“I’m glad,” she said softly, taking a step toward me then stopping.
“We’re going to work together on a professional level.”
Anna nodded. “Of course. As we discussed.”
“Good,” I said, then glanced at my watch. “Do you have any meetings scheduled for the day?”
“Lunch with Luisa, that’s it. Next week will be busier. I’ll share my schedule with you vie Airdrop later.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Anna nodded, then motioned toward the door. She crossed her ankles again, her elegant fingers playing with a gold bracelet she’d gotten from Clifford for Christmas. His mother had handed it to Anna because he’d been away with his father. It was the first time Anna wore it since that day and it was a painful reminder of the man she actually belonged to. I’d never gifted her anything lasting because that like photos might have been proof. Every single of my presents had been perishable, flowers, food, an activity. Perishable like what we’d had.
“We should head out now. Luisa is always on time.”
I led Anna to the Mercedes limousine in front of the mansion and opened the back door for her. It was the first time in three years that Anna wouldn’t be riding in the front with me.
She gave me a polite smile and slipped into the back seat. I closed the door and took a deep breath before I got in.
We rode in silence for a while. It felt suffocating. My fingers on the steering wheel tightened with every passing second. Why hadn’t I taken Dante up on his promise? Why was I torturing myself like this?
Did I really want to protect Anna on dates with Clifford? Or while she chose flowers for the wedding? Or tried on her wedding dress?
“Stop.”
I glanced at Anna through the rearview mirror.
“Stop!” she screamed.
I swerved the car over to a diner parking lot and came to a halt. I unbuckled my belt and turned around. “What’s wrong?”
Anna unbuckled her belt, leaned toward me, and grabbed my collar. Then she pulled me in for a kiss.
My body sprang to life immediately. No hesitation. No professionalism.
“I need you. Now,” Anna whispered between kisses.
She tugged harder at my shirt. I angled my body around and half fell through the gap between the front seats. I climbed on top of Anna. We began tugging at our clothes, needing to feel naked skin.
Only the tinted windows protected our secret from the outside world. It was too risky but neither of us cared.
When I plunged into Anna, our bodies flush together, I knew I’d take whatever Anna was willing to give me, for however long. Maybe it would be enough.
After our time together in the car, I arrived at lunch with Luisa fifteen minutes late. I promised myself that the fling in the car was a one-time thing, a last goodbye.
It became clear very quickly that Santino and I couldn’t stay away from each other. Our connection was like a magnetic pull neither of us could resist. Why else had he agreed to stay my bodyguard?
Only a day later, we found ourselves in the back seat of the car again. We were both breathless and my sweaty skin was sticking to the leather but I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
I was pressed up to Santino’s side, relishing in the feel of his warmth and his unique scent. It was a scent I associated with safety.
“What now?” Santino asked.
“We keep doing what we did in Paris.”
“In Paris we didn’t have dozens of watchful eyes on our back. We could be together relatively unperturbed. Everything we do in Chicago is a risk. We won’t be able to be close in public and even meeting in secret will be difficult. We can’t fuck in your room. And we can’t keep fucking in the car on public parking lots.”
I pushed up with a teasing smile, wanting to disperse the heaviness of our conversation. I didn’t want to give room for the worries that had been bugging me ever since our return to Paris had come closer and had now manifested since we were back in Chicago. “Why not? The risk will make it extra hot. I like the naughtiness of the car, and doing it in my room will be even naughtier.”
Santino’s eyes cut into me with their intensity. He raked his hands through my hair. “This will add another layer to our betrayal.”
“Does it really matter?” I whispered. Mom and Dad would be disappointed either way if they ever found out, which they wouldn’t. “Let’s be each other’s secret for however long we can.”
“I never minded being someone’s dirty secret, but I really wish I wasn’t yours.”
“It’s all we can have.”
My hands were sweaty when I entered the Clark mansion with Mom, Dad, and Leonas. Dolora celebrated her fiftieth birthday and of course, we were all invited. It was the first time I’d see Clifford again, which made me feel unreasonably anxious, especially because Dad had chosen to take Santino with us and not Enzo.