Chapter 2 – The Slap Heard Around the Hills

Luca’s POV

“Hey sexy…”

The party was still in full swing when I saw her in that impossibly sexy tank top and her shorts and her tall legs peeked out of the robe that accentuated her curves.

She looked like she didn't belong at this house and yet she walked out of Adrian Vale's villa with her head high, and her mouth pressed tight like she'd bite if anyone got too close.

And that… that got my attention. She was my type.

“Sexy…come on, don't walk away.” I called out stepping away from the group of girls I'd been with. My pack brothers called something after me, but I wasn’t listening. 

She stomped down the driveway with her fair face flaming red, and her fists clenched tightly. I caught to her before she could enter her house.

“Well, well,” I said, sliding into her path. “Why's a pretty girl like you all red?” 

She looked at me and her lips parted. For a second I thought she would smile but I was wrong.

“Move.” she ordered.

“Not yet.” I'd come all this way to talk to her and I wasn't letting go. She wasn't like the other girls. She was classier. It was hard not to keep staring at her cat eyes, and her soft luscious lips.

She tugged the robe tightly around her body. “I said move.” She was so calm it intrigued me.

“I won't let you talk to me like that, sweetheart.”

“Sweetheart?” Her brows lifted and I almost saw a smile. No, scratch that, it was a sneer.

“Yeah,” I leaned closer, lowering my voice, “or should I call you princess too?”

She took a step back, and I matched it with one forward. “No, thanks.”

“So what's your name? Mine's Luca.” I flashed dher my winning smile that made the ladies legs go weak.

She sneered at me instead. “My name's Audrey not sweetheart.” She shot back.

“Easy there tiger. At least tell me what's wrong. You walked into Adrian's villa, and now you’re storming out and that tells me everything. That you're trouble.” My eyes dropped briefly, just enough to let her catch me looking at those long legs before I met her stare again. “And I like trouble.”

Her cheeks flushed. She wrapped the robe tighter. “Is that the best you can do? You should have better pick up lines.”

“That’s new.” She's fiesty, and I liked it. I cleared my throat and continued. “Usually I hear ‘handsome,’ ‘charming,’ Luca.”

She turned on her heel to leave. I sidestepped, blocking her again. “Careful,” I said, leaning on the word, “people might think Adrian threw you out because you flirted with him. He's quite popular among the ladies, so it's a pretty long line.”

Her eyes snapped to mine. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” I let the grin spread, knowing exactly how sharp my words were. “Adrian’s not interested in you, but I'm free, and I'm interested in you, sweetheart.”

Her mouth opened then closed. For a beat she just stared at me.. Then she stepped forward, so close her robe brushed my shirt. “Say that again.” 

I bent my head, letting my breath ghost against her ear. “Adrian isn't interested in you, but I am…”

A slap landed across my face before I finished. It felt like explosion happened behind my eyes and the sting spread around my cheek. Nobody had ever done that.

“What the hell was that for?”

The crowd outside the driveway went quiet. Music was still playing inside the villa but some people were begining to come out to the driveway.

“Fuck man, are you alright?” One of my friends rushed to my side. A small crowd was beginning to form around us.

“When you see an angry girl next time, you'll leave her alone.” She replied, shaking with anger.

Yes, I knew she was angry, but I didn't think she was that angry. Her palm was still in the air and she was breathing heavily like she couldn't believe what she'd done either.

Someone laughed. “Did she just slap Luca? No way…” 

I whipped my head in the direction of the voice but there were too many faces staring back at me. 

“You’ve got nerve,” I said finally, stretching my jaw. “No girl has ever done that before.”

She lowered her hand, but her hand was now clenched into fist. “Well, I'm not other girls.”

And then she walked away from me, right through the line of shocked faces with her head held high and her hair bouncing as she walked.

I touched my cheek and scoffed. I couldn't believe it either. She was quite the handful and I wasn't sure if I annoyed at her or turned on. Maybe a mix of both.

My pack brothers jogged over, smiling like idiots. “Luca, man, she nailed you!” one of them clapped my back. “Who's she? Do you want me to bring her back?

“No,” I snapped, still watching her retreating figure. She didn’t look back once.

The boys laughed, but I wasn’t laughing. My chest felt tight, and my wolf stirred inside me because I've just been challenged. We need her. My wolf said to me.

That girl, Audrey, had no idea what she'd done. Nobody embarrassed me like this and went free. And yet she had.

I clenched my jaw, and smiled despite the stinging in my cheek from where she'd slapped me. “Interesting,” I muttered.

One of my guys asked, “You gonna let that go?”

I shook my head slowly, resisting the urge to laugh. Everyone would think I'd gone mad which is true. Id gone mad, but it wasn't that type of madness. 

This was different. She was fire and she was the reason for my madness. And I’d never walked away from fire.

“She wants to play games,” I said under my breath, mostly to myself. “Fine. Let’s play.”