“Not everyone’s hell bent on screwing you over, Brooke. Some people genuinely care about you.” I turned away but he grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to face him. “If you want to know the truth, don’t ask a friend who’ll tell you only what you want to hear. Check the facts and you’ll see that, yes, I made a mistake, but I’m telling you the truth when I say I only tried to protect you.”
I yanked my hand away from him. Awkward silence ensued. I knew I had hit a soft spot. I could see it in his face, in his eyes, the way he moistened his lips, pondering his next move. Eventually, he let out a frustrated groan.
“I lied to you one time when I didn’t know you. Before we decided to have a relationship. I know I did many things wrong, but I never stopped caring about you.”
A liar is known to tell many lies but the one who speaks the truth will always stick to the same story. It was a universal knowledge I had embraced many years ago. In this case, however, the truth scared me. What if he cared about me but not enough to avoid hurting me again?
“I need to go, Jett.” I checked the time on my cellphone again, silently praying he’d let me go. I was no match for him if he didn’t. He stepped back but his gaze never left me.
I made my way across the terrace and down the stairs, minding my steps as Jett followed behind. I reached the waiting taxi in a few long strides. His strong grip on my upper arm told me our conversation wasn’t over and, as usual, he was about to fight for the last word.
“Brooke. We never had a real date.” His eyes were two glowing pits of smoldering heat. I had never seen so much determination in anyone. Then again, I had probably never seen the real Jett. “In spite of everything that happened and what I explained to you today, would you go on a date with me? I’m not asking you to trust me. I know that takes time. I’m asking you to give me a chance to earn that trust and make things right again.”
My heart hammered in my chest. The attraction was still here, coursing back and forth between us like an intangible current. “I would. Just prove your claims are true.”
“They are. Even if you don’t understand things now, sooner or later you’ll find out I never meant to hurt you.”
“I still need evidence,” I said coolly, holding on to my determination for dear life.
“And then you’ll give me a chance to redeem myself?”
“Yes.” It sounded fair enough. With proof I could understand his motives. “I really have to go now. Sylvie’s waiting for me.”
His smile returned with full force and brought with it the most gorgeous dimples. I held my breath as his mouth came closer. But instead of kissing me, he whispered in my ear, “I’m still thinking of you. Even though everything’s messed up, I still want you by my side. I still want to be with you, within you, inside you, hearing you panting my name.”
Chapter 8
I had never been one to deal with emotions easily. My heart was racing, my mind was spinning, and my body was floating in a vacuum as Jett drove me back to the spa. After our conversation and the few unexpected turns it took, I didn’t know what to believe or think and, most importantly, I didn’t know what to say to him when letting my guard down wasn’t an option.
“Thanks for lunch.” My hand hovered on the door handle but something kept me from pulling it open.
“My pleasure,” Jett said softly. His gaze was focused on me, like always, but there was something in his eyes that made me instantly aware of the confined space we were in. He dominated everything: my thoughts, my space, even the air I breathed. My breath hitched. He was too close for comfort and I couldn’t get away fast enough.
“I’m sorry, I have to leave.” Without so much as a glance back I sprinted out of the car, heading for the safety of the spa’s salon.
As I pushed the heavy glass doors open, I could feel his stare burning a hole in my back. Only once I was inside the reception area did I dare stop and take a deep breath, searching for him across the street, but the car had already sped off. I didn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Either way, I had to conceal it because Sylvie had the keen eye of a hawk. The second she got suspicious, she’d commence her interrogation.
Luckily for me, Sylvie’s treatment wasn’t finished for another ten minutes. I left a message with the receptionist in case I wouldn’t be back on time and took off down the busy main street, through the gathered crowds of midday shoppers and tourists. Even though my eyes could see them, my brain continued to be occupied. Jett’s statements about the club bothered me. I was ready to take his warnings seriously and investigate his claims. My thoughts circled back to Jett and the fact that the spark was still there.
What did you expect, Stewart?
I rolled my eyes at my own stupidity. The kind of attraction we shared wasn’t likely to go away on its own within a few days. Deep down I had known this all along, and yet I still agreed to have lunch with him.
If you really wanted to move on, you could have done so with someone else—find a rebound, just like Sylvie. But you didn’t. You reserved a place in your heart for Jett, and you don’t want to fill it with someone else. You want him and you need to see if you can take things slowly. You’re ready to chase away the demons of your past and make room for a future with him.
I stopped at a tiny corner café that sold gelato cones and freshly made smoothies, and bought two plastic cups of watermelon frappe before returning to the spa. Sylvie was typing furiously on her phone when I reached her and handed her a cup. Her face was glowing and she seemed relaxed. I breathed out, relieved.
“Ready?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” She pointed at her watermelon frappe and took a sip as we walked out onto the street. “You were right. It was amazing. Such a shame you couldn’t come.”
“Yeah.” I shot her a smile.
“How did it go?”
“Good. The shops kept me busy,” I said. “Wanna grab lunch?”
Her entire expression changed within an instant. “I thought you were supposed to do something for the old man.”
Shoot, I completely forgot about my lie.
“I didn’t find what I came for,” I said, grimacing. “I’ll get it tomorrow. But wait until you see the shops around here. They’re shop-till-you-drop-worthy.”
Shit, I sounded so guilty I might as well stamp the words ‘I’m hiding something’ across my forehead.
“There’s a pizza restaurant not far from here.” Leaving the invitation open, I took a sip of my frappe and directed my vision at the next window display, pretending to admire a pair of what looked like brown riding boots with fringes. From her reflection I could tell she was still watching me with an annoyed frown. I hoped she couldn’t smell fear because my hands had begun to sweat and certainly not from the heat.
“Great. I’m starving,” she said.
Within five minutes, we were seated at a piazza table, sipping water as we contemplated the Italian menu.
“Are you trying to memorize your order?” Sylvie asked me.
“As a matter of fact, I am. Wanna help me?” I smiled and waved the waiter over to get our orders. He jotted it down and then I was alone with her again. My smile froze in place as my mind tried hard to come up with something to talk about, when all I wanted to do was lock myself in my room and obsess about my lunch with Jett.
Sylvie eyed me with a frown. “You’re a little quiet. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. No. I’m having this headache. Must be the heat.” I wasn’t lying. My head was pounding hard and I didn’t know whether it was because of the sun, the tension, or a little bit of everything.
Sylvie opened her bag and fished out a small bottle of aspirin, pushing it across the table. “Take two. We can’t afford you getting sick.”
Literally. I had no job and no health insurance.
“Thanks.” I swallowed two pills and rinsed the bitter aftertaste with a few gulps of water. While Sylvie left to use the restroom, the waiter brought our pizzas. I mouthed a heavily accented ‘grazie’ when the screen of my phone buzzed to life. I checked the caller. The number was private. Almost expecting Jett, I pressed the earpiece to my ear.
“Hello?”
An instant later, the line went dead. I frowned.
“Hey.” Sylvie slumped into her chair and grabbed a slice of pizza. “Who was it?”
“What?”
She took a big bite and pointed at the phone.
I waved my hand. “Wrong number.”
“You get phone calls abroad?”
“Apparently.”
I bit into a slice of pizza and began to chew, my appetite slowly returning as Sylvie resumed her chat about her impressions of Italy and god knows what. Thankfully, she was a bit of an entertainer and never needed much input from me to lead a conversation. As I struggled to listen, my headache improved but didn’t go away, and Sylvie eventually suggested we drive back to the estate.
***
The afternoon sun stood high, raising the temperature by a few more degrees. By the time we made it back it was 5 p.m. and still hot as a desert.
I lay down on my bed as Sylvie changed into her bikini, eager to deepen her tan. “Are you sure you don’t want to come?” She was standing in the middle of my room, slapping half a bottle of sunscreen on her already tanned body.
I shook my head, wincing at the jolts of pain blurring my vision. “No, you go and have fun. I’ll just sleep this off.”
A worried frown appeared on her face. “Want me to get you anything?”
“I’m fine.” I managed a fake smile and shooed her out the door.
“It must be the heat. If you need anything, just call.”
“Thanks, sweetie,” I whispered, leaning back against the cool satin sheets. Sylvie was right. I most certainly wasn’t accustomed to the Italian weather. In the silence and the serenity of this place, my dizziness slowly cleared until I felt confident enough to stand.
I pulled the brocade curtains aside. The sun was setting in countless shades of orange and copper streaking the evening sky. From the distance, I could make out Sylvie’s nak*d legs on an outdoor lounger facing the lake, her face obscured by a huge straw hat. Shrugging out of my skirt and into a pair of jeans, I figured I could either join her or do what I’d been waiting to do ever since Jett told me about the club. If it was the truth, there had to be some evidence somewhere.
This was my opportunity. I walked down the stairs, passed the kitchen and the living room, reached the door to the backyard, and stepped out into the fragrant evening air. My heart began to hammer against my ribcage, which was silly. The property was built on a hill, surrounded by thousands of acres of land. Even if I stumbled upon the one place mentioned in Jett’s reports, it was most unlikely I’d discover what others had already found when they combed the estate in Alessandro’s absence—and lost again. But the chapel, where Jett’s private detective had once located Maria Lucazzone’s diary, was my only lead.
Lost in my thoughts I scanned the area. According to Jett’s report, Alessandro had hundreds of miles of vineyards, forests and fields, not including the beautiful backyard. Standing here on the foot of the stairs, I couldn’t stop being impressed. The garden—although a little neglected—was still stunning, with tiny gravel stones building a strong contrast to the myriad of blooming flowers, and with palm and needle trees shielding the estate from prying eyes. This side of the house was surrounded by woods and mountains as far as I could see. I figured if someone wanted to hide a chapel, the tall trees would make it impossible to spy. It was the perfect place if you sought privacy.