by Jules Wake
As if she’d been doing it all her life, she handed him the keys and walked into the hotel. She enjoyed every step she took across the cool marble-floored foyer.
Several heads turned as she walked by, as if they wanted to know more about the woman who owned the vintage Ferrari. Behind her sunglasses her eyes twinkled. Quite a few open looks of admiration followed her, although she didn’t fool herself they meant anything; it was more about the car, but it helped that she looked the part in her smart white linen trousers, kitten heels, the lime green cardie and scarf.
For a moment she felt like she was in someone else’s life and with the feeling came a starburst of awareness. It was as if she’d spent her whole life indoors and had just stepped out into the sunlight, been dazzled by it at first but now didn’t want to go back inside ever again. Almost overcome with the thought she had to steady herself at the wide mahogany check in desk. Her smile took over her face and the small dark Italian receptionist smiled broadly back in response.
‘Good afternoon. Can I help you?’ she asked.
How did they always know you were English?
‘Good afternoon.’ She sounded calm and collected, at complete odds with how the revelation had rocked her. ‘I’d like to check in. I called earlier. Laurie Browne.’
‘Ah, yes Miss Browne. You’re a very popular signorina,’ said the receptionist with a quizzical smile.
Laurie returned the smile wondering what that meant as she went through the formalities of registration, trying to tamp down the churning excitement in her stomach.
She remained impassive in the lift, down the corridor and only when she’d tipped the bellboy and closed the door, did she let out the squeal of excitement.
The first room, a suite no less, had floor to ceiling windows overlooking the town, leading to a large balcony. Two grey velvet sofas faced each other separated by a glass table, each piled with cushions in white and pale gold. Matching silk drapes framed the window billowing onto the floor, where they pooled like a golden waterfall.
She grinned to herself. This really was her life now, not someone else’s. She wasn’t ever leaving the sunshine again. Time to text Ron. She couldn’t wait to tell him what she’d decided.
Then, she’d check the rest of the suite out.
Satisfied with the huge double bed with crisp white cotton sheets and slightly repelled by the over ornate bathroom of onyx and gold plated taps … the Italians she’d discovered did love their bathrooms … she unpacked, still delighting in the new clothes as she hung up the perfect capsule wardrobe. Perhaps she could go to Paris once a year to visit her personal shopper. And didn’t that sound something; sadly her new outlook wasn’t necessarily matched by her income, but if she saved up she could make it an annual trip. As soon as she got home she was going to have to find a new job pronto.
The peremptory knock at the door startled her. Ron had responded quickly to her text even though he’d not replied. He must have come straight up.
It didn’t occur to her until she’d begun to open the door that the loud rap had been far more forceful and demanding than she’d have expected from the mild-mannered solicitor.
Her hand froze but it was too late.
‘Cam.’ Her stomach fizzed at the sight of him and an involuntary smile broke out. His tan had deepened, accentuating the deep green of his eyes. A wave of longing almost felled her. He was even more gorgeous in the flesh than her constant memories. God she’d missed him.
The feeling it appeared was not reciprocated, not from the way his mouth narrowed in a firm slash and the air of menace he carried with each step over the threshold. He didn’t return the smile and she took a wary step back.
‘Where the hell have you been?’ Cam’s growl made her swallow.
‘I … did text …’
Cam raised an eyebrow. Shit, he was right. He’d deserved more than that.
‘Sorry,’ she said in a quiet voice.
Cam took a step forward and she reversed up another step, although she lifted her chin. Now was not the time to back down. OK, she’d been a bit inconsiderate … but he’d been an arrogant git. She didn’t owe him anything … he’d been paid by Miles for the trip. Hadn’t he? Unease flickered in her mind. He’d always been quite evasive about that.
For a moment she really did think he might throttle her as something like fury blazed in his eyes. She licked her lips in a vain attempt to dispel the sudden dryness of her mouth and couldn’t pull her gaze away from his.
For a charged moment they stared at each other, then with a single stride Cam hauled her into his arms, a firm hand behind her head as he brought his lips straight down on hers with a groan.
Like a match to a fuse, the touch of them ignited all the fluttery feelings in her stomach and she wrapped her arms around his neck, returning everything with the kiss.
The warm, mobile mouth searched hers, firm and insistent, and intent on taking, and all she could do was give back. It felt like she couldn’t get enough of him, as if she was trying to breathe and still couldn’t get air into her lungs.
When his mouth finally stilled, he sighed, making her heart sing.
‘I’m going,’ he kissed her again, ‘to kill you,’ and nuzzled at her neck. ‘I’ve aged ten years, worrying about you.’
Guilt kicked like a physical punch to the stomach.
She plunged her hands into his hair and pulled his mouth back to hers. ‘I’m sorry. I—’
The apology sank without a trace as he took control of her mouth again and she clung to him, knees weak.
Gradually the storm settled and resting her forehead against his, she savoured the sound of his ragged breathing and the closeness of his broad chest. She sighed.
‘I should have let you know where I was. Guess I had to prove something, not just to you but me too. The time, I needed it … but it was inconsiderate … I was being stubborn.’ She risked a quick glance. ‘That needy comment …’
He shook his head, and grimaced and gave a half-laugh. ‘Got that wrong didn’t I? You’re the least needy woman I’ve ever met. I was just too dumb to see it at the time.’
They both paused. Laurie wasn’t sure where it left them. The liked each other. There was a strong attraction. In the past she would have left it, just let things drift without trying to define it. That’s what had happened with Robert. Not once had she questioned the foundations of what they had. She’d been passive and let their relationship happen.
This time, she would define things and if it didn’t work out – fine – but at least it would be on her terms. An active decision.
‘Cam—’
‘—Laurie.’
They pulled back from each other, suddenly awkward, but she had to say her piece. Now or never.
‘Cam, I know you kind of freaked out when I said that I’d decided to finish with Robert, but it had nothing to do with you.’
‘Ouch.’ He rubbed his arm. ‘That’s my ego taking a bashing.’
‘Look, I’m not … vastly experienced and I probably shouldn’t have slept with you because … I just shouldn’t.’
‘I’m not so sure about that,’ teased Cam.
Her lips twitched. ‘Thing is … this whole trip has opened my eyes. I did sleep with you because I …’ she couldn’t help the blush that leapt into her cheeks, ‘I fancied the pants off you.’ With a quick grin, she gave him a deliberately lascivious look, revelling in the sense of power she felt. ‘Still do. But I haven’t ever really lived. Robert and I fell into a relationship, it wasn’t planned or decided upon, it just happened. And that’s what happened when I slept with you … it just happened. I don’t want to fall into things anymore. I want to know what I want and act accordingly.’ She stopped and sighed. ‘God, that sounds prissy.’
Cam just smiled, his hands hooked in his jeans’ pockets and she couldn’t help her eyes straying to the noticeable bulge there. It made her feel a lot better and she grinned, her confidence back. ‘I’m not even sure I want a lon
g term relationship just now, or even commitment but,’ she sobered and took a deep breath because this was where she took a chance, a risk, ‘I’d like something with you.’ There, she’d said it.
Cam blinked. ‘What? No strings attached? Fling sort of thing.’ He scowled. ‘What about what I want?’
Laurie took an uncertain step back, wrong-footed by the suddenly serious expression on his face.
‘You want my body, basically.’ Cam looked pissed off.
She almost smiled but didn’t dare, he reminded her of a small boy who’d had his favourite toy removed.
‘That’d be nice,’ she smirked, letting her gaze rove over his body watching his dilate even as his eyes narrowed. She’d riled him good and proper and it felt good. The feeling of control rocked through her.
‘You are kidding?’ He looked ready to throttle her.
Hiding a smile she said, ‘No Cam, I want more than that but I don’t know how much. I’d like to see what will happen. There’s definite chemistry, we get on well … I’d like to see if there’s more but I’m not expecting forever or anything like that.
‘What if I do?’ His low growl turned her stomach over and for a moment she felt light-headed.
‘Don’t be daft. We hardly know each other.’ She glanced at her watch as if that would tell her how much time they’d spent together. Although logically if you took the hours and minutes they’d spent together since they left England, it was a lot more than most couples did in their early stages of dating. ‘Besides, I need to speak to Robert. I shouldn’t have slept with you. I need to tell him it’s over and I can’t do it over the phone.’
Cam stilled. ‘When was the last time you spoke to him?’
There was something he wasn’t telling her, she could sense it from his sudden watchfulness. She’d been putting off contacting Robert using the poor signal in the mountains to help her justify delaying the inevitable. Or did he want to know whether she’d made the effort to contact Robert before him? Somehow she didn’t think Cam was the jealous type.
‘I texted him a couple of times but I haven’t spoken to him since Paris.’
‘You didn’t invite him to meet you here?’
That didn’t sound good. Laurie closed her eyes. ‘He’s here, isn’t he?’
Cam nodded. ‘Yup.’
‘Oh God, how long has he been here?’
‘Two days.’
‘Shit.’ She turned away and went over to the window. Facing Robert now was the last thing she wanted to do. He wouldn’t approve at all. She sighed heavily.
‘You know he’s a dickhead.’
‘I think you’ve said it before.’
‘Yeah, well, just reiterating.’
Laurie could feel a pulse pinging in her forehead. Damn. Why did life have to go and get complicated? In Lake Garda, on her own without facing real people, it had all seemed so obvious and simple.
Robert was going to blow a gasket. She hadn’t banked on him being around. Too late to disappear again now. She looked at her watch. Had Ron got her text yet? Which reminded her. ‘How did you know I was here?’
‘I bribed the girl on reception to let me know as soon as you checked in.’ Cam grinned. ‘Robert’s been lurking in the lobby for two days straight now.’ He laughed wickedly. ‘He’ll be livid he missed you.’
Laurie felt relieved that he had, which made the necessity of speaking to Ron all the more urgent. ‘Do you know where Ron is? I thought you were him actually.’
‘I had dinner with him last night. He said he’d got business at the Ferrari museum today. Something to do with Miles’ estate.’
Damn. She really wanted to sort things out before she had to face Robert. Get it all sorted. She checked her phone. Ron’s text confirmed what Cam had said. Ron was indeed at the Ferrari museum and suggested she meet him there at 3.00 p.m. in the car.
She showed Cam the text.
Cam merely grinned. ‘Great, can I take you for lunch? There’s a lovely restaurant just down the road, Miles recommended it. The Sil—’
‘—Silver Fig,’ she finished. It had been included in the dossier. Her stomach rumbled in agreement and Cam held out the crook of his arm.
‘Just let me change, I’d like to put on a dress.’
‘By the way …’
She bit her lip at his tone, it didn’t bode well.
‘About this provisional licence …’
Chapter 27
How had he ever thought she was needy? Cam could kick himself now. Chatting with great animation, as she sipped Pellegrino water, she told him about her run-in with the police.
‘So how come you don’t have a driving licence?’
Laurie’s face clouded with sadness. He squeezed the hand he hadn’t let go of since they’d sat down at the table. ‘The day I was due to take my test, Dad had a heart attack.’ She winced and he could see the pain in her eyes. ‘After that, I just decided I didn’t need to drive. I wasn’t going to leave him. Not when he might die. Driving didn’t seem that important.’
‘After he died, Robert was always around and I never needed to drive, so there was no incentive to take a test. I could always drive with him because your provisional licence lasts for ages and then you can just keep renewing it. So I never got round to taking the test.’ She pulled a face. ‘It was one less risk to take in life.’
‘So you decided to drive across Europe without a licence … that sounds pretty risky to me.’
‘Yeah, well at first I had no intention of taking Miles’ challenge. Then you … you were so bloody arrogant assuming that I couldn’t possibly drive a car like that … which I knew damn well I could. Then after we went to the test track, it kind of got into my blood again. I figured I could get you to do most of the driving and if I drove when you were in the car, it would be all right.
‘Only Robert looked it up on the internet … he didn’t want me to go.’
‘I bet he didn’t.’
‘Why do you say that?’
Her face shone with innocence and the quiet beauty he could now appreciate. ‘I suspect, he knew once you had a taste of the big bad world, you would want more from life or that you might leave him behind in the slow lane.’
‘That’s …’ she bit her lip as she considered his words. He felt unkind at being so brutal but it was true. She even looked different. Taller when she walked. Unafraid to look people in the eye. There was a sparkle about her which had been missing before. Yeah, the hair and the clothes had changed, but they were superficial. The change came from deep within. He would do anything to prevent that being snuffed out again. Even if he wasn’t the one for her, he didn’t want her to go back to what she’d been before.
He smiled to himself.
‘What?’ Laurie leaned forward. ‘What’s that for?’ She touched his mouth, a gesture that a month ago, she’d never have initiated.
How did he tell her she was about to become very wealthy?
‘Do you know the different between a short wheel base and a long wheel base?’ he asked.
She frowned, a dimple appearing in her cheek. ‘That’s what Robert asked me when I was in Paris.’
‘Really?’ The mercenary git. Robert had definitely been doing his homework.
‘And yes, I do know actually …’
He waited a second, unsure whether she really did know how much the Ferrari was worth.
‘A short wheel base is shorter and a long wheel base is longer.’
He leant over and kissed her. Adorable and completely innocent. He wondered how she would feel when she realised that she’d been driving the car without valid insurance all this time. He had a feeling she’d be horrified. That was one hell of a bigger risk than she’d have been prepared to take.
‘Trust Miles to have some pomp and circumstance arranged.’ As she turned onto the Via Enzo Ferrari, she spotted the stewards waiting.
‘You know Miles …’ Cam’s voice trailed off. She touched his hand as she felt her own swift pierce of grie
f.
‘He was one of a kind. I’ll miss him, but he’s given me so much back. This …’ she paused, loath to use the clichéd phrase, ‘trip has really been a journey for me.’
Cam squeezed her hand back. ‘A good one though.’
‘The best.’
‘Can you hold onto that thought?’
His urgent tone made her turn to him. Worry lines erased the laughter around his eyes and a sombre expression had dimmed the usual vibrancy of his green eyes.
‘What’s wrong?’
He hesitated but just as he was about to say something, a loud cheer from outside the car erupted.
Blimey. There was a welcome committee, including a TV crew all waiting behind the huge chequered flag that was being waved enthusiastically by a diminutive man in a scarlet driving suit. The driveway was lined with Ferrari liveried drivers, the familiar black stallion etched on their breast pockets.
Would have been nice if Ron could have forewarned her. Good job she’d put her red dress on, although that was more for Cam’s benefit. It might fool some people into thinking she’d prepared properly.
Actually, it wouldn’t have mattered if she’d driven in stark naked. Every man’s eyes were on the car and from the glazed expressions on their faces she expected them to collapse in a heap of drool at any second. No doubt about it, this car was a showstopper and if you were a Ferrari aficionado, it was like all your orgasms coming in one. Men would kill to get their hands on this baby. She patted the steering wheel. OK maybe kill was an exaggeration but she was pretty sure they’d go to great lengths.
As she brought the car to a halt just by a small podium, a loud cheer went up and she could see Ron on top of the podium, an A4 envelope in his hand, flanked by Robert.
