Page 37 of The Road to You
The water is still and glassy, reflecting the perfect blue of the sky. Ducks drift lazily across the surface, while weeping willows dip their branches into the ripples. And there, standing like something out of a myth, is the Temple of Aesculapius—a pale, elegant structure with towering columns, its reflection shimmering in the lake like a mirage.
“Wow.” I exhale. “This is…”
Michele smirks. “You’re running out of words,Hollywood.”
I elbow him lightly. “Shut up. I’m having a moment.”
He laughs, then tilts his head toward a small wooden dock where a handful of rowboats are tied up. “Come on. Let’s take one.”
I raise a brow. “You’re volunteering to do manual labor?”
“I am very strong, you know.” He flexes his pecs under the T-shirt and I have a hard time not drooling over him.
I snort. “Is that so?”
“You’ve seen my arms,” he says, completely deadpan. “You tell me.”
I roll my eyes but let him lead me toward the boats. A few minutes later, we’re drifting across the lake. The gentle lap of water against wood is the only sound around us. Michele rows effortlessly, his movements steady, powerful, and I tryvery hardnot to stare at the way his forearms flex with each stroke.
He catches me looking and smirks.
I scowl. “You’re enjoying this too much.”
“Enjoying what?”
“Showing off.”
He leans forward slightly, his voice dropping just enough to make my pulse stutter. “You think I’m showing off?”
I purse my lips. “Iknowyou are.”
His grin is pure mischief. “Well, at least I have an audience who appreciates it.”
I shake my head, laughing, and lean back against the wooden bench, letting the moment wrap around me like a warm breeze. It’s perfect. Stupidly, ridiculously perfect. And way more romantic than I anticipated.
I glance at Michele, at the way the sunlight glows against his tanned skin, the easy way he watches me, like there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. And the strangest thing is, I believe it.
It feels like a date.
He hasn’t said it. I haven’t said it. But itfeelslike one. And I’m excited and terrified all at once.
15
MICHELE
“You realize you just screamed louder than you did in that horror movie you starred in, right?”
Lena huffs, gripping the Vespa’s handlebars with a death grip like the machine might suddenly come to life and throw her into the sea. “That’s because ghosts aren’treal, but me crashing this thing into a car?Veryreal possibility.”
Her voice is high-pitched, and I can feel the tension in every muscle of her body. We are standing still right now. Nothing can happen.
I bite back a laugh. “You’re not going to crash into anything,” I say in her ear, and she stiffens even more. I don’t know if it’s because she’s scared or because she’s nervous, given my body pressed against hers. I hope it’s the latter.
She shoots me a glare over her shoulder. “You don’t know that.”
Nope, she is definitely scared.
“Lena,tesoro, it’s a Vespa, not a wild stallion.” I pat the seat behind her. “Just ease into it. Feel the balance.” Easier said than done, considering it’s her first time driving something on two wheels, but I trust she can do it.
