“Damn right,” I shot back with a laugh, holding out my hand. When she took it, lacing her fingers with mine, my heart rate spiked like I’d just been called into the final lap of a race.
We were just stepping outside to the valet when Matteo piped up. “I, uh, accidentally called my own car. Guess we’ll just meet you there,” he announced, a little too casually, as two sleek black town cars pulled up.
“Accidentally?” I deadpanned.
He grinned like the cat that caught the canary, mouthing,Good luck.
Once we were alone in the backseat of the town car, I turned to Lucia, feeling my pulse quicken again. “I was actually hoping to talk to you about something,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady and not sound like a total idiot.
She looked at me with curious, open eyes, her lips parting slightly as she waited. And that’s when I noticed her lips, glossy and red, glinting under the dim interior light. My train of thought completely derailed, leaving me sitting there like a guy who’d just forgotten how to form coherent words.
“Okay…” she prompted, her voice soft but tinged with amusement as she gave me an encouraging smile.
“The kiss,” I blurted.
The second the words left my mouth, her cheeks turned pink, and she glanced down at her hands, fiddling with her fingers.
“It was—but I also wanted to check in, since we haven’t kissed in front of Gianna before and…”
She met my eyes again, her expression unreadable but her cheeks still warm. My stomach flipped. This was my moment, my chance to say something?—
The car jerked slightly as it pulled to an unexpected stop.
“What the hell?” I glanced out the window, confused.
“Apologies, sir,” the driver called from the front seat. “We’ve got a flat. The other car is stopping to take you the rest of the way.”
Of course.
Of course, this would happen.
I closed my eyes briefly, muttering a curse under my breath as Lucia bit back a laugh. “Guess we’re carpooling,” she said.
28
LUCIA
The town car jerked to a stop in front of us, and I barely had time to register the flat tire before Matteo and Nicola’s car slowed to a halt right behind us. Alexander had seemed like he wanted to talk to me about something and I felt the pang of nervous energy. He mentioned kissing in front of Gianna, and it was the first time we had done that; we had been careful not to kiss in front of her so as not to confuse her. But she hadn’t been fazed, had brushed it away when I asked her about it:Mommy, you said you kiss people you love. We love Alex.Then she returned to asking if we could watch a princess movie.
Alexander sighed beside me, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like a curse, as Matteo rolled down his window and leaned out.
“What’d you do this time, Wright?” Matteo called out with a grin, his elbow resting lazily on the window ledge.
“It’s a flat tire, genius,” Alexander shot back, opening his door. “Unless you think I went outside and slashed it for fun.”
“I wouldn’t put it past you,” Matteo quipped, already opening his own door. “C’mon, get in. Plenty of room in our car for everyone.”
Nicola groaned audibly. “Oh,great.Now we’re playing sardines. Just what I wanted.”
“Relax, Nic,” Matteo said, smirking as he climbed out. “I’m sure you’ll survive five minutes squished next to me.”
“Doubt it, I’ll probably contract a disease,” Nicola muttered, shooting him a glare as she slid over to make room.
Alexander held out a hand to help me out of the car, and my stomach flipped as our fingers touched. The memory of his kiss after the race flashed in my mind like a neon sign I couldn’t turn off. I glanced up at him, but his expression was unreadable as he waited for me to climb into Matteo and Nicola’s car.
Matteo gave me an exaggerated grin as I slid into the backseat. “Welcome to the party, Luce!” he said, as if this were some kind of exclusive VIP lounge instead of a crowded car.
“Thanks for the invitation,” I said dryly, squeezing into the middle seat as Alexander climbed in beside me.
