Page 38 of Racing Hearts
“What the fuck are you doing here? I thought you were a stalker!” I screamed, retreating back into the bathroom. Poking my head out from behind the door, I motioned for him to explain himself, but Luca just leaned against the wall, arms crossed with an amused look.
“And what, you were going to bludgeon them to death with a shoe?” he snickered.
“Answer the question, Rossi!”
“Well, according to the front desk, this room is mine.” Dropping his duffle on the couch, Luca added, “So, I think the question is, why are youhere, inmyshower?”
“This is my room, you idiot.” Seething didn’t begin to explain the emotion I was feeling.
“Well, looks like we’re roommates, ‘cause clearly my key card works.” He motioned towards the door with his key like a buffoon.
“Absolutely not. No way. Not happening. Now, turn around so I can call Nora! And don’t get comfortable. I’m sure she’ll get this sorted.”
He just chuckled and headed to his room, whistling away.
Frantic, I grabbed my phone and dialed Nora with the desperation of someone trying to win concert tickets off the radio.
“Nora, there’s been a mistake,” I said, my voice laced with panic. “Luca is in my suite! I thought you said these rooms werenextto each other.”
“Wha-what do you mean he’s there?” From her tone, I could tell she was equally as confused. “Let me call the hotel and get this sorted out.”
The five minutes Nora had me on hold felt like a lifetime.
“Georgia, you there?” I picked up the phone so quickly it went flying out of my hands.
“Please tell me you have some good news,” I begged.
“Unfortunately, Georgia, when the Hermes coordinator phoned to get the rooms next to each other, the hotel heard two rooms side by side, so they booked you a suite with two bedrooms in it, and with the Grand Prix this weekend, the hotel is completely booked…” She trailed off at the end, but truth was, I’d stopped listening after the wordunfortunately. Hanging up the phone, I threw it down on my bed in frustration.
After taking five minutes to gather my thoughts, I threw on my pink dress that Nora had purchased for tonight and then marched into the living room.
“Alright, Luca, we need to set some boundar—” I opened the door to Luca standing before me, towel slung dangerously low around his hips, droplets of water trailing down his chest like the universe was mocking me. His dark hair was damp, clinging to his forehead, and the faint scent of soap and shampoo lingered in the air. His white towel was loosely draped around his waist, seemingly defying gravity as if a gentle breeze could send it cascading to the floor at any moment.
God, I almost wish it would, I thought as horror filled me at my own revelation. Luca popped his head up, a grin crawling on his face.
“Enjoying the view?” he asked, smug as sin.
I snapped my head away. “Put your clothes back on! This is a shared area in case you forgot.”Asshole.
“And deny you the opportunity to get asecondpeek at your favorite racer? What kind of man do you think I am?”
“A man that’s probably never been told to put his shirt back on by a woman, but there’s a first time for everything,” I hissed.
Luca made a show of grabbing his chest dramatically. “Oh, how you wound me!”
“No, but I could,” I muttered, stalking across the room.
“Ah, yes, with your scary high heels.” Luca grinned at my defiance, waltzing into his bedroom, where he disappeared for a minute before rejoining me, now wearing a pair of slacks and a purple polo, his dark brown wavy hair still damp from the shower.
I leaned casually against the wall, attempting to look as unbothered as possible while I picked at my fingernails. As he strolled past, he stopped, then pivoted, stepping closer. Without a word, he braced both hands against the wall on either side of me, boxing me in.
“If you play your cards right,amore, you might be able to seemoreof me.”
His breath grazed my neck, and goosebumps chased up my spine. Gorgeous brown eyes stared deeply into mine. Warmth started to build, my legs trembling more than I cared to admit. Having Luca this close to me, his breath tickling my neck as he softly whispered, it felt like my nerves were being set on fire. Despite wanting to come up with something witty, all I could think about was how close his lips were to mine, how good that kiss was from a few weeks ago.
Get it together, Georgia.
I tilted my chin, forced a saccharine smile, and met his gaze. “Well, let’s hope I have a losing hand then, because what I really want is to seelessof you!”
