Page 44 of A Very Italian Wedding
‘Well, okay,’ he said eventually, sounding less troubled. ‘So, what does that mean?’
‘I’m not sure I want to talk about this anymore,’ Rose shot back. She had an odd feeling in her chest, a bubble of fear she wasn’t ready to let burst. Who knew what might happen if it did?
Ben wasn’t the type of man she’d ever thought she’d allow herself to have feelings for. But she did, and this was happening too fast. She had to slow things down – that’s what she’d advise her clients to do. It was time to follow her own counsel.
A car suddenly shot up behind them and beeped its horn loudly, making Rose flinch and then turn, instantly forgetting her troubling feelings for Ben.
‘That car’s too close.’ She could hear the tremor in her voice and tried to relax. They weren’t going round the roundabout the wrong way now. Her father wasn’t driving and screaming at the same time. She was perfectly safe. It was the first time she’d acknowledged that she trusted Ben. Even though it was too soon. According to her rules, about six weeks too early.
‘Relax,’ he murmured. ‘It’s just Italian drivers. Nothing to worry about.’
Another car appeared from nowhere and skidded up beside them spraying grit, matching the speed of the car behind. Rose could see the driver of the new car shaking his fist at the person behind them. She swallowed, gripping the sides of the seat again as her hands went clammy. ‘This isn’t good.’
‘We’re just going to stay in our own lane minding our own business,’ Ben reassured, reaching out to lightly squeeze her shoulder. ‘Don’t worry.’
Rose didn’t bother to respond. She appreciated his attempt to calm her but knew it wasn’t going to work. The car behind began to beep its horn, and Ben put his foot down making the Citroën shoot forward, away from the other two.
‘We’ll get off the motorway soon,’ he promised.
Rose made herself relax and sank into her chair and shut her eyes. She listened to the soothing sound of the wind blowing through the crack in the window and indulged herself by inhaling Ben’s scent.
‘Dammit!’ Ben’s curse made Rose jerk her eyes open just as the first car drove up too. As soon as it did, the other car pulled up beside it, so close they almost bumped wing mirrors. ‘I’m not sure I can shake them.’ He still tried, putting his foot down and speeding up.
‘Maybe slow down,’ Rose suggested. ‘They might be trying to race us; it could be a game.’
Ben did as she suggested, but the car behind just got closer.
‘I think we’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. They’re using us as a buffer. I’m just going to stay where I am till we get off. It won’t be long.’ He seemed relaxed which made her feel better.
Rose nodded and sank into the seat trying to remain calm. She’d barely been in the car over the last few years – it was easier to use buses and trains in London – which made this whole thing far more upsetting.
‘I think it’s going to hit us. The idiot is swerving,’ Ben suddenly yelled.
Rose closed her eyes, and they were still shut when she heard the crunch of metal bumping into metal, and when she opened them again, she saw the car behind had been shoved into the other lane. The momentum spun them forward as the other two cars sped away, chasing each other. Ben braked, but the Citroën started to skid.
‘Hold on, I can’t stop,’ he shouted.
Everything seemed to still as Ben gripped the steering wheel, his hands going white. Rose pressed her fingers tight into the leather seat, practically peeling off the material as the car continued to slide. She couldn’t believe this was happening. One moment they were driving along flanked by the two cars, and the next the Citroën was heading left, skidding on the surface of the road.
‘Please just stop it!’ Rose screamed as the car continued to spiral forward, seemingly still ignoring the fact that Ben had applied the brakes.
‘I’m trying.’ They left the safety of the tarmac and were now bumping their way along dusty stones. There was a solid wall of shrubbery in front of them and they were hurtling towards it even though Ben was pumping the brakes.
Rose knew she was going to die. She’d barely lived, and her life was about to end on a busy road in Tuscany. She had no rules for this – no rules to make it better, none to help it make sense. Today had been wonderful and she wanted more of them. More sun, more sea, more early mornings filled with espresso and sunshine. More days of flirting and the low hum of attraction. All those tantalising possibilities, all that freedom to feel. The realisation that she’d locked herself down so tightly had her choking down a sob.
‘It’s okay,’ Ben said, reaching for her. It was only when Rose realised that he’d taken off her seatbelt and pulled her onto his lap that it was over. That they’d somehow stopped, and she was still alive.
Ben was stroking her shoulders making soothing noises. She could smell the sea again and the coconut sunscreen she’d watched him sliding onto his perfect torso and legs before averting her eyes. Her blood was pumping fast around her body making her limbs and face heat – but whether it was a result of fear or being in Ben’s arms she didn’t know. Wasn’t entirely sure she cared.
‘It’s not okay,’ Rose somehow managed to choke.
Ben squeezed her shoulders and pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her trying to absorb her shaking. ‘You’re okay, I’m okay; even the car’s in one piece, just about. Although I think the car hire company might blacklist me.’ He began to stroke a slow hand down Rose’s back and she trembled, burying her face into his T-shirt, inhaling deeply. She couldn’t seem to stop herself.
‘It’s not okay,’ she whispered again. She pulled back and stared into Ben’s face. His cheeks were flushed, and those deep brown eyes were distressed. It was then that Rose realised he’d been afraid too.
‘Do you have a rule for a near-death experience?’ he asked, his voice husky.
Rose thought about his question, all the while breathing him in. If he’d asked the same thing an hour ago, she’d have said something about being more careful, or that her usual rule was to stick with taking buses and trains because they were safer. But she had no answer for him, so she simply slid a hand into Ben’s hair and grasped a fistful before tipping his face down and capturing his mouth with hers. The move was unlike her, but in this moment, Rose didn’t care.
