Page 61 of Royally Roma
But as they sped toward Trastevere, she wondered if taking him home again was actually such a great idea. She still didn’t even know what...or whom...they were running from.
They needed to talk. Really talk.
Now...certainly before she brought him back to her flat.
She headed up the Aventine Hill toward the Orange Garden. Despite having some of the most magnificent views of the city, it was one of Rome’s quieter parks, favored almost exclusively by locals.
They cruised up to the curved stone wall that enclosed the gardens, and Julia pulled the Vespa to a stop alongside a heavy iron gate propped open next to a fountain in the wall in the shape of a face. Oceanus. The same Roman god who presided over the Trevi Fountain in marbled splendor.
Julia thought once again of the coins, and a forbidden little flutter passed through her.
She killed the engine and cursed herself for being such a weak-willed idiot. She’d really done it this time. She’d helped Nico escape whatever it was he was running from. Now what was she supposed to do with him?
He climbed off the Vespa and gazed down at her with the same earnest look in his eyes that had been her downfall at the fountain. “Thank you. Truly.”
There was that annoying flutter again, and this time it was accompanied by a wholly inappropriate tingle in her breasts. How was it possible for her to still want to sleep with him?
She disembarked from the scooter on shaky legs and glared at him. “We need to have a chat.”
“I suppose we do.”
“Let’s take a walk.” She needed to keep moving. Her body was on edge, full of adrenaline.
Of course. That’s why she was weak in the knees. It wasn’t him.
She blew out a relieved breath as they strolled beneath a canopy of bitter orange trees. The air swirled with citrus perfume, and amid the mist that had begun to descend on the city, the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica loomed in shades of violet and blue as soft and romantic as an Impressionist painting.
“What happened back there?” she finally asked.
“I saw someone I know. Someone from home.” Nico cleared his throat. “A business associate.”
Abusiness associate.It sounded like something her father would call one of the victims of his corporate scam.
“Look, if you’re running from the law, you need to tell me. I won’t turn you in or anything. I promise, so long as you pay me what you owe me. But I can’t have you spending the night at my flat if you’re some kind of serial killer.”
“Says the kidnapper.” He winked.
“I can’t believe you’re flirting at a time like this.” She suppressed a smile.
Oh God, it wasn’t the adrenaline, was it? She was seriously still attracted to him.
“The only one who’s committed a crime here is you.” He raised an eyebrow.
Julia focused intently on the view. She didn’t quite trust herself to look him in the eye.
“Besides, I’m not the only one with some explaining to do,” he continued. “What was that scream of protest I heard when I tossed those last two coins in the fountain?”
“You’re not fooling anyone, you know. I can tell you’re just trying to change the subject. It couldn’t be more obvious.” She pushed the fringe from her face and glanced at the horizon. The sky had grown dark. The dome was slowly being swallowed by clouds.
“Just answer the question. I answered yours.”
Had he? Sort of. Not really. “Of course I screamed. You threw the wedding coins right into the water.”
He narrowed his gaze at her. “I see. The thought of marrying me is so dreadful that we couldn’t tempt fate by engaging in a superstitious coin toss.”
“It wouldn’t be altogether dreadful,” she said. The corner of his lips twitched into a smirk, drawing every ounce of her attention to his mouth. Not good. Not good at all. “I mean for someone else. Not me.”
“Evidently.”
