All I Believe (Firsts and Forever, #10)(50)
“I will, Sweetpea. Where are you meeting Luca?”
“He sent me a plane ticket to Malta.” I couldn’t help but grin at the prospect of seeing him again.
“I hope you have the best time ever,” Jessie said, taking his turn with the hugs and kisses. “If you decide to run away with him and never come back, I’ll miss you, but I’ll understand.”
“I’m coming back,” I told him. “School starts in just over three weeks.”
Jessie rolled his eyes so hard I thought it might make him topple over backwards. “Seriously? Law school versus a smoking hot guy, and law school wins?”
“I have no idea what’s in store for Luca and me after this. I guess the next couple weeks will tell me what I need to know.”
“You’re so crazy about him, Nico, and it’s so obvious that it’s mutual,” my friend told me as he squeezed my hand. “I hope you’ll at least consider following your heart, no matter where it leads.”
After they took off, I wandered around the spacious suite and thought about what Jessie had said. I was getting ahead of myself, but what if the next couple weeks were great? Then what? I hadn’t been looking for anything long-term, but then I never imagined I’d meet someone like Luca, either.
I dropped into an upholstered armchair and stared up at the ceiling, which was decorated with a mural of clouds and cherubs. My cousin Gianni and his boyfriend Zan had once again booked us into an absolutely beautiful suite. This one was red and gold and reminiscent of a castle, with rich tapestries on the walls and ornate details at every turn.
I remained lost in thought for a while, before finally getting up and going to my room to pack. I also called the airline to change my flight back home, leaving from Malta instead of Venice in two weeks’ time. I had to wonder where Luca and I would be by then. Would we be a couple? Would he come back to California with me? Was that even an option?
Again, I was getting ahead of myself. I didn’t need any of those answers yet. All I needed to do was relax and enjoy the next couple weeks.
*****
The flight to Malta the next morning took less than two hours. I had never been there, and looked out the window as we approached the archipelago. A vivid, turquoise sea framed a rugged coastline, and a jumble of ancient-looking buildings in gold and earth tones were clustered along the water and up the hillside. It was incredibly beautiful.
Luqa was located inland. The airport was like any other, bustling with activity, and when we landed I took a moment to get my bearings. I wasn’t used to flying anything other than a commercial airline and must have looked lost, because one of the flight attendants came over to assist me. She walked me to a nearby terminal that was shared by a few private airlines and told me someone would be bringing me my luggage.
I didn’t notice the terminal at all, because as soon as the flight attendant pushed the door open, I spotted Luca and all my attention became riveted on him. He looked so sexy in a pair of dark jeans and a fitted black t-shirt that emphasized every muscle. I forced myself not to run to him, but there was definitely some power walking involved. His face lit up when he saw me, and the moment I reached him, he grabbed me in an embrace and kissed me passionately, as if we’d been apart for years. People stopped and stared. I didn’t care.
The flight attendant grinned and said with a French accent, “I’ll leave you in good hands. It must have been a long time since you’ve seen each other, yes?”
“Far, far too long,” Luca murmured. “Ages. A lifetime.”
I smiled at him and said, “A couple weeks.”
“Exactly! A lifetime,” he repeated as he grinned at me, his green eyes sparkling. “God I’m glad you’re here.”
“I am, too. Thanks for the plane ticket. That was really nice of you, even though coach would have been fine. You’re going to spoil me.”
“Good. You need spoiling.”
A porter arrived with my suitcase and backpack (which were old, well-worn and probably a huge step down from what he was used to), and the flight attendant said goodbye before leaving the terminal. A sleek, silver Ferrari convertible was parked out front, and I raised an eyebrow at Luca. “It’s a rental,” he admitted. “I’m trying to impress you. Just go with it.”
Soon I was seated beside him with the wind rushing through my hair as we left the airport and headed south. The sports car’s engine growled when he stepped on the accelerator, and I laughed as I laced my fingers with his on the gearshift. “What?” he asked, glancing at me over the top of his sunglasses.
“This is so not my life. I don’t jet off to exotic locations and ride around in Ferraris with incredibly hot men. I live with my grandmother and sold my old Mazda to help pay my tuition. This is like some crazy, lavish, totally over-the-top dream.” When he came to a stop sign and turned to look at me, I said, “I really do appreciate all you’re doing. It’s wonderfully kind of you. But Luca, you’re already enough. There’s no need to dress it up with jets and luxury cars and an exotic location.”
He smiled at me and said, “You’re going to hate the house I rented,” before shooting into the intersection.
‘House’ really wasn’t the word for it. ‘Palatial estate’ came a bit closer to describing the huge, gorgeous, modern structure, which was perched all by itself on a cliff above the ocean on Malta’s southern edge. I drew in my breath when I saw it, and turned to Luca with a raised eyebrow. “I know,” he said. “Total overkill. I couldn’t help it. It has a pool on the roof with a view that goes on forever. As soon as I saw that in the online listing and imagined you swimming and sunbathing naked in that rooftop oasis, it was a done deal. I had a hard-on when I called the rental agent.”