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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

NICO AND ROCCO

I s he okay?

She should not—would not—feel bad.

I do not. Feel bad.

She sighed.

She did feel bad.

He was still hunched over. “What’d you do that for?” he grunted.

“Do you really need to ask?”

“You could have used words.”

“So could you!”

A burst of breath surged from behind his gritting teeth. “Fair enough. But I didn’t hurt you.”

“Sorry,” she muttered.

She was about to add in a cheeky tone Do you want me to kiss it and make it feel better? But then realized where it was. She felt her cheeks burn.

“Are you okay?” he asked, peering up at her with a concerned look.

That made her wonder what her face looked like.

“I’m fine.” Deflect , she told herself. “You?”

He drew another deep breath and stood up, wincing slightly. “I’m okay.” He paused, giving her a pointed look, and added, “Now.” He sighed. “Look, if you don’t want to come, that’s fine. You can go back up to the party. Hey, you might still have a shot at Tiffany Bright.”

She laughed. She didn’t want to. Well, okay, maybe she did.

“I’ll go. But next time, ask.” She walked past him and sat in the passenger seat. “So, whose boat is this?”

“Dario’s parents’,” he said as he sat behind the wheel, started the motor, and they took off. “They know I’m taking it. We’ll dock across the lake, where I have a car waiting. It’s faster than driving around the lake. Carnival’s in a small village north of here.”

Nico gazed out into the distance, trying to catch the horizon, but the lake was like black satin and the sky like black silk. She couldn’t tell where the one ended and the other began.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

“No, I’m fine.”

The costume—heavy boots, pants, and cloak—kept her warm enough. But her cheeks bristled from the cold bite of the wind. She kept pressing her moustache to make certain it was still there. Glancing over at Rocco, she noticed he didn’t bother with his. And it stayed put.

The silence between them felt awkward. She wondered if it felt that way to him.

But then, he had something to occupy him—driving the boat.

And he was good at it. Hardly surprising.

Was there anything he wasn’t good at? She thought a moment.

Yes. Apologizing. He wasn’t very good at that.

And drinking. That too. These thoughts made her feel better. The man was not perfect.

She sighed.

How could he sit there this long without uttering even a word?

She needed to fill this silence. And then it came to her.

“Why Inigo Montoya?” she asked.

He turned to gaze at her and blinked. He looked surprised. She was surprised too. The question felt as though it had come out of nowhere. But once she’d asked it, she realized, it hadn’t. She wanted to hear his answer.

He turned his attention back to the lake so that all she could see was his profile.

“Because he’s loyal, trustworthy.”

Good answer.

She could feel her heart begin to throb more insistently. She felt as though it were trying to tell her something. She just wasn’t sure what.

What if it were telling her to stop, she thought, at the very moment she heard the sound of her own voice.

“I suppose you think only animals can be that, and possibly men.”

“Huh?”

“You said as much. You said ‘Animals don’t go around showing you one face and then turn around to show the world another. They don’t make you think you can trust them, only for you to find out you can’t.’”

He turned to look at her. “You remember that?”

Now it was her turn to gaze out at the lake. She shrugged. “I remember lots of things.”

“Yeah, well, that’s true. About animals.”

She gave him a sidelong glance. “And when I went on to ask you whether or not people do that, you said women do.”

She tried to read his profile. It was all she had to go on. The only thing she could make out was that it looked as though his jawline had turned so hard, it looked like stone. It reminded her of the little prince in that fairy tale she had made up.

“Well,” he finally said, “maybe not all women. I was thinking of one woman in particular.”

Nico nodded. “I see.”

She turned her attention back to the lake, figuring that was as far as he would go and thinking she was just going to have to put up with the silence until they reached land. She could see it up ahead, but she couldn’t tell how long it would take them to get there.

And then she heard his voice.

“She’s married. And was married when we were—I was going to say together , but that’s not exactly right.

But we had a relationship. I didn’t know she was married when I first met her.

But I didn’t stop seeing her once I found out.

Let’s just say the way I found out wasn’t ideal.

Although I suppose there isn’t an ideal way to discover a thing like that.

Still, this way was really nasty. That’s why I said what I said about women. ”

“Okay.”

“Okay? That’s it?”

“What do you want me to say? So, you had an affair with a married woman. Maybe it’s not the best thing to do, but it happens. She’s the one who made a promise to the man, you didn’t.”

“It isn’t just that.”

He turned and stared at her. She could see he was searching for something, but she couldn’t tell what.

“What?” she asked.

“I’m just wondering whether or not I should say any more.”

“You don’t have to. But of course, you know that. Let’s just drop it.”

He’s wondering whether or not he can trust me. That’s what he’s really wondering.

He turned back to gazing at the lake. She did the same.

“She’s part of the F1 world,” he said.

“Oh.”

“It’s because of her I got my start racing Formula 1. She made it happen. She’s the reason I jumped from F3 to F1.”

Nico frowned, puzzled. And then she recalled their discussion in Barcelona. When he told her that he didn’t feel as though his promotion to F1 was entirely based on merit. That he had an advantage other drivers didn’t.

“Wait a minute, you aren’t thinking you only got the position racing Formula 1 because you’re good in bed?”

Rocco shrugged with a sly smile. “Well…”

Nico laughed. “Nobody’s that good in bed, including you.”

That smile deepened and his eyes twinkled. “Well…”

Rolling her eyes, Nico groaned. “Are you forgetting that you’d won the F3championship trophy—three years in a row—before you moved up to F1?”

“You know that?”

“Of course I know that. Everyone knows that.”

“Yeah, that’s true. I’m not even sure why I’m telling you this. Especially now, given the way you and I are dressed. The whole thing is absurd. Maybe I told you because looking at you right now is like looking in a mirror.”

She smiled. “So, you feel like you’re talking to yourself.”

They burst out laughing.

Once the laughter subsided and was replaced with silence, Nico thought about what he’d just told her.

It has to be Carolyn Wickham. When Rocco moved up to F1, he drove for Blue Jet Lightning. Carolyn’s married to the owner. That last round of Never Have I Ever. The dream? Her suddenly showing up, telling him to drink. Because she knew—he had—dreamed—of her.

But Nico understood why he didn’t drink.

No one other than Charles and Templeton would ever know about the dreams she’d had.

She glanced over at him and felt a sudden warmth course through her veins when she saw him staring back at her.

His was a strange look. One she couldn’t read.

It made her wonder about the way she was looking at him.

Recalling what Dario had said, she had the thought that her poker face had failed her and she must be wearing her heart on her sleeve.

Why else would Dario be worried? Clearly, Celeste was too.

Only it wasn’t exactly her heart, and it wasn’t exactly her sleeve.

She turned away and looked out at the lake wondering how cold the water was. She was seriously considering jumping overboard.

Stop thinking about that dream. Something obviously shows on your face when you do. That’s why he’s looking at you with that strange expression.

There were things she wanted to ask him. How long had he and Carolyn been together? Did he still have feelings for her? How had it ended? When had it ended? But then he hadn’t even referred to her by name. He hadn’t wanted to share that. None of it was her business.

“And,” she heard him say, “because it’s my favorite movie.”

She turned to him. “What?”

“You asked why Inigo Montoya.”

“Oh.” She smiled. “Mine too.”

Grinning, he gave her a sly look. “That and the fact that I naturally identify with the man. I mean, he’s the greatest of his generation when it comes to fencing, and I—well, with respect to racing. You understand.”

Laughing, Nico shook her head.

Okay, so he wasn’t really so annoying, or an asshole, or a prick right now. But he was still arrogant.

They were approaching the small village nestled between the mountains.

After docking the boat and picking up the car, they’d been quiet the entire drive.

That gave Rocco time to think.

Why had he grabbed her like he had and brought her with him?

He didn’t want her to think he was trying to get away from her. But it was more than that. He didn’t want to leave things as they were.

And what about him telling her as much as he did? About Carolyn? Even though he hadn’t mentioned Carolyn’s name.

He must trust her.

He wanted not to trust her. But he did. He could feel it in his bones.

Rocco parked the car on the outskirts of the medieval village and shut off the engine.

“Don’t forget your gloves,” he said, handing them to her.

She shoved them in her pocket, and he did likewise with his own.

There was no one around.

“It’s not what I expected,” she said. “It’s so quiet.”

“Just wait.”

Suddenly, something smacked against the window.

Nico jumped. “What’s that?”

Rocco laughed.

It was a hook hanging on the end of a long fishing rod. On the other end of the rod was a man, and behind him, a crowd of people laughing.

“What is he doing?” she cried.

“It looks like he’s trying to catch us, fish us out of the car, and reel us in.”

“What do we do?”