Chapter 2 #3
Nick withdrew his arm from around her waist, and she realized he had almost carried her across without her noticing. It had been a little like flying.
And…plastered to that super strong body, she’d felt invincible. As if the cars would bounce off her. It was a delicious feeling.
And…she’d felt heat. Not just from his body but from hers. She’d been so close she could feel all those muscles, which weren’t just for show. They were warm and steely and felt amazing.
Her entire body had been shocked by the contact, and even now, on the other side of the street, she could still feel him.
It had been incredible. She laughed.
Nick smiled down at her. “What’s funny?”
“Well, not funny, actually. It’s just that crossing streets in Naples is like entering the gladiator ring. You never know if you’ll make it out alive. You made me feel invincible. Incredible.”
His smile broadened. “Want to go again? We could cross back over and come back. Would you like that?”
Hmm. A chance to be plastered up against that strong body again. Oh man…
But…she was an adult and had to be a grownup about it.
“Tempting as that sounds, I think we should get to your car.”
“Well, we’re here.” They had reached one of the thousands of tiny piazzas that served as paid parking spots.
She blinked. “We are?”
He knocked on the fender of a big black beast, more a tank than a car. “Yep. Here she is.”
“You are driving around Naples in that?”
“I was assured it is what the mafiosi drive and no one would dare steal it.” He shrugged. “It’s a rental anyway.”
He opened the passenger side door, and she looked in dismay at the step. It was a long way up and she was wearing a tight skirt. Sighing, she grasped the side of the door and was preparing to haul herself up when two strong hands grasped her waist and she was lifted up onto the seat like magic.
“Hey.” She turned to look at him. He looked serious. “Sorry to manhandle you like that, but these SUVs are built really high off the ground. And since I’m apologizing, I’ll also apologize for grabbing you when we crossed the street.”
He was standing in the open doorway, one hand on either side of the door. He was frowning slightly.
Parker had been manhandled a lot in her life. Guys often used the flimsiest excuse to cop a feel and no one, not once, had ever apologized. Or look dismayed.
But not Nick. He actually looked…a little worried, so odd on that tough face.
She smiled at him. “Well, considering that all the drivers in the city have been driven crazy by the earthquake and we took our lives in our hands crossing Via Caracciolo, I’m actually grateful I survived the experience.
And—” she fingered her linen skirt. “This is a designer outfit and wouldn’t have survived me scrabbling to get up and onto this seat, so I have two things to thank you for. Thank you. Twice.”
That tough face cleared. “My pleasure.” He got into the driver’s seat and turned on the engine. “So what’s the address?”
“Via Verdi 327. It’s halfway up the Vomero. That’s the—”
“The hill right in front of us, yes.” He tapped in the address on the navigator and took off.
Parker sat back, not wanting to disturb him.
Every once in a while, the traffic in Naples was touched by Satan and this was one of those days.
Instead of a straight progression, traffic was in Brownian motion, more circular than linear.
Full of bottlenecks and traps. The car was sound-insulated, but still the sound of a thousand honking horns trickled in.
Nightmare traffic and it had always scared her. Most days, traffic was a little chaotic, but if you went slow and gave others the right of way, you could eventually make your way home in relative safety.
Today was not one of those days.
It had her in a sweat, and she was a passenger.
Nick, however, didn’t seem to be affected at all.
He drove as if they were on a deserted country lane.
She was sure he’d never been in her part of town, which was residential, with no monuments or museums, and yet he drove straight there as if he’d done it a hundred times before, only checking a few times the GPS screen.
A few blocks from home, she realized she could talk to him without distracting him and causing an accident. The traffic was one endless snarl, as if the minor earthquake had messed with people’s heads. “Amazing how you seem unfazed by the traffic. Today is the worst I’ve ever seen it.”
He turned his head to smile at her, then returned his attention to the road where someone ran a red light, nearly killing a family of five.
“I’ve driven under fire, this is nothing.”
Oh. Well, yes. Bad as the traffic was, no one was actually shooting at them.
“What do you drive?” he asked.
Hmmm. This was where he would become scathing. “I drive a Smartcar.”
She braced, because she’d heard it all before. She could afford any car she wanted, and she chose that? It was barely a car, might as well shop in the toy department, what was it good for?
“Good choice,” he said, and she peered at him to see if he was being sarcastic.
But no. He seemed perfectly serious. “What?”
“City like Naples, a Smartcar is a really good choice. It’s very maneuverable, easy to park, fabulous mileage.”
Well, that was interesting. “If you think it’s such a good choice, what are you doing with this massive monster?”
He reached out and patted the dash, the way a cowboy pets his favorite horse. “Never know when I might need to go out of town and need some power. We’re here.”
He swerved suddenly and parked right in front of her apartment building, in a tight space she couldn’t have managed in one maneuver not even with her tiny Smartcar. She’d been so fascinated by him that she hadn’t even noticed they were in her neighborhood.
Parker reached for the door opener, but he put a hand on her arm, gently, and only for a moment. She stopped.
“I know we’ve only just met, but I’m hoping your honorary aunt can vouch for my morals and respectability. I have a reservation tonight at Il Terrazzone. I’d be honored if you would join me for dinner.”
Parker turned and looked at him, not hiding what she was doing. He just sat there, still, understanding she wanted to take the measure of him.
It was true. He was doing business with Aunt Caroline, who was smart, no-nonsense, and would never hire a man with a reputation of shadiness or dishonesty and would definitely have hired the most competent person she could.
But being good at your job was no guarantee that he would be a good dinner companion.
The worst date she’d ever been on had been with a Vice President of one of the ten biggest banks in the world.
He’d been obnoxious, touching her all through dinner, bragging about how rich he was, and had used a little violence when kissing her outside the restaurant.
She’d had to push him and run around the corner to catch a taxi and her last glimpse of him had been through the rear window as he lifted a fist at her, handsome face twisted with rage.
So professional success and wealth meant nothing. You could be rich and successful and still be a jerk.
And yet…
There had been no bad behavior on his part. He’d been a perfect gentleman, hadn’t made her feel uncomfortable once. Had got her across the street in Neapolitan traffic on a bad day. That earned him serious points.
“Il Terrazzone is one of the nicest restaurants in Naples,” she said.
“So I’ve heard. I was resigned to one of those really nice meals on my own. If I had your company, it would make it memorable.”
Well, put like that… “Yes. I’d like that.”
He grinned, a sudden blossoming of pleasure on his face that made him look ten years younger.
How old was he? He had such an air of command and was clearly at the top of his profession. He had lines on his face, which she now saw were probably more from sun and wind than age. He definitely did not look like the moisturizing type.
Not only that. To be called by the US Consulate was a big deal, and only well-known professionals were called. She’d assumed he was in his forties but now, with that grin, light blue eyes gleaming, she saw he could be closer to her in age. Mid-thirties maybe.
“How old are you?” she blurted out and immediately regretted it. But it was out there.
“Thirty-eight,” he said, without blinking.
She was thirty-two. So. Not that big of an age gap.
“Now that we’ve got that out of the way.” Nick kept his hands on the wheel, just turning his head to look at her. “My reservation is at eight. Should I pick you up at seven-thirty?”
“You do realize that is an insanely early hour for dinner in Naples?”
He nodded. “I got that from the hotel concierge, who looked appalled. However, I’m told that the terrace is magnificent with a great view over the Bay. We could have drinks on the terrace until it’s a reasonable hour for dinner in Naples.”
“We could,” she agreed. These days she rarely accepted a dinner date from someone she’d just met. But…her dinner tonight was going to be a slice of mozzarella with cherry tomatoes, a huge peach and half a glass of a dry white wine. Then scrolling to find something on Netflix to watch.
Dinner with Nikolai Garin at Il Terrazzone sounded much better. If it turned out that he was a jerk after all, at least she’d have had a nice meal in a beautiful setting.
His face was turned to hers and she scrutinized him. He didn’t look like a jerk, and he was amazingly attractive without being handsome. And he was built. When he’d held her close to his side to cross that dangerous street, he’d felt like warm steel.
If you’d asked her whether she was susceptible to beefcake, Parker would definitely have said no. And yet, here she was. “I’d like that.”
He smiled and by the lines in his face, she could tell he didn’t smile often.
“Great. I’ll walk you to your door.”
She smiled back. “The door’s right there.” She pointed out the window. “Nothing bad is going to happen to me in the five steps from the vehicle to the door.”
But she was talking to empty air because he’d rounded the SUV and was opening her door for her. And, like before, he simply lifted her out and down, releasing her immediately as soon as her feet touched the ground.
He looked around. Her street was quiet, with leafy linden trees. So high up the Vomero they could barely hear the chaos down on the bay. The buildings were all made of stone and at least a hundred years old. “Nice area.”
“It is. I was lucky.” He was looking at her intently and she couldn’t take her eyes off his face. It felt like they were frozen, gazing at each other, until a car went by, the driver honking impatiently at a pedestrian jaywalking. “Though there are impatient drivers up here, too.”
Nick nodded. “I’ll wait until you’re inside the door.”
She checked his face, to see if he was joking, but he was dead serious.
If no one was lying in wait in the few steps from the vehicle to the door, it was a sure bet nothing bad could happen on her doorstep.
Yet he stood there, stolid, unsmiling, waiting for her to enter her building.
To make sure it was done safely. She realized what it meant to be an expert in security.
It meant you dealt in situations that were unsecure, unsafe.
And he’d probably been in plenty of those places.
She kept her housekeys in an outside pocket of her bag. In a moment, her big heavy front door was open, and she stopped, one foot in, one foot out, and looked back.
Oh God, he was such a magnet for the eyes. Tall, broad, yet lean and athletic, he had such a physical presence. Like he had a gravity of his own, and he was pulling her toward him. She grasped the door lintel to keep from falling toward him.
Again, they gazed at each other without moving.
He definitely messed with her head, and she wasn’t entirely sure if she liked it.
“Well, I’ll um…” Parker gestured toward the elegant, dark lobby behind her.
“Yeah. I’ll wait for the door to close behind you.”
In case a bear was in wait in the lobby.
“Okay. See you later.”
She pulled the heavy door closed and it felt like she’d been cut off from a source of intense energy.
She climbed the stairs to her apartment slowly, because her knees felt weak.
This wasn’t good. Not at all.
Still.
She was going to wear her brand-new turquoise summer dress.