Page 112 of Hail Marry

I reach for the handle.

“I’ll get your door,” he says.

I’ve never been the type of woman to need or even want doors opened for me, but I wait with anticipation as he comes around, opens the door, and puts out a hand. His face is as impassive as ever. Except for those eyes. My heart starts to race the second I look into them.

Still holding my hand, he leads the way inside. My nerves are in a frenzy at the thought of what happens now. The silence and tension are killing me.

“Thank you,” I say as he sets down the food on the counter.

“For what?”

I give a soft laugh. “For saving me back there. With Ryan. I didn’t know how to escape.”

His eyes explore my face for a second, and the silence drags on.

“Anyway,” I say, having a hard time meeting his gaze due to a sudden onset of blushing modesty, “I’m pretty sure that kiss came as a surprise to him. It was nice of you.”

Niceis a strange way to describe the almost ruthlessness of his kiss.

“Tori.” He doesn’t go on until I look at him. “I couldn’t care less about your ex. I didn’t kiss you for his benefit. Or anyone else’s, for that matter. I kissed you the way I’ve been wanting to kiss you for months now. I kissed you because I couldn’t wait a second longer.”

My lungs lock as his eyes pierce mine. “You…couldn’t?”

He shakes his head, his gaze fixed on me.

Tell him how you feel.

Siena’s words run like a banner across my mind. And I know it. This is the time.

“I talked to Siena today,” I say.

Luca’s brows bunch for a second like this random fact wasn’t quite what he had expected. Or hoped for. “Oh. What’d she say?”

I try to breathe evenly. “She said…that I should tell you how I really feel.”

Those dark brows hitch up slightly, and he stares at me steadily. “That would probably be a good idea.”

I break my gaze from his and take his hand, playing with his fingers for a few seconds while I gather myself. But the longer I wait, the more violently my heart pounds. I lift my eyes to his, and a sudden calmness washes over me. His good soul shines through those dark, kind eyes. “I’m in love with you, Luca.”

Our gazes hold for a few seconds as the silence ticks by. Long, painful silence.

“And I don’t expect you to feel the same way,” I hurry to say, “or to say it or anything, and it’s completely okay if youdon’tfeel that way about me, but…I just wanted you to know.”

His Adam’s apple bobs, and I note the little sheen in his eyes before he blinks. But it’s still quiet.

I give a little laugh. It’s almost manic. “Okay, you don’t have to say you love me, but sayingsomethingwould be helpful.”

He nods, then takes in a breath and lets it out slowly. “Football has been everything to me for almost as long as I can remember. It’s been the one constant in my life, the place I feel at home.”

I nod quickly to show I understand, but the heat creeps into my cheeks. This wasn’t quite the response I had been hoping for.

“The thought of losing football…” He shakes his head and doesn’t finish. Hecan’tfinish.

“I know.” I look down, losing my nerve, my ability to pretend this is what I wanted to hear. I run my thumb along the edge of the counter, trying to will my eyes not to burn.

“But that’s not what scares me most.”

My thumb slows.