In a Heartbeat (Heartbeat #1) (37 page)

Chanting those words again and again, Stella took a deep breath and said,

“Let’s do it.” Extending her hand for the key, she pushed it into the slot. Taking another deep breath, she pressed the ignition button and the engine roared into life. That was the easy part; she’d seen Max do it all the time. Now what?

“Put your left foot on the clutch and press it firmly all the way down. Now, put your right foot on the brake in the middle. The pedal next to it is the accelerator. You press the brake and the accelerator with your right foot; the left is only for the clutch.” Stella nodded and gripped the wheel with both hands. “Now, put your hand on the gear lever and I’ll guide you through the gears.” Max slid his hand over hers and put the gear lever into first. “Now, take your right foot off the brake, put it on the accelerator and gently press it.” Stella did as she was told and the car roared louder. “Ease your left foot off the clutch slowly while still pressing on the accelerator.”

The car lunged forward and Stella gave a startled cry, forgetting about all pedals. The car engine died. Max chuckled and Stella turned towards him, horrified.

“What happened? Did I break your car?”

“No, it takes a lot more than that to break a car, babe. Relax. This is completely normal for a first-time driver. Maybe I should explain how the car works, so that you know which pedal to press when and how.”

He went on to explain how releasing the clutch without pressing the accelerator while in gear made the engine stop. He also showed her how to change gears and how to press the brakes lightly so that they didn’t break their necks. When he was finished, Stella felt a bit more confident in her understanding of how the machine worked. Forcing her brain to focus entirely on making the car move, and stuffing all her doubts and fears in the farthest available corner of her consciousness, Stella started the engine again. This time when the car moved forward she didn’t remove her feet from the pedals. She pressed the clutch down, keeping the pressure on the accelerator and with Max’s help changed into second, releasing the clutch entirely.

“I did it! I changed gears!” she cried happily as she glanced at Max, who was grinning as though he’d just found out he’d won the lottery.

They spent the rest of the afternoon driving around the empty parking lot and by the time they decided it was time to go, Stella had learned how to change between all the gears, turn and even drive backwards.

“Excellent,
tesoro
. I’m so proud of you,” Max said as they stopped and Stella leaned back in the seat, exhausted.

“Me too,” she said. “Thank you for making me do this.”

Max leaned towards her and kissed her gently, cupping her cheek. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stroked her cheekbone, mesmerising her with those incredible eyes at the same time. “I’d do anything for you,” he whispered and grew serious. There was something else he wanted to say, Stella could see that. But he decided against it and planted another kiss on her mouth. “Come on, let’s swap. I’m taking you to dinner and a movie; you deserve it.”

Stella gladly exchanged seats with him and couldn’t wait to have dinner. Now that all the pressure was off her, she realised how hungry she was.

She really was thankful to Max for making her face her fear head on; but she knew that, even though what she did today was a huge step for her, she might never be able to do it on an actual street with other moving vehicles around her. Pushing yet more thoughts into the far corners of her mind, Stella relaxed in her seat and linked her fingers through Max’s over the gear lever, looking forward to their evening together.

Chapter Thirty

Falling asleep with Max’s body wrapped around her and waking up to the sound of his even breathing had become Stella’s everyday reality. How was she going to get used to sleeping on her own when she got back home she had no idea.

The bare thought of leaving made her chest contract painfully. A little more than three weeks and she had to go back to London, back to her life. Being in Genoa, being with Max, it all felt like an escape – like a fantasy world to which she was allowed only limited access. Her actual, real life was patiently waiting for her back in the UK.

“Mmmm,” Max murmured behind her, tucking her body closer until it fitted perfectly into his, and entwining his legs with hers. “Not yet. I don’t want to get up yet.”

How could he tell when she’d woken up? He did this every single time; she had barely opened her eyes when he knew she was awake.

“Me neither.”

Three hours later, after a long lie-in and an even longer shower, Stella and Max descended the stairs to the kitchen to find it empty. That was strange; she remembered Lisa telling her she had a day off today and was looking forward to it, since she had taken so many extra shifts lately. Stella peeked outside through the French windows, but her cousin wasn’t there either. Could she be sleeping still? It was 11 a.m. and Lisa never slept in that late. Taking out her phone, she started typing a text.

Stella: Where are you?

Lisa: Studio. Did you manage to drag Max’s ass out of the bedroom yet?

Stella smiled and looked at Max, who had the coffee machine already running and was making sandwiches for breakfast. Shirtless. His jeans hung low on his hips and Stella was reminded that he hadn’t put on any underwear before they’d left the bedroom. Feeling her hot gaze on his back, he turned his head over his shoulder and fixed her with his gorgeous eyes. Realising she was staring at him, Stella managed to tear her eyes off him and snapped her attention back to the phone in her hands. He chuckled, but didn’t comment on her gawking at him yet again.

Stella: Yeah, I did. He’s making coffee and breakfast. Join us?

Lisa: Give me 10 mins.

“Lisa’s in her studio. She says she’ll come in a few minutes. D’you mind making a sandwich for her as well? I suspect she’s been locked in there all morning and hasn’t eaten yet.”

“Sure,” said Max, as he opened the fridge to take some more ingredients out.

Stella couldn’t watch his muscles move under his smooth, tanned skin any longer without touching him. She sneaked behind his back and wrapped her arms around his waist, kissing him between the shoulder blades. He continued spreading butter on a slice of bread, as if he wasn’t aware she was hugging him. Accepting the challenge silently, Stella moved her hands along his abs slowly until she reached the button of his jeans. Unfastening it with a single tug of her fingers, Stella slid her hand along the inside of his waistline while tracing a straight line along his spine with the tip of her tongue. Without even realising, she moaned quietly inside her throat. Max’s hand shot to hers and he stopped it from going any further down his jeans. Turning so fast that she could barely react, he had her back pressed against the counter top, trapping her between his arms. The untamed fire in his eyes had Stella’s whole body shudder in delight – she loved it when he lost control with her.

“It’s hard enough when you look at me like you want to eat me all the time, but if you ever want to leave your bedroom again, you’d better quit teasing me,” Max growled, leaning towards her, his breath brushing her lips. Involuntarily, Stella closed her eyes and opened her lips, letting out a gasp. He licked her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue, but didn’t kiss her. Stella opened her eyes to find him still inches from her face, his eyes burning through her. The muscles of his upper arms were straining with tension, as if he was using all his physical strength to control himself.

“So you’re just going to lock me up for the next three weeks?” she said, her voice low and husky. She wanted him to lose control so badly she was willing to push him.

“Maybe even longer,” he said quietly, his features softening from pure desire to something gentler. Stella felt tears glazing her eyes. Was it because she had voiced the amount of time they had left together, or because of Max’s sudden change of demeanour? She wasn’t sure. She didn’t have much time to consider her reaction, because he dipped his head and crushed his mouth to hers, trusting his tongue inside desperately. He moved one hand to her nape and pressed her head towards his lips, not letting her pull away. Not that she had any intention of pulling away.

“Oh, come on!” Lisa’s voice seemed to come from somewhere far away. “You’ve been glued together for more than two weeks. Aren’t you sick of each other yet?” She brushed past them and opened a cupboard to get a cup, pouring coffee in it. Max smiled against Stella’s lips but didn’t move away.

“Never,” he whispered, and made Stella grin. With the corner of her eye she saw Lisa rolling her eyes before she flopped onto a chair at the table.

Unwillingly, Max pulled away from Stella and went to finish the sandwiches he was making, while she took two more cups out and poured coffee into them.

“So, what are we doing today?” Stella asked, as they all sat at the table and tucked into their breakfast.

“We need to go to the mall to buy Beppe a present. His birthday’s on Friday,” Max said between bites.

“Oh, I completely forgot!” Lisa said. “What should we get him?”

“I was thinking of new headphones. He loves his music and his Sony ones are older than me,” said Max, taking a sip of his coffee.

“I doubt anything can be
that
old,” Lisa teased him and Stella couldn’t hold her laughter. Max threw a piece of bread at Lisa and she shrieked. “Ewww, you got mayo all over my top!”

“Remember the last time you joked about my age, how I threw you in the pool?”

“How can I forget? You ruined my dress and forty minutes’ worth of make-up.” Lisa scowled at him as she wiped mayo from her top with a paper napkin.

“Keep that memory fresh in your head, or I’ll have to refresh it.” He threw another piece of bread at her just as she finished wiping the stain.

“Hey, cut it out. You’re so immature. Honestly, Stella, I don’t know how you can stand him, let alone like him.”

“I haven’t found anything immature about him yet. And trust me, I’ve been very thorough in my search,” Stella said, and grinned as Max laughed. Lisa rolled her eyes and got up.

“Whatever. I’m going to get dressed and I suggest you do the same, so we can go. And I’m not waiting for you to make out.” Lisa stomped out of the kitchen and up the stairs towards her room.

“When did she get so bossy?” asked Stella, as she got up and carried her empty plate to the sink. Max followed her and caught her between himself and the counter again. He brushed her hair over one shoulder and, sliding the sleeve of her T-shirt down the other shoulder, gently bit her skin before kissing it.

“No making out, remember?” Stella protested half-heartedly.

“I’ve never been good at following instructions.” He spun her around and kissed her deeply, taking his time.

Beppe lived in the penthouse of a newly built apartment building, just a ten-minute walk away from the city centre and
Piazza Ferrari
. Stella raised an eyebrow when they had to pass through two separate security gates before they reached the underground parking. They were greeted by a doorman in the foyer, who recognised Max immediately and smiled warmly at Stella and Lisa. He escorted them to the penthouse elevator, pressed the button and chatted politely with Max until the lift’s doors opened.

The penthouse was huge and decorated exactly how you’d expect for a bachelor pad – neutral colours, sleek furniture, high-tech sound system, huge flat-screen TV and, of course, a pool table.

It was full of people already and the music was pumping through the walls. Scantily dressed waitresses carried cocktails on trays and there were not one, but two makeshift bars in the huge living room. Seemed like Beppe had remembered that his female guests should have some eye candy as well, because the barmen behind both bars were gorgeous. One of the waitresses noticed them and pointed to a huge table overflowing with presents, gesturing at them to leave their gifts there, too.

Beppe was playing pool with a couple of friends and looked as if he was having a great time.

“Happy birthday, man,” Max said when they approached Beppe, and gave him a firm one-handed man-hug. Stella stepped in after him, offering birthday wishes, customary kisses and a hug. He held her a bit longer than usual – just to annoy Max, Stella suspected. When he released her, he winked and her suspicion was confirmed. She couldn’t help but grin at him – Beppe was so naughty, and yet it was impossible not to like him. After hugging Lisa, Beppe said,

“Have fun, guys; the party’s just getting warmed up.”

They mixed with the rest of the guests, Max and Lisa occasionally greeting someone as they passed by. Stella couldn’t spot Gia anywhere. Had things become so bad between her and Beppe that she’d miss his birthday?

Lisa met a friend from school and stayed behind to chat, as Max and Stella continued their walk around the place. He grabbed a cocktail from a passing waitress and took a sip.

“I’ll go and check at the bar if they have something non-alcoholic,” Stella said and Max nodded, just as someone approached him and they shook hands.

If the barman looked gorgeous from afar, up close he was exquisite. It wasn’t fair for someone to be so perfect – almond-shaped blue eyes, thick eyelashes, golden skin, wavy dark hair, high cheekbones, sensual mouth. He was wearing a tight-fitting black T-shirt that did nothing to hide his broad shoulders and well-defined chest. Why wasn’t this guy in an Armani underwear ad instead of bartending?