Chapter 2
Laney
“Do you want a quick stroll or a longer one?” I inquired.
“You decide. I’m adaptable.”
Ah, what a dangerous thing to say. I was drunk on this city.
I fell under its spell from the moment I landed.
When I spotted the sycamore trees and cobblestones near my hotel, the millennium-old ruins, I fell head over heels.
I’d explored every nook and cranny of Rome. Every landmark had been a delight.
I was in such a good mood, now more than ever, courtesy of this impossibly sexy man next to me.
I didn’t know what his game was. Isabelle, of course, had given me plenty of info about the Winchester family, especially Cole.
My friend did have a tendency to embellish things though, so I didn’t know if everything was true.
Was he really nicknamed the Charmer?
Everything from the way he smiled and acted proved that he had game, and he knew it. That jet-black hair and blue eyes combo was just gorgeous. He was wearing black jeans and a white shirt that popped against the evening darkness.
“That’s a really cool souvenir place.” I pointed to a small shop on the corner with a tiny side street.
Leather bags and hats hung on a rack next to the entrance door. Leather-bound diaries and miniature alabaster figurines of Roman gods were lit by an uninspired blue light in the display window.
“It has a mix of everything, and the prices aren’t too bad.” I loved this mix of shops in Rome. This souvenir store was right next to a fancy shop selling big Italian-brand purses, like Gucci and Valentino.
“Already bought a truckload of presents for everyone,” he said. Okay, so Isabelle had been right about the Winchesters being tight-knit.
“Ready to hear about Piazza Navona?”
“Sure.” His smile was a little taunting and far too charming for my good. I tried not to make too much eye contact as I spoke because part of that incredible sex appeal were those blue eyes.
I talked a little about the Egyptian obelisk, as well as the Baroque architecture all around us.
The attractions were very well lit. Even at this hour, the piazza was chock-full of street artists painting caricatures or spraying monument renderings on metal canvas.
Sellers offered everything from fake designer handbags to fluorescent gadgets they kept throwing in the air and catching.
“Ready to move to my favorite spot?” I asked.
“You’re the boss, doc.”
There he went with that gorgeous smile again. Yeah, Cole Winchester definitely was a charmer. Isabelle had been right about this too. I was trying to remember everything she’d told me about him. I was so happy my best friend was finally moving to New York.
She was going to open a practice as a psychologist, and so far, finding the right spot had proved to be a challenge.
But Isabelle was an optimist and a hard worker, and I wanted to help her in every way possible.
She’d been living in my apartment while I was here in Rome, to save on rent.
She was moving out this weekend, though.
She’d found a great place for herself. I planned to call later to check on her.
We slipped into the street called via del Salvatore toward another favorite monument of mine—the Pantheon. The street was narrow and crowded. Cole walked right next to me. Every time our gazes crossed, my breath caught. I couldn’t explain why, but it felt as if a livewire was connecting us.
There were restaurants every few feet with tables lined to the wall and taking up a lot of space on the sidewalk, so one had to be careful not to bump into others.
The smell of garlic and roasted vegetables was thick in the air, along with that of burnt wood and melted cheese from the pizza ovens.
Truthfully, since living here, I was eating nonstop on every trip around the city.
There were delicious treats at every corner, and my willpower was nonexistent.
We took two more turns and arrived at another piazza. It was smaller than the last one. There was yet another Egyptian obelisk here too, but the centerpiece was of course the Pantheon itself.
“It’s one of the best-kept monuments from antiquity,” I said. “It’s been restored quite a few times.”
The facade had eight massive columns, but it was even more impressive on the inside.
“The dome has a circular hole in it, but it’s best if you see it during the day,” I told Cole. “It used to be a Roman temple, but now it’s a church.”
“You know a lot. I read a travel guide but don’t remember much.”
I grinned. “Oh, yeah. I just read a ton of them, so the info stuck. And then I heard it all again during the tours, and now it’s lodged in my brain. Oh, before I forget, see that old shop there, Antigua Carniceria?” I pointed to the corner of the building on the right of the Pantheon.
Cole stepped right next to me, following my hand with his gaze.
“Yes.”
“They have excellent sandwiches. Local stuff. It’s the best in the city.”
“Recommended by guides?”
“Yes, but also tested by yours truly. I can confirm it’s delicious. I stalked a few bloggers, and they also recommended it.”
Cole cocked his head toward me, and I sucked in a breath. I couldn’t believe his nearness had this effect on me. I’d been rather immune to masculine charm over the past two years. It hadn’t even been a conscious choice. Since losing Ryan, it was as if there was a thick veil between me and men.
“You take research very seriously.”
“I don’t get out much, so when I do, I want to make the most of it.”
“I’m tempted to ask you about New York. Bet you know more than I do, and I’ve lived there for twenty years.”
“Not really. My work schedule in New York is insane. I mostly sleep in my free time, so I don’t get to see much of the city.”
I’d read a few guides before moving, but honestly, I’d come to New York because I’d desperately needed a change of scenery, a fresh start.
“I know we’ve had dinner, but I could eat a porchetta sandwich.” My mouth was already watering at the prospect. I kept glancing at the sandwich shop. It was open, of course, because Rome was alive until well past midnight.
The corners of his mouth twitched. “Sure, why not?”
“You’re making fun of me.”
He shook his head, but that playful glint in his eyes was not fooling me.
“Careful, Mr. Winchester. I’m still building that first impression.”
“Ms. Smith, you’re a tough customer.” He trained those blue eyes on me, wiping away every thought. “Come on, let’s get your sandwich.”
Guess who ordered food for himself? That’s right, Cole.
I was being a bad influence on him. His sandwich was with mortadella.
They didn’t have any place to sit down, so we just leaned outside against a wooden railing, devouring our food.
This piazza too was full of vendors flashing fluorescent items, calling out at tourists.
“Holy shit, this is good,” Cole exclaimed.
“You sound so surprised. Again. Did you think I was going to feed you something bad?”
“Not at all, hot doc.”
I laughed. “Hot doc, really?”
“It’s been on the tip of my tongue all evening. Slipped out after all. Despite my best efforts to make an excellent first impression.”
“You’re doing okay so far,” I assured him.
“Okay? I never settle for okay , Laney.”
My heart rate accelerated. I cast my gaze away and didn’t look at him again until I finished my sandwich.
“What’s our next stop?” he asked.
“The Trevi Fountain. It will also be the last one.”
“Don’t want to give me too many chances to make the best first impression?”
I grinned. “It’s not that, but I need to get up early tomorrow.”
“You have a shift?”
“No. I’m doing a tour of the Colosseum.”
“Thought you already saw the city.”
“Saved the best for last. I’m so excited. I want to read up a bit on it just before the tour. It’s guided, so there will be someone explaining everything, but if I read about it before I hear it, I remember it even better.”
“Fuck, you’re cute. All excited about a tour.”
“Ah, so Isabelle was right. You’re a charmer through and through.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
I tapped my temple. “Just filing it all here. Details for that first impression.”
His eyes flashed. I wiggled my eyebrows, pointing to my right.
“That’s the way to Trevi,” I said.
The street was even narrower than the one we’d come from. We walked side by side. Luckily, the street wasn’t too crowded, though I knew that would change the closer we got to the fountain.
“You know that without looking at the map?”
“I have a good sense of direction.”
“You impress me more with every second, doc.”
“Good to know.”
“Now I get why my sisters love Rome,” he murmured.
“When were they here?”
“Years ago. They were so psyched when they found out I was coming. Now I’m second-guessing the souvenirs I bought them.”
Who was this guy? He looked like someone who never second-guessed himself about anything. His body language was one hundred percent self-confident (and two hundred percent sexy).
“There are a ton of kiosks with souvenirs and street vendors literally everywhere. You’ll find something else if you want to.”
My body was so wired up from his proximity that I didn’t know how to loosen up. And when my heel caught in a cobblestone and he steadied me with a strong hand on my back? Heat gathered in my belly, then spread through my limbs with lighting speed.
We arrived at the fountain ten minutes later.
It was even more crowded than I’d predicted.
Hundreds of people were gathered around it, taking pictures with selfie sticks and throwing coins in the water.
There was also an excellent gelato shop right across from it, in a building painted in a lovely shade of terra-cotta, but I was determined not to look at it for too long.
I groaned as we made our way closer to the fountain through the crowd. “It’s best if you can come super early tomorrow to see it. It’s literally empty at seven o’clock.”
Cole’s eyes bulged. “No way am I waking up that early. I guess this is it. It’s fantastic.”