Chapter Four
APOLLO STARED AT the beautiful woman in front of him and wondered how on earth he hadn’t seen it before now. That evening, before the blackout, the woman’s face had been obscured by an elaborate Venetian mask—as had his own. But he’d noticed her from the moment she’d entered the room.
She’d made him nervous, despite his facade of bravado as he’d pursued her. It hadn’t been his smoothest attempt at seduction, but he remembered every moment they’d spent together, just as he remembered how she’d made him promise not to follow her when she walked away.
‘Let’s leave the magic here,’ she’d whispered softly in the darkness as they’d heard the rescue crew arrive outside the lift. ‘My life is complicated at the moment.’
In the present, a low laugh of disbelief escaped his lips. ‘This is…surreal.’
She shook her head, meeting his gaze for only a split second before moving away again. ‘You have no idea.’
‘You changed your hair,’ he heard himself say, his own voice sounding rougher than he’d intended as he thought of the dark-blonde curls and crisp British accent that he’d so often fantasised about since that night.
Self-consciously, she smoothed her hand over her sleek, brown, shoulder-length cut and he mentally cursed.
‘This is my natural colour. But, yes, I’ve changed in a lot of ways.’
In a telling move, she smoothed her hands along the skirt that clung to her hips, hips that were definitely fuller since that night, but had not proved to be an inch less tempting for him and the roaring attraction he’d been holding at bay over the past year.
Dio, an entire year and she’d been right here in front of him, hiding in plain sight.
‘You are even more beautiful than I remember.’
Her breath caught. ‘You never even saw my face.’
Apollo fought the urge to grab her hand, to force her to look into his eyes.
This woman and their encounter together in the lift had haunted him, branded him.
He’d fought himself for months, cursed himself for not tracking her down immediately.
By the time he’d snapped and decided to find her, there had been no trail to follow, no clues as to her identity or whereabouts.
To think, Astrid Lewis, PR guru and thorn in his side, was the mystery woman who had broken him apart in the dark and made him feel more alive than he could ever remember feeling.
During that first meeting they’d had last year, his body had reacted instantly to her polished accent and he’d been annoyed, thinking perhaps that he’d developed a slight kink for prim English beauties.
But perhaps his body had known it was her, even if his mind hadn’t made the connection.
He’d felt the same pull towards her, the same primal reaction he’d had to that masked beauty on that long-ago night.
‘You didn’t see my face that night either, Astrid.’ He took a step closer. ‘But still, you told me it was the closest you’d ever felt to another person. Then you simply walked away, gone without a trace. Was it all a lie?’
‘No, it wasn’t. But it wasn’t about you. Things were…’
‘Complicated,’ he finished for her. His jaw ached with how tightly he gritted his teeth, remembering all the scenarios he’d imagined that could be her complication, none of which painted her in a positive light.
The need to know burned in him, almost as brightly as the need to pull her into his arms and find out if she tasted just as good as his memory insisted she would.
‘I’d like to know why you ran from me. What were you hiding? ’
‘I’ve not been hiding anything.’ She turned to face him, a stricken expression on her face. Her chest heaved against the simple white silk shirt she wore. ‘I searched for you…after. I tried to find you, Apollo. I tried my best.’
She’d searched for him? Apollo felt a sudden rush of possession, knowing she hadn’t walked away as easily as he’d assumed. Fate had brought her back to him and, this time, he wouldn’t let her walk away without a fight.
‘What would have happened if you’d found me?’ he asked, noting the thrum of her pulse under his fingertips. His own heart beat just as fast, quickening when she looked up at him with pupils blown wide with desire. ‘Or did you think that far ahead? Did you wonder how different it might have been?’
She narrowed her eyes, not answering his cajoling questions, but not denying them either.
‘I know what would have happened, bellezza. You would have come to me and apologised for rushing off, and I would have made love to you all over again until we’d both had our fill. Only then would I have let you out of my sight. Instead, you’ve haunted me.’
She bit down on her lower lip and instantly he felt his body harden.
He imagined claiming those lips with his teeth, soothing the sting with his tongue.
The memory of her mouth, of her taste…it would pale in comparison to having her in his arms once again, in his bed.
They wouldn’t leave it for days, if he had his way.
He allowed her a moment of retreat, seeing the wild look in her eyes.
She was still here for Falco Roux as a professional, after all.
She would be conflicted about pursuing this any further, given the prim and proper rule-follower that she was.
He scoured his mind for all the things he knew about Astrid Lewis.
She and her young son lived in London. She kept her home life very private, and race travel time to a minimum, since her son had started school there in recent times.
She was a single mother…at least, he had been told she was single now.
Had the same been true that night? Had her disappearing act been a necessity, due to a boyfriend or husband waiting for her?
The thought sent a bolt of anger through him.
He had never been able to abide infidelity, after his father’s had torn their family apart.
But, before he could ask that question, a knock at the door interrupted him, announcing the arrival of a helicopter to take him to his afternoon appointment.
‘What appointment?’ he ground out, half to himself, his mind still clouded with desire.
‘It’s the mentoring session for Falco Roux at the Milan racing track,’ Astrid said softly, her gaze imploring. ‘You know how hard those kids have worked, how big a deal this is for them.’
He pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing she was right.
It had been the last item on his calendar planned for this week, before his grandfather’s death had changed everything.
He never missed mentorship events; he knew how vital his presence was to the young teenagers who had earned spots on the programme.
Torn between duty and desire, he met Astrid’s tentative gaze.
‘If there wasn’t a group of hot-headed teenage drivers relying on me, there is no way we’d be leaving this room without resolving this. How do I know you’ll still be here when I return?’
‘I’ll go with you,’ she said quickly, her fingers flying on her tablet as she took a few paces away from him. ‘Some coverage on socials will give us time to figure out your contract issue.’
He could practically see her erecting the walls around herself brick by brick, trying to shut down the frantic heat that had bloomed between them only moments before. As if that was even a possibility, now that he knew who she was.
‘You think just because we will be on the race track that I will forget?’ Apollo felt some satisfaction as she visibly inhaled a gasp before trying to hide her reaction.
She bit her lower lip again. ‘I won’t run away. We still need to talk, and I plan to do just that once we calm the media storm. Then I’ll tell you everything.’
‘Will you?’ he asked. ‘I think you can see why I might be a little unsure of that. I’ll give you this afternoon to resolve the relevant…professional details. Then, once that’s off your mind, we’ll return to our previous discussion. Si?’
She waited a beat before nodding once in agreement, a pretty blush high on her cheekbones.
He found himself unable to look away for a moment, his eyes greedy for every detail of her he’d not seen before.
He hadn’t been lying; he would give her today to calm the PR mess he’d created. He owed the team that much.
But one thing was certain—now that he’d had another taste of his mystery woman, he had to have her in his bed again.
Maybe even for the whole summer break, to rid himself of the spell she still held over him.
He would have to be tactful, but he would convince her of the same truth.
Until then, she wasn’t going to leave his sight.
The helicopter flight from Lake Como to the race track was quick but stunning, with the clear sky providing the perfect backdrop for views across the lake region and rural fields.
Barely half an hour passed before the more built-up rooftops of Milan came into view, yet still, butterflies churned in Astrid’s stomach every time she looked up to find Apollo’s brooding brown eyes upon her.
He’d been unusually quiet throughout their journey, a fact she’d appreciated as her mind wrestled with the events of the past few hours.
She still couldn’t quite believe she’d found the man she’d slept with once and thought of for almost eight years.
She’d imagined this day so many times in her mind.
She’d imagined finding Luca’s father and introducing them; she’d even imagined a kind of fairy-tale happy ending, like she’d seen in romantic comedies.
She had a feeling that this…would not be so simple.
Part of her was terrified at the prospect of how the rest of their discussion would go, but the fact remained he was her son’s father and Apollo had a right to know, even if his wealth and status was more than a little intimidating.
Even if public knowledge about her child’s paternity would have the potential to ruin her career.
She would tell him, once she’d got up the nerve and figured out how to get the words out.