Dion swings. The blond head bobs and ducks and then the mystery man lifts his fist and takes his own swing. It all happens so fast it’s a blur, but then suddenly the bartender is jumping over the bar, and Dion’s friends are rushing toward my Aussie accented hero. A bouncer comes rushing over, and Aussie hero grabs my hand, and I grab Jennie’s and we run. While the bartender is trying to hold back the triple Ds, he has left a bottle of Ruinart champagne unattended on the bar top. Hero grabs it with his free hand without slowing his pace.
He leads us to the narrow hallway where the restrooms are, and with his left foot, he kicks open the emergency exit, and we burst into the alleyway. The warm summer night air swirls around us. At the end of the alley, people bustle by, going about their night in Monaco. Jennie is the first to speak. “What the fuck just happened?”
“I saved your friend here from a super-douche,” Aussie says with a smile that knocks my heart sideways.
Aussie hero is gorgeous. Thick, tousled hair, eyes like aquamarine crystals, cleft chin, two subtle dimples. He’s a bucket list of physical perfection and the big, bold smile says he’s not sorry about it. Neither am I. But getting a good look at him, I also realize he’s Billy James.
“Thanks, I think,” Jennie says.
“Definitely thanks,” Billy confirms with that breathtaking grin again. Something inside me instantly hates he’s unleashed it on Jennie instead of me. “Those boys were total tossers.”
“Should we like keep running or something?” I ask. “In case the police get called.”
“I’m always up for some cardio,” Billy grabs my hand again, so I grab Jennie’s again, and we run down the alley.
We run until we’re all out of breath and the night air has turned salty. Larvotto beach spreads out before us. The sea is just an inky blob. Jennie rests on the small stone wall. “Holy shit, I wasn’t prepared for a marathon in these damn heels.”
I watch as she yanks off the high heeled sandals and Billy lifts up the champagne he’s still holding. “Hydration?”
I smile at his cute choice of words, like he’s offering her a Gatorade. Jennie smiles too but shakes her head. “I’m going to head back to the hotel.”
“Will you stay a little longer?” Billy asks me. His smile turns soft. “I promise I didn’t just save your from douchebags so I could become one.”
My eyes connect with Jennie’s, and we have another unspoken conversation.
I want to hang with him, my eyes say.
Hers dart up to Billy, who is starting to open the champagne with his back to me.He seems okay. Are you sure?
I give a small, quick nod.
Okay, her eyes say.
I turn to Billy James, the F2 driver that my father has mentioned in awe several times this season. “I’ll stick around for a bit.”
“Look at you, making my day.” He winks.
“It’s night.”
“Hard to tell with you around,” he retorts. “The world seems much brighter now.”
“Cheesy as hell,” I comment, but I’m grinning with abandon.
“I believe it’s calledfromagehere.” Billy winks again and pops the champagne.
He is charming with a capital C.
“Drop me a pin with your location if you move,” Jennie says in my ear and she hugs me good-bye. “See you tomorrow, bestie. Bye Aussie Hero.”
Billy waves at her as she leaves, and I watch her carefully as she crosses the street and walks two buildings over to our hotel. I don’t turn back to Billy until I see the doorman hold the door open for her. “So, where to?”
“Beach,” Billy announces. “But not this one. Police patrol it, and I don’t think they’d appreciate the bottle of Ruinart. I know another one. More private.”
I hesitate as he takes a couple steps. He wouldn’t have rescued me just to kill me, right? Or is he the guy who does that to gain my trust so he can feed my body to the sharks after he’s done with it? I hate that I have to worry about that, but I do. The joy of being a woman.
“Look, I wasn’t going to say this because it makes me sound like a pompous panda, but I’m a driver,” he says.
In a snap decision I decide to play dumb. “An F1 driver?”
