11. QUINN
11
QUINN
Enzo wore me out, so I fell asleep snuggling up with him, his arms keeping me safe.
When I finally wake up, it’s already quite late, and I’m alone in bed again.
I find him in the kitchen, preparing food for the both of us.
“Something smells amazing.”
“Hello to you, too.” He smiles at me, taking the pasta out of the pan. “I hope you’re hungry now.”
“Oh, trust me. I managed to work up quite the appetite.”
He cooks, knows how to keep a conversation, and looks like a greek god.
I'm beginning to wonder what the catch is that a man like Enzo is still on the market.
"We need to keep you well fed." He laughs as he watches me gobble down the remains of my pasta. "Keep your energy levels up."
A blush forms on my cheeks at the reminder of what happened, and he kisses the top of my head.
"This is unbelievably good, but next time, you're letting me cook for you."
I know that I'm treading on thin ice here. We haven't yet talked about what any of this means, let alone if there's going to be a next time.
But he brings out a particular boldness out of me.
"There will be no need for that. You don't have to do anything when I'm around."
His words have a hint of possessiveness to them. As though I already belong to him.
"Demanding, are we?"
"They don't call me boss for no reason." He laughs.
"Well, let me feed you a bite, then, Boss."
I fork up some of the pasta and bring it to his mouth.
We're sitting by the large window that opens into the patio, and I take a moment to drink in the gorgeous view.
For a moment, it almost feels like we are a couple already. Lazily feeding each other, recuperating energy after a particularly... busy night together.
He looks at me with an expression I can't yet place, and I wonder if he's thinking the same thing.
"I'll drive you back to your hotel." He glances down at my clothes.
I 'borrowed' one of his shirts from the closet this morning, knowing that my own dress is in no state.
"For you to freshen up."
"Right, of course."
I've almost forgotten that I still have work to do here. The lines between business and pleasure have never been so blurred before.
On the drive back to the hotel, he doesn't let go of my hand. And right before I leave, he gently cups my face and places a chaste kiss on my lips.
I deepen it, tracing my tongue with his.
"Quinn," he groans.
"What?" I bat my eyelashes.
He exhales sharply, his eyes raking over me. "You better keep your schedule clear for the day. I'll be seeing you later."
"I make no promises," I tease as I step out of the car.
It's fun, getting him all riled up like this.
I'm still smiling ear to ear as I enter my hotel room.
The first thing I do is videocall Laurie. It's late for her, but she picks up anyway.
"You look happy. What gives?"
"What do you think?"
"Well, I've seen that smile before. I think it has to do with a guy. And I sincerely doubt that it's Liam's stalking ways that have you feeling like this. So, I'm assuming you've met someone new."
The mention of Liam throws me off for a second.
Enzo has proven to be such a distraction that I had entirely forgotten Liam existed.
"I guess you know me, then." I push Liam out of mind. This morning has been so perfect that I’m not going to let anything spoil it.
"Finally! Is this about the older sexy Italian guy?"
I laugh. "Sure, if that's what we're calling him."
"What happened? You have to tell me everything."
"Laurie, it's like he's right out of a movie. He does all the right things, and last night, we..."
I pause, my face burning.
"You slept with him?" Laurie asks. "God, was it as good as you expected?"
I bite my lip. I hadn't really expected anything from him. That was one of the thing I'd been careful about with him—to not weigh things down by the burden of my own expectations. But even so, he'd managed to blow my mind.
"Four times, just last night," I admit, timidly. "It might have even been more, but I lost track after that."
"Oh my god. Where do I get me one of those?" Laurie laughs. "Seriously. Those are even better numbers than my vibrator, and I thought nothing could top that."
"It's not just that. The sex is incredible, yes, but even outside of that... it's just, it's already more than I could have ever asked for."
"You've got it bad," she teases. "I hope you keep the wedding in Italy. I need an excuse to get out of here."
"Stop it," I chide, "It's just harmless fun. It's not going to develop into anything serious."
"Uh-huh, I'll believe that when I see it..."
Harmless fun. That is all this was.
The words repeat in my head as I venture out to the vineyard to meet Enzo again.
"Quinn?" Lilly rushes over to me. "Where have you been? You didn't show up at the wine tasting last night, and it’s like I haven't seen you at all these past few days."
"Oh, um, well, I've just been spending time in my room editing the footage."
I'm not prepared to tell Lilly about my little tryst with Enzo just yet.
"We're all meeting by the pond in a bit, all the creators. You should come, maybe we can shoot some content together."
I scramble for an excuse. "Yeah, that'd be perfect, but I need to get some things in order first. I… ran out of sunscreen and was going to head to the market to get some now."
"Then I'll come with you. We'll get to spend some time together."
Shit. "No, it's okay. It's too sunny out anyway, and you should get some rest before the meetup. I'll see you there."
Lilly eyes me suspiciously. At this point, I know she thinks something is up with me.
"Did something happen? Wait. Did you meet someone?"
I don't respond immediately.
Am I really that obvious?
"You did. Wow, Quinn. I'm really happy for you."
It occurs to me then that she has no idea that I mean Enzo. The thought itself is too ludicrous to even consider for her. I use that to my advantage.
"Yeah, well, now you know."
"A little Italian fling." She laughs, "Well, I'd love to meet him later, if you're okay with that."
I smile at her. There is no way I’ll commit to that. "I should go now."
I just want out of this conversation.
"Good luck, then." She winks before walking away waving goodbye.
That was close.
I wonder what it would be like if she found out that Enzo is the mystery man I was blushing over. She wouldn't judge me, that I’m sure of, but do I even want anyone else to know?
With Laurie, it’s different. I have no secrets from her, and she isn't here.
It’s thrilling like this, sneaking around. But I know that I won't be able to keep it to myself forever.
"You look nice," Enzo comments as I finally arrive.
"Thank you. You're not so bad yourself."
He’s clad in a more casual outfit this afternoon, a flowy shirt that falls off his toned body effortlessly, jeans. He looks so relaxed.
I love him in his suits, the perfectly tailored custom-made ones he likes to wear so much, but I like this more casual side of him just as much.
"It took you longer than I expected," he comments as we begin walking down the vineyard, his hand slipping into mine. "I was beginning to worry."
"Oh, I just ran into Lilly along the way..."
"Remind me which one that was again?"
"The yoga influencer? We're good friends. She might want to see you later."
I'm curious to know what his reaction will be.
"Haven't I met them all already?"
"I told her I was going to meet a mysterious Italian hunk." I wink.
"Italian hunk, huh?" He wraps his arms around me, and I lose all train of thought. "Well, Ms. Lilly is going to have to wait. I need you all to myself right now."
Harmless fun.
I have to remind myself again, but the way my skin turns to flame every time he touches me, I realize there's nothing harmless about this at all.
"You know, I was thinking earlier," I blurt.
"Mmm?" he murmurs against my hair.
"I'm surprised you're still... well… that you're not snatched up already. Don't the Italian ladies know what they're missing out on?"
My tone is playful, but there's just a hint of seriousness hidden behind it.
"It's the opposite. I know exactly what I'm missing out on and happily so."
"Come on." I look into his eyes. "I'm sure that's not true. With how people-oriented your work is, I'm sure you must meet new women every day. Not a single one of them caught your eye?"
"One did." He shrugs, keeping his eyes on mine.
"Oh."
I'm trying not to show it, but an unexpected jab of jealousy springs up inside of me.
He laughs.
I frown. "What?"
"Nothing. You just don't look so happy to hear that."
"No, I...I'm just curious, that's all."
"Well, I can tell you more about her, if you like."
No, I don’t like, but we aren’t more than harmless fun, right? So, so it shouldn’t affect me if he talks about the woman who caught his eye. Except, it does.
I force down a thick swallow. "Go right ahead."
He brings me over to an area where there's a thicker cover of grapevines and leans down to kiss me.
"She's a bit of a wildcard," he starts, gazing into my eyes. "A total smokeshow, gets heads turning wherever she goes. She's passionate, left her corporate job to pursue her dreams."
I finally catch onto what he's trying to say and look away, my cheeks heating up.
"Would you like to know more?" He gently moves my face so I am looking at him again.
I want to act nonchalant, but my mind refuses to come up with any clever response.
So, I lean upward to kiss him again.
He sighs into my mouth, holding me tight against his chest as I deepen the kiss.
I don't know how long we stand there, just making out like a pair of high schoolers. But by the end of it, my lipstick is smudged all over his mouth, and I could bet my hair looks like a bird nested on it.
"She sounds nice," I say finally as we begin walking again, smoothing out my hair.
"You bet she is. Though…" He rubs the corners of his mouth, smiling. "She should really consider investing in some better lipstick. Or a different color. I don’t think this one suits me the best."
"Enzo!" I laugh, smacking him across the chest, giddy.
"I'm just kidding." He smirks. "I like the reminder."
His gaze is smoldering, and it makes me knees go weak.
Just a bit of harmless fun.
Right?
As I struggle to contain the blush that has spread across my cheeks like wildfire, I’m not quite sure anymore.
I might just be falling for him, and the thought terrifies me.