My foot on the clutch, I put the car into first gear, watching in awe as it starts moving. I steer it toward the gates, and soon we're on the road.
"Gentle with the clutch," Enzo comments, his gaze focused on the road, "now shift into second."
I do what he says, and as I speed up, I even manage to put it in third gear.
"Wow!" I exclaim as I feel the adrenaline rushing through me.
"Easy, let's not get too overconfident," Enzo notes when my foot pushes a little too hard on the gas pedal.
"This is…" I trail off, words failing me. I feel tears accumulating in the corners of my eyes, overwhelmed by feelings of freedom.
"I know," Enzo quirks a smile, and I return it sheepishly before returning my gaze to the road.
Out of nowhere, though, something appears in my field of vision and I panic, hitting both the clutch and the brake at the same time. It's so sudden, I don't know exactly what happens, but one moment we're going at full speed, and the next the car stops and I'm flung forward, the seatbelt the only thing keeping me from a full-on collision with the steering wheel.
"Fuck!" I hear Enzo exclaim, but my whole body is still in shock, barely moving.
"Little tigress? Allegra?" His words register in my brain, butit's like I can't reply. He gets out of his seat, coming around to open my door and undo my seatbelt. I'm trembling at this point, and he takes me in his arms, hugging me to his chest.
"Shh," he strokes my hair with one hand, the other arm wrapped tightly around my waist. "We're fine. Nothing happened." His voice is so soft, so gentle, and I peer at him through tear-streaked lashes, trying to get some words out.
"Don't speak," he whispers in my ear, followed by more words of assurance.
A minute passes, and I find the strength to fist the material of his sweater in my hands. Raising my head, I meet his eyes and see genuine worry in them.
He cares.
It might be just an act, and if that's so, then he's a brilliant actor.
But as I see the unmistakable affection in his gaze, I do the thing that comes most naturally to me—I push my lips to his for a kiss.
He's startled at first, but his lips mold to mine perfectly, his mouth opening over mine and deepening the kiss.
He's… comfort… and something more.
26
ALLEGRA
The weeks pass,and I find that even Lucia's taunts have become muted sounds in my ears. Not when I feel like I'm grasping at real happiness for the first time in my life.
I'd been skeptical about Enzo from the beginning, mostly because I'd seen the danger he could cause my heart. And so I'd closed myself off, and I'd tried to ignore these strange feelings growing inside me.
Until I couldn't anymore.
When was it that I started seeing him differently?
Was it when he defended me in front of his mother and Gianna, or was it when his small gestures of kindness slowly but steadily started to make my heart beat faster?
While we've maintained our separate sleeping quarters for now, we've been spending time together almost every day. Even my bucket list is nearing its end.
Just last week, he'd taken me to the Met, and we'd browsed the galleries together for hours. I'd never realized just how knowledgeable he was in history, and he had a small anecdote for each artifact we viewed.
Probably the most memorable visit had been the one to theStrand, where he'd bought me no fewer than fifty books. I'd gone mad when I'd seen so many titles in one place, and I couldn't stop myself. He had even encouraged me to get more.
I'd swung from one aisle to another, excitement pumping through my veins as I found yet another book that interested me. I'd even picked up some romance novels, and this time he hadn't made fun of me.
With so many good things happening to me in such a short period of time, I have to wonder if it's not a dream. I've never had anyone be so kind to me before, aiming to please my every whim.
