Chapter Five
Ella
Rhia and I stroll arm in arm along the quaint streets of Taormina. Gualtiero offered to give us a lift back to our hotel, but I finally found my voice and politely declined.
The thought of spending more time with him made my head spin.
He’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met. His presence is so mesmerizing, it feels like being pulled under some kind of spell, and it unnerves me more than I want to admit.
“Now fill me in,” Rhia demands. “What happened with Gualtiero? Did you see the way he looked at you? Holy cow. I needed to fan myself. I was half expecting him to take you right there.”
Can anyone tell Rhia is excited?
Ever since she got together with Lex two years ago, she’s become an advocate for happily ever afters and insta-love. She’s done a complete one-eighty, and I’m still not used to it.
I roll my eyes at her but can’t quite hide my smile.
“Gosh, Rhia… where do I even start?”
“At the beginning, obviously. I don’t want to miss a single detail.”
So I fill her in. The panty-melting moment when I first spotted Gualtiero, followed by the heart-stopping details of the near miss with the car.
Rhia listens without interrupting. Then she stops walking and pulls me into a tight hug, all playfulness gone.
“I was so worried when I couldn’t get hold of you,” she murmurs, holding me closer. “Ella, if something had happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do. Promise me you’ll never put yourself in danger like that again.”
She leans back just enough to look at me, grinning. “Even if it’s to save some insanely hot guy.”
I laugh, the tension loosening in my chest.
“I won’t. I hate adrenaline rushes,” I joke. “But honestly, I wasn’t thinking. I just reacted. You know me, Rhi. I’d never willingly throw myself into harm’s way. The fact that I did makes my stomach turn.”
She hugs me tighter, and I can tell her mind is still running through every possible what-if.
I cling to her too. She’s always been my rock. The one person I could rely on no matter what, especially after my parents’ accident.
“I love you, sweets,” I tell her softly. “And you don’t get to risk your life either. Deal?”
She gives a shaky nod, and I brush the dampness from her cheek.
“In a strange way, I’m glad this happened,” I say as we resume walking.
Rhia stops and stares at me like I’ve completely lost my mind.
“Gualtiero could have died today,” I continue quickly. “I could have died by getting involved. Or been seriously injured. Everyone’s lives could have changed in a matter of seconds.”
Even though no one was hurt, apprehension still settles in my chest. I can’t shake the feeling that something has shifted, that my life won’t quite slot back into place the way it did before.
“It made me appreciate what I have,” I add more quietly. “And my friendship with you tops that list.”
Rhia’s eyes go glassy again. “Same,” she hiccups, pulling me into another hug.
As she holds me, I think back to the first day we met, her fiery red hair in two long pigtails, reminding me of Pippi Longstocking.
“Jeez, Rhi. I’ve known you for most of my life. Isn’t that crazy?”
“Eighteen years,” she says instantly.
Of course she knows. She could probably tell me the exact number of months. Rhia has a brain for data, while approximating has always been good enough for me.
“We should celebrate,” she declares. “Our friendship made it through its teenage years and is now officially an adult. That deserves champagne.”
God, I love her sense of humor.
“We should,” I agree. “At eighteen, it can vote.”
“Great,” she replies dryly. Politics bore her to tears.
“And get legally married without our consent,” I add.
“And buy a lottery ticket and claim the prize,” Rhia says, linking her arm through mine again as we walk on.
“That’s important,” I nod solemnly, but I don’t manage to keep a straight face. Laughter bubbles up, breaking the tension I’ve been carrying.
“You know, it’s a good thing I love you,” I say once the giggles fade. “I was ready to kill you when you accepted Gualtiero’s dinner invitation. Why would you do that? You read my mind all the time. And it was clearly telling you to decline. My face was saying it too.”
Rhia’s mischievous smile is back in place, and I scowl at her.
“It’s not funny, Rhi. I don’t want to go out with Gualtiero De Marco,” I say, panic creeping back in.
“Why not?” she asks. “You just told me how much the guy rocked your world. And it’s obvious he’s into you.”
How am I supposed to explain this when I barely understand it myself?
My thoughts tumble over one another, a storm of attraction and unease I can’t sort through.
Gualtiero’s hazel-brown eyes flash through my mind, their intensity stealing my breath. It feels like he’s right here, pulling at me, calling me back to him.
I’ve never felt anything like it. Not like this. Not this instant, this consuming.
And when our eyes met…
Something shifted.
Something big.
What must he think of me? There’s no way he didn’t notice how completely undone I was. The thought makes my cheeks burn.
My mind short-circuited in his presence, as if it had been exposed to too much heat at once. I don’t exactly trust myself to hold an intelligent conversation with him.
There has to be a way out of this. I can’t face him again.
Though I admit, part of me is thrilled that someone as gorgeous and commanding as Gualtiero De Marco wants to spend time with me.
Under normal circumstances, our paths wouldn’t have crossed. I don’t meet men like him.
I don’t frequent nightclubs or bars where I imagine men like him spend their time. And even if I did, I doubt he’d notice me.
Rhia, on the other hand, stands out effortlessly. Her fiery red hair alone draws the eye, and her feisty personality has always sealed the deal. These days, with Lex in the picture, she ignores the attention rather than invites it. Zoe has taken over those reins in glorious fashion.
Gualtiero hasn’t just invited me to dinner as a mere thank you, has he? The insane chemistry between us was unmistakable. I didn’t imagine that.
“Earth to Ella. Earth to Ella.” Rhia’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “You’re not listening, are you?”
I grimace. “Um… sorry. What were you saying?”
She stops and plants her hands on her hips, studying me.
“What?” I ask, mirroring her stance.
“I think we need to sit down and have a proper talk,” she says. “This afternoon rattled you. You’re not yourself.”
She takes my hand and drags me toward a nearby park bench. Before I can sit, she stops me short.
“Let’s check it first. I don’t want you sitting on anything dangerous,” she says with a mischievous grin.
I stick out my tongue but give the bench a cautious once-over anyway. Just in case.
I blame Rhia for the curse that seems to follow me.
It started a few days after we met, when we were eight. After playing badminton in her garden, we needed a breather. While Rhia sat on the grass, I went to perch on what I thought was a rock.
It wasn’t. It was her pet turtle.
At Rhia’s shriek, I jumped up and moved beside her. Unfortunately, at that exact moment, her guinea pig, Priscila, darted out from under the picnic basket, and my backside came down right on top of her.
It was a miracle Priscila escaped unharmed, but my reputation as an animal sitter was born.
“Have you sat on any poor, unsuspecting creatures lately?” Rhia asks, and she’s not joking.
Over the years, I’ve unintentionally sat on several. A hedgehog and two snakes were the most memorable. The latter earned me a trip to the emergency room and a lifelong respect for where I place my weight.
I love animals. I hate being the reason any of them get hurt. And yet, somehow, it keeps happening.
“You’d be the first to know if I had,” I tell her.
Rhia slips off her heels and tucks her legs beneath her, sitting cross-legged. She turns to face me fully.
“All right,” she says. “Now spill. Why are you so flustered?”
I sigh. Okay. Here it goes. I open my mouth and let everything tumble out without stopping for breath.
“I’m so confused by my reaction. I’ve never felt this kind of visceral attraction to anyone in my life, and at the same time I want to run in the opposite direction.
Who is Gualtiero Leandro De Marco? Some big shot?
One second he’s a stranger I’m comfortably ogling from afar, the next he’s touching me, watching me like I’m the only thing in the world, and I’m completely thrown.
I’m out of my depth with this guy, Rhia.
He looks at me like he wants to devour me, and it makes me want to run…
but also stay and find out more. How do I even deal with someone like him?
The smartest thing would be to cancel tomorrow’s dinner. ”
I finally suck in a breath.
“And then there’s the fact that someone tried to run him over this afternoon, and he brushes it off like it’s nothing. Who does that? I’m still shaken an hour later, and he’s as calm as ever. Does this kind of thing happen to him often?”
Rhia listens without interrupting once. That alone unsettles me.
“Are you okay, Rhi?” I frown. “You never let me finish a rant.”
“I’ve been practicing my listening skills with Lex,” she says proudly. “He gets annoyed when I interrupt him. I’m getting good at this, don’t you think?”
“It’s amazing you can still surprise me after all these years. That man is a saint. I never thought you were trainable.” She huffs. “I’ve been trying forever. What’s he doing differently?”
Rhia grins, and I immediately regret asking.
“He gags me… if circumstances allow it.”
I narrow my eyes. “Gags you how?”
Her smile grows. “Are you sure you want to know?”
“Nope. I have a good idea what he uses to keep you quiet. No wonder it never worked for me,” I say, laughing. “Lex is good for you, Rhi.”
“He is,” she admits, glowing at the mention of his name. Then she sobers. “But this isn’t about me. Let’s figure out your confusion.”
She pulls out her phone and types. “Let’s start with who Gualtiero De Marco is.”
Rhia frowns at her screen, scrolling again.