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He wanted to turn her around and speak into her ear and put on a high voice, just to make her laugh as he told her what a fabulous jockey he was. And then Matteo wanted to be warned that public displays of affection could not happen here.
And then...
‘Come on,’ Matteo said. ‘The fashion show’s starting. You used...’ He faltered; it had been her father who had told him that she’d once studied fashion.
‘Used to what?’
‘I thought I read somewhere that you used to study fashion?’
‘I did,’ Abby said. ‘Where did you hear that?’
‘I can’t remember.’ Matteo shrugged. ‘I must have come across it when I was researching the team.’
He’d lied.
Matteo sat there beside her and he knew he’d lied, only not in the same way that he had to his sister—that had been about protecting Allegra, this had been about protecting himself.
It didn’t matter, Matteo told himself.
He and Abby weren’t going anywhere.
Even if they slept together, and from the heat between them that was becoming increasingly likely, he knew that they wouldn’t last.
Matteo meant it—he would never get close to another.
Abby didn’t notice the silence. It was actually so nice to be away from cars and she had never felt like that. Cars were both her work and her hobby but it was just nice to take a day off, but more than that, she knew it was because of Matteo.
They watched the fashion show and every second model who walked out onto the runway Matteo said, ‘You’d look good in that.’
And then out came the underwear and he made no comment.
Not one.
They were both trying so hard to behave and, for Abby, to even have to try to behave was a revelation.
Finally, with the fashion show over they decided to call it a day.
‘I just want to say goodbye to Allegra...’
‘Go,’ Abby said.
‘Thanks.’
He appreciated it.
She wasn’t needy and he liked that.
He liked her.
As they sat in the car on the way back to her hotel, he handed her his phone and Abby looked at a photo of the two of them, both laughing as they sat watching the fashion show.
Neither with a care in the world, it would seem.
Business or Romance? the headline said.
‘Oh, no,’ Abby wailed. ‘Why would they jump to that?’
‘Don’t worry about it.’ Matteo shrugged.
