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‘It looks…small.’
‘It is small. It’s built for just two passengers.’
She turned to stare at him with wide eyes. ‘But…but…’
‘Don’t worry. I’m a licensed helicopter pilot. And that particular helicopter is brand new.’
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
‘ARE YOU OKAY?’ Leonardo asked Veronica gently as he strapped her in. She did look a little pale.
‘I… I suppose so.’
‘Here. Put this on,’ He gave her a headset that had a microphone attached. ‘Once we’re up and running, it’ll be noisy and you’ll need this to communicate.’ He showed her how to put it on before turning and putting his own on.
‘Have you always been afraid of flying?’ he asked, never having experienced such fear himself. He loved flying, especially when he was the pilot.
‘Only in helicopters,’ she told him.
‘I see. Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.’ When he leant over and touched her cheek Leonardo was surprised at how tender he felt towards her. How protective. She seemed so vulnerable all of a sudden, nothing like the rather bold creature of the night before. He would have kissed her if the microphone hadn’t been in his way. Instead, he smiled over at her, catching her eye and sending her a silent message of reassurance.
* * *
Veronica’s heart flipped over at the almost loving look Leonardo sent her. For a split second, she almost believed he cared about her. This was his skill as a seducer, she supposed. To make women think he cared.
But he didn’t. Not really. She knew that. Perversely, knowing the sort of man she was dealing with made no difference to her female reaction, either to his warm smile or the promise of safety in his eyes.
‘We’ll start with Capri, then I’ll take you over for a bird’s eye view of the Amalfi coast,’ he told her as she started up the engine. ‘We might even fly over Mount Vesuvius.’
‘But…but…’ she protested, having presumed that within fifteen minutes she’d safely be back on the ground. Capri was, after all, a rather small island.
‘No buts today, Veronica. I’ve hired this little beauty for four hours and I don’t intend to waste them. After you’ve seen the Amalfi Coast, we’ll set down at Sorrento for lunch. I’ve booked us a garden table at the best trattoria in town. Then, if we have time, we’ll fly south for a quick peek at Naples from above before heading back here. How does that sound?’ he asked with a quick glance her way as they lifted off.
Veronica’s stomach lifted off with them, so all Leonardo got in answer to his possibly rhetorical question was a sucked in gasp.
‘Breathe,’ he told her firmly. ‘And stop worrying. I’m a very good pilot.’
She didn’t doubt it. But his reassurance didn’t stop her anxiety. Or the gymnastics in her stomach. His breathing advice did eventually work. Either that, or she was soon so distracted by the magnificence of the view below that she forgot to be afraid.
Leonardo circled the island three times, pointing out the same places of interest that Franco had shown her. But everything looked better from up in the sky. Better and even more beautiful. The ancient Roman ruins. The huge rocks jutting out of the sea. The small towns and the cute little beaches. Some of the villas they flew over were splendid, with ordered gardens and big blue swimming pools, whilst others were much smaller, surrounded by different types of garden. Clearly, these houses were owned by the ordinary people who’d always lived here, not the billionaires who’d bought properties on Capri for other reasons. Privacy, perhaps. But more likely to impress. Veronica suspected there were quite a few of those.
Not Leonardo, however. Veronica was sure he didn’t want to buy Laurence’s villa to impress. It wasn’t that kind of place. Was it just the view he coveted, or something else? She would like to ask him but not right now. Right now she didn’t want to say or do anything to spoil the memory of what she was seeing.
Suddenly, the helicopter swung to the right and set off away from Capri, heading for the mainland.
‘Time for the Amalfi coast now,’ Leonardo said into her earphones.
She’d thought Capri was amazingly beautiful from the air, but the Amalfi coast soon showed her why it was one of the most visited tourist spots in Italy. Veronica hardly knew where to look. It was just one spectacular town after another. All of them hugged the shore with lots of the buildings perched on the very edges of breathtaking cliffs which plunged into the sea. Once again, most of the villas were white, which at the moment shone brilliantly under the midday sun.
‘You like?’ Leonardo said when she sighed her admiration.
‘Oh, Leonardo, your country is incredible. But also
a little bit scary. I wouldn’t like to drive on that road down there.’ And she pointed to the one that hugged the cliffs.
‘You would love it, in the right car. A Ferrari would be perfect.’
‘And I suppose you own a Ferrari?’
