Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Although I was enjoying the tour, I couldn’t wait until our break in Rome. I was meeting up with Jack and we were going to have three and a half days of very needed time together. The days seemed to drag on the closer we got to the day I would finally see Jack.

Sienna made plans to go on a two day sightseeing tour of Rome, then we intended to meet up and see some sights together with Jack. Jack was keeping it a well guarded secret what we were doing for the first two days. I tortured him daily in an attempt to find out. But, in reality, I didn’t care what we did, as long as I was with Jack.

I had alsosecretly convinced Jack to invite Tyler to Rome, explaining about Sienna and her dry spell. Although he wasn’t convinced we should be playing matchmaker, he acquiesced and invited him for me. Sienna had no idea Tyler was coming, but I knew from how well they’d got along in Hawaii that she wouldn’t be upset.

Tyler and Sienna had gotten cozy during the week I’d met Jack in Hawaii. Neither one of them had been looking for anything serious and both seemed to have been content to just spend the week together having fun. Jack mentioned that Tyler had started to date someone when he went back home to California, but they had recently broken up, so the timing worked out perfectly.

We’d planned to meet at a Heston property in Rome and I was fidgeting in my seat as we pulled up to the hotel. A huge smile spread across my face as I saw Jack walk out and motion to the bellman that he would get the car door. He seemed to be as impatient waiting for us to arrive as I was to get to him.

The minute the door opened, I was out of the car and in Jack’s arms. He smiled at my reaction, and although he may not have sprang out of a car into my arms, he also didn’t let me out of his arms for a very long time. After a long and tight hug, I pulled my head back to look at my utterly delicious man and smiled as I watched his eyes go from my eyes to my mouth. Then he kissed me until my knees went weak.

Sienna finally broke in. “Nice to see you too, Jack.” Although my back was to her, I could hear the smile in her voice.

Jack nodded his head and smiled back at my best friend. “Sienna.”

Then I remembered about Tyler. I whispered to Jack. “Where is he?”

“Hotel lobby bar.”

I turned to Sienna and smiled devilishly. “I have a surprise for you.”

Sienna narrowed her eyes. “Loverboy’s spa has an Italian stallion who is going to give me a massage with a happy ending?”

Jack chuckled and shook his head.

“Better,” I retorted.

“Better than a happy ending? Don’t toy with me, Syd. You know it’s been a while.”

I looked to Jack. “Lead the way.”

Jack took my hand and told the bellman to bring our stuff into the lobby as he walked inside and led us to the bar.

I spied Tyler the minute we turned the corner and the lobby bar came into view. It took Sienna a minute longer because she didn’t know what she was looking for. Then she smiled as we approached Tyler, who was taking in Sienna as she walked toward him. “You are so right, this is better than a happy ending. I think I remember Tyler can give me multiple happy endings.”

***

Although we had fun catching up for an hour in the bar and having drinks, I could tell Jack was starting to lose his patience by the way he pulled me closer to his body. Eventually Jack stood and not-so-politely announced that we were leaving. Sienna laughed at his abruptness and it dawned on me for the first time that I seemed to surround myself with people who said whatever was on their minds, without filters.

The four of usmade our way back to the lobby and the manager jumped to bring us our luggage.

“Syd, can I see your phone for a second?”

I was confused at why he would need it, but I handed Jack my phone without question.

He took it in his hand and turned it off. Then he reached into his pocket and took out his and handed them both to Tyler. “We won’t be needing these. Can you keep them in your suite withSyd’s luggage till we get back?”

I looked at Jack like he was crazy. “All of my clothes are in there,” I responded, as if he didn’t realize what might have been in my suitcase.

Jack turned to faceme and looked into my eyes. “You won’t be needing any.” His eyes went from my eyes to my mouth and slowly back up again, making my stomach do a little flip-flop.

“Okay,” I whispered, and Jack gave me the sexy half smile that I loved.

Jack eyed the oversized shoulder bag that I was carrying.“What’s in your bag?”

“Makeup, iPod, wallet, birth control pills.” I emphasized the last part of my response.

“I would guess it would be harder to pry the iPod away from you than it was to get you to give up all of your clothes.” Jack smiled and raised his eyebrows in question.

I smiled back. For a manwho had only known me for a few months, he knew me so well. “The iPod goes where I go.”

Sienna interrupted my debate with Jack, her question directed to Tyler. “And what are we doing?”

“Staying at Mr. Romantic’s hotel and seeing how high we can ring up the room bill that he’s going to comp us,” Tyler said, matter-of-factly.

Sienna giggled. “Works for me.”

Jack did the one-arm guy-hug thing to Tyler and I heard him say in a low voice. “Charge anything you want, man. Show her a good time, on me.” I adored that he wanted to take care of his friend and mine and not get credit for it.

***

I wasn’t sure what kind of car it was, but Jack had rented a beautiful convertible that was parked out front of the hotel waiting when we exited. He opened my door and I got in, catching him checking out my legs as I folded in. He smiled at me, not the slightest bit uncomfortable about being caught checking me out. Oddly enough, that quality was one of the things I found most intriguing about him when we had first met. He would blatantly look me up and down, admiring what he saw, and made no secret about doing it. On other men, I would probably have found it to be rude, but when Jack did it I thought it was the sexiest thing I had ever seen. I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was that I was attracted to his confident and direct personality. Or maybe it was that he seemed to see what he wanted and made no mistake about staking his claim. Either way, I found it damn sexy.

We drove through the city of Rome for a while, slowly moving through traffic. Once when we were stopped at a light, I saw a beautiful young woman waiting to cross the street in frontof where we were stopped. I caught her staring at Jack. I turned to see what she was looking at and the sight of his handsome tan face, windblown hair, and square jaw, caught me off guard. I really couldn’t blame the woman for staring; he was truly an amazing feast for the eyes. Jack caught me looking and smiled before leaning over and kissing me with a beautiful, soft, sensual kiss which made my heart melt and my breath catch. As the light changed, I saw the beautiful girl still staring with her mouth hanging open. She had missed the light.

We drove for a few hours and I never once asked where we were going or when we would be there. I really didn’t care. There was no place I’d rather be than where I was going, even though I had no idea where we were headed.

Eventually we turned off the highway and started to drive through what I knew had to be the Tuscany region. The hills in the distance soon fell upon us and we were transported to the middle of a beautiful postcard picture — rolling hills as far as the eye could see, a splatter of olive trees, and a skyline outlined by cypresses. Fields of wheat and sunflowers passed on one side while rustic stone farmhouses stood proudly on the other. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the beauty; it felt surreal, almost otherworldly.

“Wow. This feels like a dream,” I whispered to Jack, in awe of my surroundings.

“I know. It doesn’t seem real.”

“I’ve seen pictures of this, but it just doesn’t do it justice.” I stopped and considered. “Have you ever been here before?”

Jack squeezed my hand. “Once. I was ten or eleven. My father was in Rome on business, busy buying the hotel we were just at. My mom took me for a drive and we got lost. We wound up somewhere around here and I remember thinking I wish I could draw it, but they didn’t make crayon colors as good as this.”

I smiled, thinking of Jack as a little boy traveling with his mother. How adorable he must have been.

“Were you in a convertible?”

“Yes.”

“Were you as adorable as you are now?”

Jack laughed. “I think I was more of a handful back then.”

I pictured a rebellious little Jack driving around with him mom. “I wish I would have known your mom.” My voice was solemn. I hadn’t planned on saying it, but the words just came out because I meant them.

“She would have loved you, Syd.” Jack smiled and rubbed the top of my hand with his thumb as he held my hand in his.