Page 14 of Bella Rosa
I run my fingers through my hair as I walk through the front door. I find Alda standing behind the reception desk. She looks up from the papers on the desk and smiles. "It’s been too long, young man. You need to come by for dinner again soon."
She makes her way around the front of the desk to greet me with a proper hug. We pull away and I return her smile as I take off my sunglasses. "Of course! It’s been at least a few weeks since I’ve been here." I glance around the space that hasn’t changed at all.
"Rosalie around?" I purposely don’t make eye contact with her. She has always been so perceptive. I don’t want her catching on to my feelings that I may or may not have for Rosalie, feelings I don’t even understand myself.
She returns to her previous spot behind the desk and starts flipping through some papers. "She’ll be right down. Juli is helping her with a few finishing touches." She looks up from her papers to give me a knowing smile. Shit.
If she looks any better than she did last night sitting in my restaurant, I may need to go home to change my pants before we go to dinner. I turn toward the stairs in the dining room when I hear Juli and Rosalie making their way to the reception area.
I’m pretty sure my heart stops beating when I see Rosalie in that white dress. She looks stunning.
We seem to find ourselves caught in a staring match. Neither of us want to look away and lose.
Juli gives a small giggle from beside Alda. I didn’t even see her walk by me. I was too busy being caught up in Rosalie’s magnetic pull.
"Doesn’t she look beautiful tonight, Matteo?" That little snake. Juli knows exactly what she’s doing. Poking the fire that has no business starting in the first place.
I avert my gaze with way too much difficulty to give Juli a look that most grown men would be afraid of. That just makes her smile grow. Perfect. I look toward the door and choose not to acknowledge Juli. "Where are we going tonight?"
"Lido." Rosalie walks out the door without any other comment. I still haven’t managed to get my heart beating correctly after seeing her appear at the bottom of the steps.
I give Alda and Julie a little nod as I make my way out the door. "Ladies."
Before I can fully close it I can just make out Juli saying, "See! I told you they’ll set the place on fire." I roll my eyes as I venture toward my Vespa that’s parked by the curb. Rosalie is standing by the door and makes a little gasp when she sees where I’m headed. I pull off the brand new helmet and try to hand it to her.
She takes a step back and shakes her head. "There’s no way I’m getting on that thing with you. Don’t you have a car we could take or something? I’ve seen how people ride those things through the traffic. Haven’t you ever seen one of those fail videos where a Vespa driver gets hit by a car?" I open my mouth to answer, but I don’t get the chance.
"No? Well I have. I’m not going to end up on a news site tomorrow morning. I can read the headlines." She starts pacing and moving her arms in a wild circle above her head. I decide to lean up against the Vespa to let her get it out of her system. Plus, it’s kind of cute to watch if I’m being honest.
"American woman dies in a Vespa accident after agreeing to ride with a man she just met. Her heartbroken mother comes all the way to Italy to identify the body. Well, maybe heartbroken wouldn't be the right word. Maybe something generic? Grieving! That's it!" She starts to say something else but I cut her off as I push myself off the Vespa to stand.
"We didn’t just meet. I’ve known you for forty-eight hours. Juli knows me, and you trust her judgment. I do own a car, but it’s in the shop right now getting a new engine. I am a very careful driver. I’ve never even been in a car accident, let alone a Vespa accident." She’s stopped moving now.
I give her a reassuring smile before I keep going. "We won't be going through the city, only back roads." I start to take a few steps in her direction while still talking. "And yes. I have watched those videos of Vespa accidents. But don’t worry—" When I reach her, I take the bag off her shoulder. I assume it has her camera in it. I reach up and place the helmet on her head and buckle the strap. "You’ll be safe with me." I finish it off with a little tug on the strap to tighten it up.
She’s breathless now. "Okay," is all I get.
"Okay." I say as I start walking back to the Vespa to put my own helmet on. I put her bag in the storage compartment under the seat. "Come on, Rosa." I swing one leg over the seat to get on the scooter. I look over and extend my hand to help her get on the back. She looks at my hand, then back up to meet my eyes.
"Do you trust me?" I glance down at my hand to give her encouragement to take it. She pauses for a moment. She doesn’t answer. She just takes my hand and swings her leg over the seat to tuck herself behind me.
She hesitates to put her arms around my middle. I reach around and take each hand and place them over my stomach. She lets out another little gasp that makes my dick stand at attention. "You have to hold on tight." I unlock the kickstand and start the engine. She rests her cheek on my back and my breath catches. What is this woman doing to me? I could get used to this, but I shouldn’t. She’ll only be here for three weeks. I just need to keep reminding myself of that.
I grind my teeth until I’m sure they’re ready to crack. Don’t get attached. I can’t afford to get attached to someone who can’t stay. I don’t know if I can trust her even if she did. She would leave eventually. These three weeks need to go by quickly. I need to help her with the article, and we both need to move on. It’ll be easier that way.
"You ready, Rosa?"
"Ready."
But what if I’m not?
10
Did You Enjoy the Ride?
Rosalie
"Doyoutrustme?"
