luca’s delicious chicken into his mouth and began chewing it. It tasted so good, he closed his eyes and savored it. The last person he wanted to talk about was Freddy Lombardi. When he opened his eyes again, Luca had his arms crossed over his chest and he was glaring at him. Kane rolled his eyes and set down his fork.
“Fine. I’m going to make this quick because I had a very long day at work and the last thing I want to think about is this case.”
“Fine, then you don’t have to tell me,” Luca said, sounding and looking very put out as he glared at him.
“Stop pouting like a kid. I told you I’d find out what happened to Freddy and I intend on doing that. First of all, Freddy Lombardi was not your friend’s name.”
“What?” Luca’s eyes went wide as saucers. “What was it then?”
“I don’t know yet. We’re waiting on the US Marshals to send over his WITSEC file tomorrow.”
“Wait,” Luca said, leaning forward, “Freddy was in WITSEC… like you?”
Kane picked up his fork, digging into the delicious meal again, hoping it hadn’t gone cold. He nodded.
“Uh-huh. Do you remember when I told you weeks ago that we thought that the list of WITSEC protectees had been somehow hacked?” He put a helping of chicken and mushrooms into his mouth. The flavors of garlic and capers and a buttery wine sauce burst on his tongue. The chicken was so good, he wanted to cry. He chewed and swallowed only to shovel a second forkful into his mouth.
“Yes. I remember, but you weren’t sure,” Luca said.
“We’re sure now,” he mumbled around the bite of food in his mouth. He swallowed and continued. “The marshals are positive that several people are out of pocket as well.”
“What does that mean?” Luca asked, picking up his own fork.
Kane waited until he’d cut off another piece of chicken and eaten it to answer. “It means that they’ve notified and rounded up all their protectees around the country that they believe are most at risk. Obviously, anyone in the program who is still in the program forty years after going in, isn’t at as high a risk as someone who’s actively being sought by a hired killer, so you get my meaning.”
“Right,” Luca said, eating more of his dinner.
“But there are always some protectees that wander away from the US Marshals who are in charge of their welfare. Some decide they don’t want to be in protection anymore and just up and leave without notifying the marshals while others just disappear. Freddy was one of the ones who didn’t check in regularly, from what I understand. He was one of those protectees that the marshals call ‘out of pocket’.”
“Okay, so tomorrow you’ll find out who he really was and that should tell you who killed him, right?”
“It couldn’t hurt. If someone who wants him dead, found out his new identity from the leaked list, then it’s a good bet they murdered him,” Kane said, scooping more food onto his fork. “The investigation is really just in its infancy, Luca, and there are just some things I can’t tell you.”
“But you’d tell me if you could?” Luca asked, finishing off more of his food.
“I promise, I’ll tell you as much as I can, okay, baby?” Kane asked, pinning him with a serious glance as he finished off the last of his chicken and pasta.
Luca nodded and reached across the table. Kane set down the wine glass he’d just picked up and took Luca’s hand. Electricity buzzed through his hand as their fingers laced together and intertwined. Luca must have felt it too because he smiled sweetly at him. Kane couldn’t resist staring at the way Luca’s pointed pink tongue licked a dribble of wine gravy off the corner of his red mouth. His lips were plump and so perfect, all Kane could do was think of kissing him. He wanted him badly. When he lifted his gaze to Luca’s, the man’s eyes were twink
ling with lusty mischief. Kane couldn’t help but smile at him.
“Are you done with your food?” he asked.
Luca nodded. “Let’s clear these plates and then we’ll have to think of something else to keep us occupied for the rest of the night.”
“I think we can do that,” Kane said. “Yeah, definitely. We can do that.”
｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
Kane thrust slowly into Luca. Luca groaned and gripped the sheets, his face pressed into his pillow. Kane’s fingers dug into his hips painfully but Luca couldn’t care less. He was giving him everything he’d cajoled out of him earlier. He loved it when Kane took charge of his body. He was always an aggressive lover, commanding in the bedroom. It had started in the kitchen as Luca was clearing dishes, intent on washing their plates and the pan he’d cooked the chicken marsala in. He hated leaving dinner dishes in the sink overnight but when Kane had stalked up behind him and begun kissing his neck and massaging the globes of his ass, Luca had closed his eyes and given in to his demands. He’d smiled, wiped his hands dry, and spun in Kane’s arms, connecting their mouths.
They’d been naked before even reaching the bedroom. Luca hadn’t known what had prompted Kane’s keen interest in his body before they could even get to the bedroom, but he wasn’t one to complain when it came to the tall, gorgeous lawman. He was utterly crazy about him. With Kane buried deeply in his body, Luca could barely form a clear thought, much less try to analyze his lover’s motivations.
“Luca,” Kane groaned, slowly pushing in. “Baby, your body is so gorgeous, I can’t keep my hands off you.”
“Look who’s talking,” Luca said into the pillow. Kane hit that spot that made him tingle all over and it was all he could do not to cry out. Instead, he curled his fingers into the sheets, now bunched on both sides of his pillow. Kane was so big but the massive amount of lube he used to press into Luca’s body eased the way. Luca turned his head and Kane shifted, leaning down where he could take Luca’s mouth as he fucked him.
Play With Me Page 18