Page 22 of Rush
She hesitated, cheeks burning. ‘We don’t know each other’s techniques.’
‘Relax, Cowgirl. This ain’t my first rodeo.’ He was saying anything he could to make this easier, and that included using his nickname for her. That was their thing. If they were going to survive this, they needed a thing.
‘De Luca,’ she sighed.
‘Fine,’ he laughed, giving in to her request no matter how strange it felt. ‘Come here.’
Savannah shook her head. ‘Absolutely not. Notnow. There are so many people around, Marco. We’ve been disturbed by fans three times already.’
‘Savannah.’ He put a hand on each side of her wicker chair and promptly yanked it across the paving slabs, so she was closer to him. ‘You can trust me.’ And then heput one hand on her waist and leaned in, closer and closer until she couldn’t back up anymore. He went for gentle, but the reality was, he was a little afraid of her. His flirting had been intentional of late, but he never imagined being in a position where he might get to cross a line even if it was all a lie.
It only lasted a few seconds before he pulled back, but when he did, he rested his forehead on hers. Just for a moment, so he could soak it all in. He knew from that kiss alone, he had made a mistake. But as long as Savannah needed him in her corner, that was where he would be.
‘Have you done this before?’
‘What, kissed a cowgirl?’
‘No,’ she rolled her eyes, ‘faked it.’
‘Oh. No. Also never kissed a cowgirl, so there’s a first time for everything.’ He winked and then snuck in another quick peck before settling back in his seat, making it look so natural to the outside world and ignoring how it felt on the inside. He would have to keep the kisses to a minimum throughout this whole thing.
‘Jesse has been drunk texting me since our argument. Apologising profusely, telling me he loves me, and he trusts me.’ She bit into a piece of chicken and checked her phone again.
‘If you were mine and I knew some other guy was gonna be all over you, I’d want to at least talk to you about the details. I get that he couldn’t show his face at the track and have a meeting with us, but was he just going to rely on his messenger pigeon and not have arealconversation about it? You guys should be outlining every tiny little thing, whatyou’re both okay with and what you’re not. I mean, what if I grab your ass and he flips out?’
‘Simple, don’t grab my ass. Be civilised, respectful, and there shouldn’t be an issue.’
‘Okay, but hear me out… an ass grab willreallysell it,’ he teased, hoping she understood him well enough to know he was joking. Sort of. He was attracted to her, but he had nothing but respect for both her and her relationship. He just couldn’t help but flirt, it was in his nature.
‘You’re going to have to stop flirting with me for this to work, De Luca.’ She sipped her water, choking as she did. ‘That was not still. God, I hate sparkling.’
‘You’re gonna have to stop stealing my drinks.’ He took his glass out of her hand. ‘See the lip gloss stain?’ Marco pointed at the rim of her own glass. ‘Yours.’
‘I’m serious. Doesn’t matter how harmless it is, that’s how lines get blurred.’
‘Yeah, yeah, and you’re super happy in your relationship so this,’ he gestured between them, ‘is always going to be an act.’
‘You’re getting it. Even if you are a sarcastic little–’
‘Language, Cowgirl,’ he smirked.
‘Don’t start acting all prim and proper, Monaco. Your recent antics have proved you’re anything but.’
He thought she should give him credit where it was due, he had truly shocked his friends when he’d emerged with model number two, and then three… With his fellow male drivers on the team now married off, it was Marco’s turn to be the stereotypical rich and famous playboy. It just didn’t really suit him, not when he’d been crying over Esmea short while ago. He was trying too hard to be someone he wasn’t.
‘And my recent antics are why I’m so willing to do this. I know what it’s like to have my sex life talked about by those who have nothing better to do, and I don’t want that for you. So, we need this to look like we’re really in love, not just fooling around. The world needs to believe that this is different, that you’re special. I won’t let them put you in the same category as those other women.’
‘I am special,’ she argued. ‘But you are never taking me on a yacht or to a club. Or a log cabin, come to think of it…’ She trailed off and stared down at the last few bites of pasta.
‘You’re getting all mopey and weird now, where’s the sassy Savannah I’ve come to know?’ He gently kicked her shin under the table, bringing her out of her own head.
‘Don’t kick me, I bruise easily.’ She scowled and kicked him back, only a little harder.
‘Ow!’ He cradled his leg.
‘I can give as good as I get, don’t forget that,’ she shrugged. ‘Anyway, tell me more about yourself. I know you live in Monaco, are pathetic when you’re heartbroken, you own a yacht, and you drive for Revolution Racing. After all these years of running in the same circles, somehow that’s all I’ve got…’
‘Someone hasn’t paid much attention to our social media content the last few years.’
