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“I bet Flynn doesn’t dance with you.”
“Not true.”
“Then I bet he doesn’t dance this well with you. I have a few things Flynn lacks, like charm and charisma. ”
“And how is it that you know so much about Devin?”
“They don’t call me The Grandfather for nothing. I’m old and wise, and people feel compelled to tell me everything. Flynn is the only nut I haven’t been able to crack, but I know things about him.”
“What sorts of things?”
“Things I won’t tell you because it’s not my business to tell you them.” He shot me a cheeky grin. “I learned my lesson last time. I want to win you over, Luna, and I won’t succeed by airing his dirty laundry. I figure he’ll hang himself one day.”
My curiosity was piqued, but I couldn’t linger on it. Whether Blake knew something tangible, I couldn’t tell for sure. Part of me suspected he was still playing games with me, using a different angle to sabotage Devin, so I’d be on my guard. And it was time to change the subject before things got too dicey.
“When you met my dad, what was he like?”
“He was a little arrogant,” he said with a laugh. “But once we began talking, I think I impressed him. He sat with me for over an hour, and we talked about racing and life. We talked about Miguel Ronaldo, because it was the fifth anniversary of his death. Do you remember that?”
“Vaguely. I know it bothered my dad, and Rafe has mentioned it a few times. That my father was close to Miguel.”
“Your father was very shaken by his death. He warned me to be careful and to never feel invincible. He knew the risks of racing.”
“And even though he was as careful as he could be, he still died,” I murmured.
“He’ll always be a legend.”
Finally, Blake brought me to his boat docked at the marina. A few staff were tending to the lavish boat, but they mostly ignored us. I sat on the deck and watched the city lights brighten in the darkness. Blake handed me a sweater, and I wrapped it around my bare arms. He stood next to me, staring out into the darkness of the vast ocean.
“I shouldn’t have tried to bad-mouth your boyfriend to you,” Blake said quietly, taking me by surprise yet again. “I’m better for you, and I think you’ll figure that out. But Flynn isn’t really that bad. He doesn’t get the respect he deserves because he’s not like us and he knows it.”
“What do you mean?”
“For a long time he tried to fit in with the crowd of drivers I hung out with, but we didn’t want him around. He wanted to fit into the ‘in’ crowd, and he just couldn’t crack it. So finally he accepted his fate. He plays the class clown, gets attention however he can, you know? But I still think he aspires to our life, and who wouldn’t? I don’t trust him, but you know that.”
“Deep down I don’t think I belong to the ‘in’ crowd either,” I found myself admitting. “I’m just a small-town girl who lived a simple life and just happened to be wealthy. In many ways I’m a lot like Devin. My mother never let me flaunt my money or travel around the world just because I wanted to. I didn’t go to private schools; I didn’t drive expensive cars or party all the time, nothing like that. When I was an teenager I used to work in my stepfather’s grocery store just to have some pocket money. I didn’t have money until I received the first portion of my trust fund, and most of that went to the team. In the end, it’s just money. It doesn’t make you a better person, a more deserving person, or a happy person. It just makes you rich.”
“I suppose it does,” he said, clearly unconvinced.
I glanced at my watch. “It’s getting late, and I should be getting back to my room. If Rafe discovers I’m gone, he might be worried.”
“I’m sure Flynn would be too.”
He walked me back to my hotel and up to my room. Just as I was about to open the door to my room, he took my hand and pulled me close.
“Remember what I’ve said tonight.”
I stared up into his blue eyes. They held so much warmth, and that picked at my heart. I couldn’t have any feelings for him. I wouldn’t allow it. “I will.”
“I have another piece of advice for you. If you love him the way I think you do, get him out of Milan. Do whatever it takes to get out of that town. There are too many temptations there.”
“I’ll try.”
He kissed me gently on the lips and it was heavenly. And I felt guilty for it..
“You are never far from my thoughts, princess,” he whispered in my ear.
“Good night, Blake,” I said, entering my room. I stood in the dark, my back pressed up against the door and gently touched my lips. What had just happened? And what was I going to do?
