The new couple already on the fritz, Moretti Heiress and her new beau, Moretti Racing Driver, Matteo DeLuca, fighting after a podium finish!
Nicola won’t share the spotlight with up-and-coming Formula One driver Matteo DeLuca.
“You’re such a spotlight hog,” I poked at her.
“Sorry I thought we were broken up, who are you?” she threw back. I tipped her head up, hand on her chin, and then pulled her to me.
“I’m the best damn lay you’ve ever met,” I smirked and crashed my lips to her.
“Damn right.” She let her head fall back in laughter. A throat cleared from the front of the car.
“So sorry, but where are we headed this morning?” the driver asked.
“The Langlin Hotel, please,” Nicola replied. He nodded then the divider began raising into place, giving us back some privacy. I did my best to keep it light in the car. Our usual jabs were softer now, more playful.
“Your sister is in love, by the way.”
“Obviously,” I replied.
“You knew?” she gasped.
“Yeah, I’m not blind. They were. The fake dating charade was hilarious though. Alexander’s had eyes for her since the first time I brought him to the Vineyard.” I shrugged.
“What?” Nicola shrieked. “How long ago was that!”
“Years ago, when she was engaged to the asshat. She came to a good amount of home races with my parents too, and back in the F2 days. I mean Alex got pulled up faster than me, but yeah, the heart eyes started early.”
“That didn’t bug you?”
“Nope, I just want her to be happy. She and Gianna deserve the world.”
“They really do,” Nicola sighed. “Their love story is kind of magical.”
“Nicola Moretti believing in love?” I gasped.
“I believe in love!” she shot back, offended. “I just thought maybe I ran out of luck. I had my chances and nothing stuck. How many chances does one get at real love?”
“You deserve love, just as anyone does.”
“I am loved. I have my family, my friends. I just, I don’t know. Romantic love seems different, ya know? Like it’s thisultra-rare thing, someone to love every part of you as you are, in all your different phases and ways. My parents love each other in this really unique way. They’re totally different people but they still work. Something about that is kind of amazing. To the outside world, they don’t fit. And while my dad shows maybe no love on the outside, he shows up for us in every way that counts. He’s really never let me down, which is also an incredibly fortunate thing. Having parents that are still married feels insane these days. But they didn’t even marry till they were in their forties, so who knows. Maybe it’ll find me eventually.”
“It will,” I nodded, sure of it. Hopefully it would be me, but I was positive that she would find that ‘sweep you off your feet’ love.
“I’m a Moretti after all—apparently even you’re using me for my name.” She batted her lashes at me and gave my cheek a kiss. My heart hummed at the contact.
“You being a Moretti is the least interesting thing about you.”
“Um?” She shot me an unsure look.
“You’re a force, don’t get me wrong. But not because you’re a Moretti, because you’re Nicola. Because you sing when you get ready in the morning and do a little happy dance after your first bite of food, and because you care about people in a huge, life-altering way. When you put your mind to something, you dedicate everything you have to it. Like the programs you’re collaborating with for the Foundation. You’re scary on the outside—” She glared again. “But you’ve got this huge heart. The most interesting thing about you is that you areyou.”
She stared at me, her eyes looking a little glassy before she leaned in for a soft kiss. Not rushed or heated or frantic, but slow and soft. I wanted to collect all the versions of the way she kisses. Every single damn one.
The car pulled to a stop outside the Langlin Hotel. If I thought the hotel Anna placed us at this weekend was nice, this one would blow it out of the water.
“Damn,” I said looking through the window.
“Pretty right? And I get this one too.”
