Ah, Sebastian’s uncle. No wonder.
“Lynn.”
The man nodded. Since they couldn’t converse, Eduardo cranked up the zesty Italian folk music bouncing through the car’s tinny speakers. She laughed in delight when he belted out the harmonies, encouraging her to clap along. His charisma was impossible to resist. Another trait that ran in the family, she supposed.
Just as Eduardo delivered the rousing finale, they swung into a narrow stone driveway.
The charming terracotta-tile-roofed villa nestled in a field of wild flowers and citrus trees. Perched on a low outcropping, it overlooked the warm waters of the Mediterranean, cerulean even at dusk. The hue of the waves washing the shore reminded her of Sebastian’s eyes.
But before regret could overwhelm her, Eduardo cupped her elbow. He guided her toward the rear of the structure with a knowing smile. The crowd of laughing, drinking, joking locals gathered around an outdoor fire pit and a TV—plugged in via an enormous extension cord from the main house—surprised her.
Bright red and blue pennants adorned with Driven Wild and Sebastian’s team logo strung across the lush yard, creating a ceiling over the gathered tables piled with pastries and wine. Eduardo whisked her suitcase inside before she could stop him. When she followed, a woman carrying a checked hand towel greeted her with a smile.
“You are Lynn Madison?”
“Mrs. Fiori?”
“
Si,
Maria.” The woman welcomed her with open arms. In two seconds flat, she’d been smothered in a giant squeezy hug against Sebastian’s mother’s ample cleavage without so much as a hint of the appraising stare she’d dreaded. “Welcome to Erchie and to our home. You are just in time!”
“Thank you. Truly.” Lynn tried to focus on Mrs. Fiori’s easy acceptance despite the whispers spreading through the gathering like wildfire. More than one young woman shot her a glare sharp enough to sting across the patio. “Am I interrupting? I can go for a walk until your event is finished. Unless there’s something I help with?”
“Not at all! You’ll sit. Watch the race? Sebastian starts in five minutes.” A hint of unease crept into the gracious host’s eyes, which reminded her so much of the man who’d rocked her world.
“Tonight? I didn’t realize…” God, flying along ridiculous courses in the dark! Why hadn’t she considered the dangers inherent in his job? She reached out without thinking to pat Maria’s hand where it wrung her apron. “I would like that very much.”
They sank to a rustic bench together. Someone thrust a glass into her hand, the maroon wine sloshing onto her fingers as they passed by. What must it be like to have so many people rooting for you, supporting you? Sebastian had innumerable ties here yet still he seemed free to do as he pleased.
Could there be a difference between a bond and a restraint?
She took a slug of the cheap wine, savoring the burn as it slid through her system. The commentators finished their run-through of tonight’s stage, the final section of this event. Lynn cringed when she studied the insane wiggles in the gravel course. Unease skittered along her spine, inciting a shiver.
“These are the worst for me to watch.” Maria polished off her own drink then snagged a replacement. “He’s leading by almost two minutes. He could play safe. But my son does not know how.”
In the background, a flashy graphic plotted Sebastian’s current time versus the world record. At this point, he edged out in front by several seconds. Never mind that he held the top five ranks, she knew he’d do his best to shatter his previous mark.
“How long will it last?” Her ignorance rankled. Why hadn’t she paid closer attention to the facts at the museum instead of staring at his tight ass in all the pictures?
“This stage…twenty-seven kilometers.” Maria nodded as she considered, “I bet he will finish in no more than ten minutes.”
Some quick mental math had her eyebrows rising. “In these conditions?”
Maria didn’t answer. Instead she made the sign of the cross then focused in on the television. People stood and cheered as three electronic beeps heralded the launch. Then, in a cloud of dust, Sebastian’s car rocketed from the starting line. She could see two shadows inside the cabin of the car but couldn’t make out either Sebastian or Mark’s features behind the thick helmets they wore.
The cheers of the Fiori’s friends, neighbors and relatives brought the night alive. Lynn couldn’t believe how fast the bright car flew through twists and turns. The slides over treacherous lines left razor-thin margins of error. Each time Sebastian nailed a section, the gathering grew more rowdy until catcalls, whistles and yells drowned out the sound from the television not two feet in front of her.
Lynn took her focus from the screen for a millisecond to observe the outpouring of pure excitement for a man who had obviously touched many people in his lifetime. She didn’t need to see the screen to know something had gone horribly wrong when the crowd hushed mid-cheer. A glass shattered in the background as it hit the pavers.
Her head whipped around to see Sebastian’s car crash through the underbrush and clip the corner of a stone wall. It jolted to a stop, nose down in a ditch. The pain in her chest as her heart skipped a few beats alarmed her in the far recesses of her mind. She couldn’t say who’d moved first but Maria clenched her hand so tight she thought her knuckles might crack, and Lynn returned the favor.
Though it seemed an eternity of uncertain terror passed, seconds later, a communal sigh of relief washed over her when the lights on Sebastian’s car flicked three times in rapid succession.
“His sign to me.” Maria explained between whispered prayers of thanks.
Lynn watched, numb, as Mark and Sebastian erupted from the vehicle then pushed it out of the rut, onto the course. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her skull when the crazy bastards piled into the deathtrap and took off along the route.
As though the world hadn’t ground to a stop, cheers blanketed her again. But nothing could chase the chill from her bones. Both because she feared for Sebastian’s safety in the remainder of the race and because she could no longer deny how deep he’d embedded himself in her heart during their
meaningless
night together.
She stayed long enough to watch him clamber onto the roof of his dented vehicle with Mark. The roar of the hometown crowd—not to mention the shower of champagne dousing them—making it clear they’d won yet another race.
Then she staggered to her feet. Maria rose with her, throwing an arm around Lynn’s waist. She understood Lynn’s sudden desire for solitude, guiding her through the cheerful citrus colored décor to Sebastian’s room.
“I wish I could say the wrecks get easier but I can’t.” When Lynn didn’t answer Maria’s soothing rambling, the woman continued. “You’ve had a long day. I think some sleep would do you well.”
The older woman flipped on the bare overhead light, casting the cozy space in a warm glow. Every inch of plaster had been covered by framed articles on her son’s success. One corner held a rustic bookshelf buried in trophies. The bed had been turned down with fresh sheets, flowers spread over the pillow.
The idea of sleeping here, surrounded by the man she would never forget—but had already lost—had her aching and on edge. “Why are you doing this? Why let me stay here? I am nothing to him. To you.”
“I’ve always wished one thing for my son. They say I spoil him but I want him to have everything he desires, no matter how big the dream. Sebastian says you’re special to him.”
“How can he know? We’re almost strangers. And I’m so much older than him! Doesn’t that bother you?”
“Hearts know nothing of time—not age or length of acquaintance. They know only what they need. The moment I met my husband, I knew. Here.” Maria collected Lynn’s hand, clasped it in her own as she touched it to the place over her heart. “My son has never said this to me before, please understand. You two are destined.”
Lynn concentrated on preventing her eyes from rolling. A couple of wild fucks between strangers couldn’t be written off as cosmic intervention. More like irrational, reckless and decadent decision making.
“You do not believe.”
“In fate? No, I’m sorry.”
“Then think of how you miss him. Call it whatever you like. I can see the truth in your eyes. Your fear for him is as deep as mine. I believe you are special and I would not have you hurt. That would cause my son pain.”
Maria hugged her then turned to go. “Sleep well, Lynn. Sebastian says he dreams with you still.”
Lynn sagged onto the comforting flannel sheets. She sighed as she burrowed into Sebastian’s bed, deluding herself into thinking she caught the scent of him on the pillow.
That must have been why visions of him surrounded her all night long.
Lynn tipped her chin to catch rays of the mid-afternoon sun on her face. With her eyes closed, she savored the breeze fluffing her hair, making her gauzy sarong dance around her legs. She curled her toes in the damp sand, at peace for the first time in many months.
She’d decided.
Today she would read Sebastian’s emails—she hadn’t yet emptied her recycle bin—with an open mind before sending him a note in return. Maybe she’d get his number from Maria so she could hear his voice again. Just for a minute.
She could admit to herself that she’d overreacted now. Yes, he’d gone too far but she’d worried so much about her precious freedom that she’d overlooked the difference between a leash and an invitation.
Regret had her sighing as she considered the time she’d wasted. Unwilling to exacerbate her mistake, she pivoted, heading for the netbook she’d stowed in her room. Sebastian’s room.
Her foot froze mid-step when she caught sight of the man ambling toward her.
He hesitated, as though unsure of his welcome, but she couldn’t deny the thrill that raced through her at the sight of him. His unbuttoned shirt rippled in the gentle wind, revealing the perfection of his sculpted torso above low-slung cargo shorts. Olive skin shone, making her fingers tingle with the need to explore.
But his piercing blue eyes, shadowed with uncertainty, had her bolting across the distance between them until she molded to his solid chest.
He wrapped her in a bear hug then whispered in her hair, “
Come, mi sei mancata!
”
“Did you just call me pasta?” She separated the scant inch necessary to peek up at him.
“Definitely not,” he laughed. “Though you look good enough to eat.
Dio
, I missed you.”
“Same here,” she sighed. Before she could think better of it, her fingertips traced the gash on his bold cheekbone. “You scared me half to death last night.”
“Sorry ’bout that,
tesoro
.” His head dipped, his lips nearing hers. “But I’m glad to hear you still care. I thought I might have ruined everything. Ruined this…”
Lynn’s breath caught in her lungs when Sebastian kissed her. Their lips brushed then melded as they both took and received in turn. The sparks she’d thought she’d amplified in her memory flared between them, setting her on fire.
Sebastian scooped her into his arms, her ass resting in his broad palms as she wrapped her legs around his trim waist. She practically climbed him in her desperation to get closer. He walked them to the water’s edge, slipping behind an outcropping of rock, shielding them from anyone who might be watching from inside.
He laid her in the soft sand, following her down. “Lynn, wait—”
“Talk later.” She yanked the hem of his shirt over his head, stripping the well-worn fabric off his shoulders. “Please, Bastian, show me you still feel it too. Nothing else matters.”
For long minutes they lost themselves in the simple pleasure of kissing—tasting, nipping and licking—until the bliss overwhelmed reason. She had to have him again, had to fuse them until separation became impossible.
“Wait,
tesoro
.” Sebastian groaned as he lifted off her. “I need you to know this is not meaningless to me. Far from it.”
“Shh.” Lynn gathered him close once more, peppering his face, neck and shoulders with kisses. “Not for me either.”
“Thank God.” Waves lapped at their toes where their legs tangled on the beach. He bracketed her face with gentle hands then sipped from her lips as he nudged her thighs apart to make room for his frame in the cradle of her hips.
His hard cock branded her through the khaki shorts separating their heat. She plunged her hands beneath the waistband then grabbed his bare ass under the fabric.
“Ever make love on the beach before, Bastian?”
“I’ve never had sex like this. Not in the daylight, out of the water, where anyone could see if they walk by or pass in a boat.” He tossed a glance over his shoulder to be sure no one lurked in the background. His sudden modesty amused her, tempting her to push him until he murmured, “And I’ve never made love to a woman in my life. But I’d like to try it with you.”
“Same here.” She rolled, tucking him beneath her as she straddled his hips. While he licked his lips, she reached behind her to loosen the tie on her bikini top.
Bastian’s hands glided over the sides and back of her thighs, allowing her to reveal herself to his hungry stare. When she’d tugged the laces free from their bow, she dropped her hands to her waist and allowed the fabric to flutter from her breasts.