He kept watching Louie, trying to make him better with positive thoughts, but in a matter of seconds, his driver stopped moving altogether. He saw a flat line on the monitor. A doctor on Louie’s left grabbed the defibrillator paddles and turned on the machine, as a nurse yanked down the old man’s robe, before placing pads on his chest. The machine delivered a shock. Louie’s chest rose off the bed. The line remained flat. Luca ran his hands through his hair, watching as the doctors repeated the procedure to no avail. After two more failed attempts to resuscitate him, they stopped.
Luca’s world shattered into a million pieces. His back hit the opposite wall and he slid down, the anguish of the situation gripping him, his gut-wrenching pain taking hold of him as he closed his eyes. Wrapping his arms tightly around his knees, he burst into loud, wailing sobs, unable to fathom why his friend was gone.
Grace called him from her room and he went in and sat beside her and she put her arm around his waist. She pulled him closer into a hug, his tears soaking her skin as he rested his head in the crook of her neck. Luca’s entire body shook violently. The devastated man cried like a small child as she cradled him close. He didn’t say anything, and Grace had no idea what else she could do to comfort him.
Why is any of this happening? Grace thought as she tried to contain her own tears. What is going on?
Chapter Nineteen
When Bax arrived at the hospital an hour later, he found Grace and Luca exactly where they had been sitting since Louie died. With Bax finally there, Luca would have someone to help him with the details, and to better understand what had happened. After all, the doctors had claimed that Louie’s life was not in danger.
Sadly, none of them could provide a logical explanation. The doctors were all just as stunned as Luca and Bax. According to the staff, the circumstances surrounding Louie’s death had been strange. The two friends suspected foul play and requested an autopsy and a toxicology report. Under normal circumstances, there was no reason to think anyone would want to kill an old limo driver. But, after the accident and given everything they didn’t know about what was going on, they had no idea what to believe anymore.
Once the autopsy was completed, they were able to put Louie to rest. His funeral was held two days later and, much to his frustration, Luca had to endure every second of the painful process without Grace by his side. Bax was there for him, but that was not enough. He couldn’t explain why, but he could keenly feel her absence. The loss of his life-long friend was almost too much for him to bear. Grace was the one person in this world who could comfort him, and yet, she was stuck in a cold hospital room two-hours away.
Half of Moreno turned out for Louie’s funeral; he had been such a part of the Tanner’s story, the country believed they knew him too. Luca recognized many familiar faces on that cold, cloudy, morning in the cemetery, but one of them stood out: Ruby Collins. She stole a few glances at Luca throughout the memorial service, and even stayed at the cemetery after the conclusion. Luca’s initial instinct was to avoid her, but once almost everyone had cleared at, she approached him. He was worried she would use this as an excuse to try and get close to him, but he didn’t have the energy to send her away either.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Ruby said sympathetically. “I truly liked Louie. He was quite the gentleman.”
“Thanks for coming,” Luca answered, nodding. “Yes, he was.”
“I liked him, but I wanted to be here for you, too,” Ruby confessed. “I couldn’t let you go through this alone.”
I knew this was going to happen, Luca thought bitterly. “Go home, Ruby. I’ll be fine.”
“No, you won’t,” she disagreed with him. “You’re upset. Let me…”
“What?” he interrupted. “Do what? Comfort me? You can’t.”
“Will you at least give me a chance?” Ruby asked, her voice quivering.
“I already did. It didn’t end well.”
“I’m such an idiot.” She gave an exasperated huff. “I thought we could make this work, even though you’ve… moved on.” Her statement sent shivers down his spine. Apparently, Ruby knew all about his relationship with Grace.
“How could you possibly know that?” he growled, getting annoyed.
“I’m your best friend’s assistant,” Ruby said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “I knew about the accident and put two and two together. How did she do it, Luca? How did she win you over?”
“Quite the detective, aren’t you?” He wasn’t remotely in the mood to have this conversation.
“You haven’t answered my question,” Ruby complained.
“She saw beyond my title.” Luca’s answer made her face harden with sorrow.
“Then she did what I could never do,” she whispered without a trace of self-awareness. “But, she’s still an outsider. She won’t be here much longer. What are you going to do when she leaves?”
“Do you even care, Ruby? Do you really want to know?”
“No, I don’t. Again, I’m sorry for your loss. If you ever need a friend, you know where to find me.”
Ruby turned on her heel and walked away from Luca at a snail’s pace, almost as if she expected Luca to chase after her. He knew when they broke up that it was the right decision; she wasn’t particularly stable, and the fact that she was Bax’s assistant didn’t help matters. But Bax had sworn that Ruby had changed, that she’d gotten her shit together.
If anything, she seemed worse. Much, much worse.
Chapter Twenty
Before leaving his castle on Sunday morning to pick up Grace from the hospital, Luca made an important decision: he was going to book her a ticket out of Moreno for later in the week and take her on an amazing vacation first. A real vacation. She could finish her work when they got back but, after everything she had been through, she deserved a few days of rest and relaxation, somewhere other than where she had almost been killed.
It thrilled him when he got to the hospital and found Grace feeling better. She had no problem focusing and while the bruises on her body were still purple and angry, she claimed she wasn’t in much pain. Once they had gathered all of her things, Grace checked out of the hospital, eager to get to work. But she could tell that Luca had something on his mind, something he was anxious to say to her, so she decided to give him an opportunity to get it off his chest.
“What a lovely day,” she remarked, looking up into the clear, blue sky. “I wish I didn’t have to work.”
“Yeah, about that…” he faltered. “How about you take a few more days off to finish recovering before you jump back into work?”
“That’s sweet, Luca, but I don’t really have that option,” Grace politely refused. “My flight is tomorrow, and I have to get these interviews done today. I won’t even have time to go through everything before I leave. It’s going to be kind of whirlwind.”
“Unless,” Luca winked. “A certain monarch just booked your ticket for another day, so you have all the time in the world.”
Grace’s stomach dropped down to her feet. She couldn’t keep putting off her return to the States. Not only because of the interview, but because of what was waiting for her in New York. If she didn’t get back soon…
She gulped. “Luca, that’s incredibly generous of you, but I don’t have time to…”
“I’m not taking no for an answer. You have been through so much and you deserve a chance to decompress. So… we are leaving Moreno for a few days and then, when you get back, you can get all of your work done and be ready for your flight next Sunday.”
Grace remained silent as they entered his car. She sat in the passenger seat and stared nervously ahead as he fastened his seatbelt.
“Where is it exactly that we are going?” she said, turning to face him.
“How about Italy?” he asked.
“Weren’t you just in Italy? Do you really want to go back?”
“I was in Rome. Why don’t we go to Turin? It’s only two hours and the food is just,” he paused to k
iss his fingers like a chef. “Amazing.”
Grace laughed in spite of her nerves. “I really need to check in with my editor.”
“Done. I e-mailed him this morning and told him I insisted you stay for a week for your health and insinuated any further setbacks would be on his head.”
“Oh, I’m sure that went over well.”
“Swimmingly,” Luca said with a laugh.
“I don’t have my things,” Grace argued, trying anything to talk him out of it. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to spend a romantic whirlwind vacation in Italy with a king, but she also didn’t know how much longer she could keep this up.
“Your bag is in the trunk. Elle repacked everything for you,” he answered proudly.
“Luca…”
“There is no point arguing with me. I’ve already reserved a suite at the Bellezza di Piedmont, the most beautiful hotel in Turin. We’ll eat at the most exclusive restaurants, make love in the shimmer of the Italian moonlight, and when we return to Moreno, you will be even more inspired to finish your article.”
Grace dropped her head in her hands. It was obvious that she was going to Italy, whether she kept fighting him or not. And she wanted to; oh, how she wanted to. But she also knew she couldn’t keep doing this forever.
“Fine. But we have to come back to Moreno on Wednesday, and I am not missing that flight you booked for me. I’m going to do get those interviews done and then I have to go, Luca. I have to go home.”
Luca nodded sadly. “I understand, sunshine.”
Desperate to change the subject, Grace brought up something that had been weighing on her mind. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have listened to the doctors. I should have been at Louie’s funeral.”
“It’s okay,” he sighed. “It was a nice service, and a lot of people came to pay their respects. Now, we just have to figure what kind of monster would do something so horrible.”
“Do the police have any idea what happened?” Grace asked.
“Not a damn thing,” Luca replied. “They are grasping at straws, saying it might be political, or someone close to me. It’s the cop version of, ‘we have no idea.’”
“What do you think?” Grace questioned, her eyebrow raised.
“I think I’d rather talk about something else. Why don’t you tell me about your favorite books or movies?”
Grace lit up and immediately began talking about a book she was reading for the hundredth time: a classic novel about two doomed lovers trying to find a future against insurmountable obstacles. Luca knew the book well, and he also knew that the lovers never found their happy ending. He only hoped things might be different for him and Grace.
But was it possible? Was there any way for them to find their own happy ending?
Chapter Twenty-One
“This is it…” Luca said when he opened the door to the penthouse suite at the Bellezza di Piedmont. As soon as the door opened, a series of lights turned on throughout the spacious suite, illuminating the most gorgeous hotel room Grace had ever seen. It was huge, and the massive luxurious bed was the centerpiece. The walls were peppered in classic Italian art that looked even more beautiful in the pink light of the setting sun. The entire back of the room was taken up by glass doors that lead to a long balcony, which overlooked the city and the mountains, with a perfect view of the Mole Antonelliana. For a second, Grace could barely catch her breath.
“I know I put up a fight about coming here, but I’m really glad you made me,” she said in a whisper. Luca laughed as he reached out his hand and led her out on to the balcony. When they got outside, Grace gasped at the true beauty of their view. They could practically see all of Turin.
“Will you dance with me?” Luca asked as he pulled Grace into his arms. As if on cue, the voice of a classic crooner, singing in Italian, drifted out on to the balcony.
“How did you do that?” she asked.
“I have my ways.”
Grace rested her head against his shoulder and they began to sway to the music, holding each other close. The soft glow of the sunset wrapped them up like a warm blanket.
“I know things are complicated, but I just need you to know that whatever comes next… I’ll never forget you, Grace,” Luca whispered, tightening his grip on her hand, losing himself in her eyes, as they danced to the ballad.
The song was still lingering in the air as Luca noticed tears in Grace’s eyes. He thought he understood why she was crying, but the truth was… he didn’t. She was completely overwhelmed with emotion at both the thought of leaving, as well as the weight of everything she had been keeping from him. There was so much to tell him and yet, she couldn’t find the words.
“Please, don’t,” he said, brushing a tear from her cheek. “I don’t want this to be a time of sadness.”
“I’ll try,” Grace sighed.
“Tell me… what would you like to do tonight? What would you like to see?” Luca asked.
“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head. “I want to stay here in this amazing hotel room with you with you.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” he admitted with a sly smile. “This suite actually has a steam room...”
“That sounds incredibly tempting.” Grace’s shoulders relaxed, and a grin reappeared on her face. “But, I’d like to take a shower first. I haven’t had a proper shower since the accident. I feel a little… gross.”
Luca laughed as he tilted his head down to kiss her. “I’ll be waiting for you. Don’t take too long.”
With one last seductive smile, Grace left Luca to make his way back to the steam room. Once there, he chose some soothing music on the room’s audio system, then stripped out his clothes before activating the steam. Grabbing a white towel from the rack on the wall outside, he walked in and sat down on the bench, hot puffs of steam clouding his vision as he leaned his back. He put the towel on his lap and breathed deeply. The sensual music soon began to take hold of him. Rhythmic and slow, it helped him push days’ worth of negative thoughts out of his mind.
“So sexy…” A husky whisper in his ear lit every nerve in his body. His eyes snapped open, and Grace was there, standing in the doorway like an angel. He scanned her naked body while she walked towards the bench across from him. He tried not to focus on the bruises that still peppered her body; if he looked at them for too long, he felt his heart start to break. Instead, he turned his attention to her, and the beautiful, confident smile she seemed to save only for him.
Grace slowly turned around and sat down, staring into his eyes as she spread her legs apart. Luca tossed the towel to the floor and watched with rapt attention while Grace slide her hand down her thigh. She let out a long, lustful sigh, lightly squeezing her flesh, her eyes fixed on Luca.
More and more puffs of steam were clouding his vision, but Luca was enjoying every second. He had never seen her touch herself, and his manhood throbbed as she grazed her fingers up her inner thigh. Grace licked her upper lip, enticing Luca to wrap his fingers around his hardening shaft. As much as the idea of watching her aroused him, it was different than what he had in mind. Luca was longing to feel her body in his arms.
He rose from his seat and gazing deep into Grace’s eyes, he strode towards her. He stopped in front of her, bent his knees and reached down. Placing his hands on her hips, he picked her up. A playful gasp escaped her lips, just before her feet left the floor. She snaked her arms around his neck as her body crashed against his. Their mouths joined in a long, passionate kiss, the sensation of her hair on his shoulders sending chills down his spine. Grace stroked the back of his head, pressing herself into him. Luca let her scent flow through him, her sexy sighs in his mouth turning him on, as he caressed her lower back. She trapped his lower lip between her teeth and gently bit him, her hand travelling down his body, his hair brushing against her fingertips.
“Yes…” Grace sighed, tilting her head back. Her hand slipped up and into his hair, his lips collecting tiny drops of water as he made his
way down her neck. Licking the vulnerable spot where her pulse fluttered, Luca kneaded her ass, relishing the feel of her skin. She laced her fingers into his hair, holding him to her, as he eased her down on the floor. Lying on top of her, he planted short kisses all over her chest. By now, his cock was rock-hard, and it pressed against her stomach. Grace’s pleasurable sighs were becoming longer by the second. Luca pulled his hand out from under her, her nipple rubbing against his chin. He licked the sensitive area around it, tracing the curve of her breast.
“Right there, baby…” she whimpered, grabbing a fistful of his hair, as he pulled her nipple into his mouth. He kissed it first and then flicked his tongue over it, drawing a moan of pleasure out of her. Grace squeezed the firm skin of his shoulder, as Luca slid his hand down her body. He stroked her thigh as he licked her nipple in a circular motion, then closed his lips around it, her hot, lustful moans audible over his grunts. He let his hands travel the length of her legs, feeling her grip on his shoulder growing tighter by the second.
However, just as he was about to nip his way down, Grace pulled her hands away from him. Luca didn’t even have time to wonder why she had done that. In a flash, she rolled over onto her chest. A wily smile spread across his face as she looked at him over her right shoulder.
“Don’t stop, baby,” she said, her husky voice heavy with desire.
Luca reached down and placed his hands on her hips; Grace took the hint. She got up on all fours. His cock throbbed in anticipation as he locked his gaze on her curvaceous, titillating ass. He bent down to her, tilting her head back. Grace shivered as Luca kissed the top of her spine, just below her hairline, feeling his rock-hard cock rubbing against her.
She whimpered when he cupped her breasts from behind. Squeezing them, he started leaving tender kisses in a soft trail all the way down her spine. He pressed her nipples together as he placed one last kiss on her body just at the base of her spine. Releasing her breasts, he brought his hands down on her hips. The feel of her flesh against his face sent him one step closer to heaven, but, the sight of her waiting pussy so close to his mouth proved too hard to resist.
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