Forever Lies

17

My hand reached of its own accord to ghost my fingertips along the mutilated remnants of his past. The car lurched forward when the light turned green, snapping me out of the morose spell I’d fallen under. I quickly pulled my hand back into my lap and turned my gaze out the window. “You know,” I said thoughtfully. “I realized this morning that I don’t even know your last name.” The lines of his jaw softened with the change in subject. “Romano.” Luca Romano. It suited him. The name commanded respect without being flashy or overbearing.

“Aren’t you going to ask mine?” I prodded. “Alessia Genovese—I came to your office, remember?” “You’re always one step ahead, aren’t you?” I sighed, dropping my head back on the headrest. “I feel like you know everything about me already, and I hardly know you at all.” “I like to be on my game, yes, but there’s still plenty I don’t know about you.” “Like what?” “Like whether you scream when you come,” Luca offered in a lust-filled rumble. That was unexpected. His comment had rendered me speechless, but my body had reacted instantly—n*****s pebbling, my heart thrumming in my chest. “And if I don’t?” I asked softly. “Honey, what I’ve got planned for you, you won’t have a choice.” His eyes cut to mine, his lips pulling back in a wicked grin. Turns out, he did make me scream … by forcing me on the Cyclone rollercoaster. Once we got to the boardwalk, we rode a dozen different rides, which all looked far more dangerous than I remembered. The Ferris wheel was the only one he didn’t have to drag me onto. It probably wasn’t any safer since it looked far older than the others, but the slow rotation gave the illusion of safety, and I’d really wanted to see the area from up above. The sun had begun to close in on the horizon, not quite setting but low enough to cast long shadows across the landscape. “The city is beautiful from up here,” I absently noted as we took our turn paused at the top of the wheel. Luca draped his arm behind me and pulled me in close against his hard body. “I love this city—can’t imagine living anywhere else.” “I think when you’re from New York, it becomes a part of you. The diversity and opportunities, anything you could ever want is right here— why would anyone want to leave?” When I stopped speaking, I realized I could feel the weight of his stare. Luca’s fathomless gaze searched my face, for what, I was unsure. He brought his hand from my shoulder up to the back of my head, weaving his fingers into my hair, and pulled me in for a tender, sensual kiss. As the car slowly rocked, we tasted each other in an achingly sweet kiss. Lust began to stir deep in my belly but was doused when the ride jerked back into motion, startling us away from one another and sending me into a fit of giggles. Luca shook his head playfully. “Reminds me of getting caught making out in my bedroom as a kid.” “You fooled around in your house when your mom was home?” I couldn’t even comprehend doing that. “I did a lot more than that,” he said with a fiendish grin. “I was hell on wheels. My poor ma never had a chance.” “What did she do when she caught you?” I was pretty sure my dad would have locked me in a basement until I was fifty. “She’d chase off the girl, then slap me upside the head while she cursed me out in Italian. She would spit fire once she got going; it was impressive, really.” “Do you know Italian?” I asked in surprise. “Nah. My dad didn’t speak it, so ma didn’t use it much—she was more Italian than him. Your family speak it?” “No, my mom’s mom did; she lived with us for a while when I was young. I wish I could—it’s a beautiful language. I’ve thought about buying software or taking a class but haven’t ever taken the time.” “Think I’d rather just go spend a month or so in Italy,” he mused, gazing off toward the beach. “That sounds great in theory, but I couldn’t just leave for a month.” “Why not? You taking care of an elderly relative or have kids in school or something?” “No.” “Life is short, Alessia. You should live it to the fullest. You are the only one who dictates the parameters of your world. If you say you can’t do something, then you can’t, but if you believe you can, you’ll find a way. You want to go to Italy, spend a summer, find a way to make it happen.” I had no response. He made it sound so easy, it almost felt possible. The bold way he seized life made me feel alive when I was with him. I never realized I’d been living life in a hazy dream state until he swept into my world. Now, he’d roused me from my sleep, and I saw the world in bold new colors. When my time with him was over, I wasn’t sure how I’d survive if he took that vibrancy with him. We were quiet for a few beats as the car rounded closer to the ground, both lost in our thoughts. Eventually, the ride ended, and Luca helped me from the car, leading me away from the throng of people clustered near the ride entrance. “What do you want to do next?” To my endless embarrassment, my stomach took that moment to rumble its insistent need for sustenance. “Sounds like it’s time for dinner,” Luca teased. “Come on, let’s get you some food.” He took my hand in his and led me out of the amusement park area toward the boardwalk where he bought us each a hot dog and a bag of cotton candy for us to share. The sun had begun to drop below the horizon as we sat at a table under a blue umbrella. We’d been lucky to get a table—the boardwalk was packed with people, even more so than it had been hours before when we’d arrived. We ate quickly, fending off the bold seagulls who lay in wait for the smallest window to swoop in and snatch our food. “Blue or pink?” Luca asked when we’d finished our dogs. “The cotton candy?” I asked in confusion. “There’s no difference.” “Don’t be absurd—blue is way better than the pink,” he said as he tore off a chunk and dropped it into his mouth. I reached over and tore off a section of pink. “I suppose if blue is your favorite, I shall have to suffer through eating the pink.” Luca winked at me as he tore off another chunk, then reached his nonsticky hand out for mine. “Come on, let’s go walk by the water.” We removed our shoes and made our way through the thick sand toward the shore. Most of the beachgoers had packed up and gone home for the evening, leaving the beach open for walkers and sightseers.