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I whirled around to look him in the eye. “When were you in my flat?”
“Last year. I was meeting with your brother. It was the first time he and I discussed me coming over to Perez. You were away at the time. I was looking forward to getting to know you that day.”
“It wouldn’t have happened.”
“Your affections belonged to another.”
“Making fun of me doesn’t help.”
“You’re right,” he said, clasping his hand over mine where it rested on the balcony railing. “He’s going to want to marry you.”
I turned to face him now, gently pulling my hand away. I was aware how intimate this was getting, and I had to put the brakes on it.
“And how do you know that?”
“He knows I’m giving him a run for his money.”
“And what gives you that idea?”
“You’re here, aren’t you?”
He had a point, not that I was going to let on. “Can’t we just be friends?’ I asked sedately. The wine was mellowing me out far too much.
“Yes, we can, but I don’t want that. Call me an old romantic, but when I wake up in the morning, the first thing I want to see are you beautiful dark eyes staring back at me. I want your hair to brush up against my skin and feel your breath on my neck. I want to hold your hand in mine and scream from every rooftop just how much I care for you. I want to know that instead of being alone, I have a ravishingly beautiful woman there to share my days with. A woman who occupies my every thought and makes me smile even on the most dreary and dark days.”
“You are pouring it on very thick,” I said quietly, unable to meet Blake’s gaze.
“I’m just telling you what I think and feel.”
“But I love Devin,” I whispered. “Blake, what you don’t understand is that all you think that I do for you, he does for me. I can’t love you. There is no room in my heart to love you. I’m sorry.”
I left the balcony, collected my purse, and walked toward the door. This had to end before I did anything else to endanger what I had with Devin.
ChapterTwenty-Two
Luna
Mom’s annual summer party was coming up. She’d begun it twelve years earlier, after she’d married Tony. I think Mom saw it as a rebirth, and it had become a tradition of sorts. It always coincided with Rafe’s birthday, which meant that Eva and the kids would come for a visit. It was a family reunion that I loved, and it would be Devin’s first time there.
Devin insisted we drive the ten hours from Milan to Cortese. The thought of spending ten hours in the car with Devin—probably only seven, the way he drove—didn’t appeal to me. Putting it nicely, it was a lot of together time in a very small space.
“You have to be out of your mind! I’ll go nuts. It’s a ten-hour drive.”
“A ten-hour drive for a mere mortal. I can get us there in half the time. I’ve done drives like that before.”
“I don’t want to show up in body bags.”
He scoffed at that. “I happen to be a very good driver.
“We could take a plane and get there in no time.”
“But I’d rather drive.”
I didn’t argue.
I packed a few things knowing that room in the Ferrari was at a premium. I suggested we strap our belongings to the top of the car, but he didn’t find my suggestion amusing.
We set out midmorning and made our first stop two hours into the drive. Devin needed to fill the car with gas. As we drove into the station, people’s heads turned to see the main attraction. Ferraris weren’t commonplace, and to see one was a real treat. I climbed out while Devin filled the tank. I stretched my arms and legs and noticed people staring at me. I felt a little self-conscious, so I went into the small convenience store to escape the stares. I wandered the aisles and picked up a newspaper and a small bag of cookies. I paid for the items and got back into the car. Devin paid for the gas, and we were on their way.
