In a Heartbeat (Heartbeat #1) (34 page)

“Wait
– you remember me?” Stella had always thought that Max hadn’t paid any attention to her that day and that he only remembered their first ‘official’ encounter on the beach the next day, when she’d injured her foot.

“Of course I remember you. You stared at me open-mouthed for a long time, babe.”

“Hey,” Stella slapped his upper arm playfully. “You were coming out of the sea in slow motion, all tanned and gorgeous and wet. What was I supposed to do?”

“I’m pretty sure I was moving at normal speed.”

“Not how I saw it.” She winked at him and he beamed. “And besides, there must be a ton of other women staring at you all the time. I thought you were used to it.”

“Not all women who stare at me have long, lean legs, incredible caramel hair, pale flawless skin and look amazingly cute in a short yellow dress.” As he spoke, Max moved closer to her again, emphasising each word by trailing his eyes along Stella’s body.

“When I saw you the next day all alone on the beach, I couldn’t believe my luck. When you injured your foot, I had the chance to play your hero. Take care of you,” he said, and moved even closer. Stella could feel his breath over her lips and her heart sped up again. “I was such a fool not to ask you out that day, but it didn’t feel right to bandage your foot and hit on you in the same five minutes. When I saw you at Lisa’s house, I knew there was a reason why you kept appearing in my life.”

He brushed his lips over hers and Stella was mesmerised by his words, his mouth, the way he looked at her. She stood frozen in place, unable to move away. Unwilling to move away. “I think it’s a good idea for you to go and unpack, because if you stay here I can’t promise I’ll resist throwing you over my shoulder and taking you to the bedroom myself.” He kissed the skin under her ear and she shuddered.

Right. Move. Unpack. Shower. Definitely shower.

“Where’s the bedroom?” she asked breathlessly.

“Upstairs, second door on your left.” Max smiled and, giving her one last peck on the cheek, went back to making their dinner.

“Max, this is the second amazing meal you’ve cooked for me. I can’t believe you aren’t a chef, just like Gia. You’ve got some special skills.”

He’d made lasagne, baked garlic bread from scratch and a huge salad with the most mouth-watering dressing Stella had ever tasted.

“I considered it for a while. My dad was a chef, and both Gia and I loved to watch him cook. I guess after he died I couldn’t bring myself to do something that reminded me of him every day.” Every time Max spoke of his dad, an unmistakable shadow of sadness appeared on his face. Stella knew it would never go away, no matter how much time passed. “Gia, on the other hand, was more determined than ever to be a chef. She was seventeen when he died and about to apply for colleges. All her efforts went into getting good grades and being accepted at the Institute of Culinary Arts. I guess everyone deals with grief differently – I wanted to forget, while all she wanted to do was remember him.”

Stella could absolutely relate to that and for the first time since her dad and her brother died, she felt ready to talk about it with someone besides her mother.

“You’re right; everyone grieves in their own way. After the accident Niki took Lisa away, leaving every single thing that reminded her of her husband behind, including me and my mum. Mum, though, felt she needed to be reminded of her son and her husband every day and refused to move. But in the end, it doesn’t matter where you live or what you do. You remember the people you’ve lost every single day, whether you want to or not. I guess all we can do is continue with our lives as best we can and come to terms with the fact that although we’ll never forget them, they’re never coming back.”

Max nodded, but kept silent, as if processing Stella’s words. They finished their lasagne in silence and even though it wasn’t uncomfortable, Stella felt Max withdrawing. He had a tendency to do that sometimes
– think so hard about something that all his other senses shut down. Right now Stella needed him
there
, not locked in his head, and the distant vibe he was projecting was unbearable.

“So, tell me more about this house. When did Beppe renovate it? Everything looks new in here.” Max took a sip of his drink, trying to focus all his thoughts on the present before he spoke.

“About three years ago. He hired contractors to do it, but he was here on site almost every day. I tagged along and was fascinated. I asked so many questions and wanted to be involved in everything that was going on that I drove everyone insane. At one point the project manager threatened to quit if I didn’t back off.” Stella laughed because she could totally imagine Max doing that. She knew from personal experience how determined he was when he decided he wanted something, and he’d try everything until he got it.

“My guess is you didn’t leave him alone, did you?”

“Not a chance,” he said and grinned, seeming delighted that she knew how he’d reacted. “I turned on the charm and he was eating out of my hand for the next three weeks.”

“Sometimes I think you have no conception of what the word ‘no’ means.”

“Oh, I do know what it means. I just don’t like it,” he said and winked at her.

“Was that why you decided you wanted to pursue that kind of career?” Stella asked, leading the conversation back on track.

“I’ve always been interested in buildings, I guess. But yeah, that was the moment I realised I didn’t want to build new ones. I’d rather save the neglected ones. In Italy there are so many amazing old houses, left to rot under the elements. Not many people want to take on such projects, because it’s hard – most of those houses are listed buildings and there are a lot of bureaucratic issues, lots of permits to apply for. On the plus side, they’re very cheap to buy and usually come with a lot of land.”

Stella’s heart swelled as Max spoke. The need to help and protect was deeply ingrained in his DNA. If he wanted to make a career in property development, it would be so much easier to build new houses from scratch. But no, he had to save the old ones, breathe new life into them. Make them happy.

“I can show you, if you want.” Stella realised Max was still talking and she hadn’t heard a word in the last two minutes.

“Sorry, what?” she asked, bringing her full attention back to him again.

“Where did you go? You looked all dreamy for a moment. You have to stop thinking about me all the time, you know,” he teased with a charming smile.

“I’ll do my best.”

“So, I was asking if you wanted me to show you some of the houses I’ve got my eye on. They’re not far; most of them are here in Tuscany.”

“Sure, I’d love to. Tomorrow?”

Chapter Twenty Seven

By the time they’d finished their meal and cleaned up the kitchen, it was past midnight. Exhaustion hit Stella so hard she could barely drag her feet upstairs. Thankfully, she’d already showered before dinner, so all she had to do now was take her clothes off and climb into bed.

“I’ll take a quick shower before I join you,” Max whispered in her ear as Stella was already drifting away. She managed to nod and the last thing she heard was the shower being turned on in the en suite bathroom.

Some time later, Stella woke up, disoriented. For a moment she had no idea where she was. Her heart rate sped up and her breathing became shallow. All she could feel was Max’s warm body behind her, his leg crossed over hers, his arms hugging her close to him. She instantly calmed down, remembering all the events of the day and realising it was still the middle of the night.

“Go back to sleep, babe,” he murmured, his breath tingling the nape of her neck. She smiled and, sighing contently, closed her eyes and obeyed.

The next day was one of the most wonderful days of Stella’s life. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so carefree and so happy. After making breakfast and coffee for her, Max took her on a road trip to show her some houses.

Tuscany came as close to heaven on Earth as Stella could imagine. She couldn’t stop staring out of the window and memorising the scenery. London would feel so claustrophobic when she got home after this.

The first house they saw was so run-down that Stella wondered how it hadn’t collapsed yet. It was one big, three-storey rectangle, with huge holes on the roof and partially missing walls. The land around it was neglected and in a desperate need of TLC.

Max stared at it with such passion and hope that if Stella didn’t know what he was looking at, she’d have thought they were standing in front of the Playboy mansion.

“What do you think, babe?” He grinned at her, taking her hand and leading her closer to the house.

“It’s ... I think it’s ... old. And barely standing.”

Max chuckled, walked behind her and hugged her, bringing his mouth next to her ear before he spoke.

“Close your eyes,” he said, quietly, brushing his lips over her earlobe. She did. “Now imagine there were no holes on the roof and it was covered in brand-new red tiles. Imagine smoke coming out of the chimney. Imagine dark wood frames and huge windows. A dark wood, solid front door. Imagine curtains over the windows inside.” Stella smiled, keeping her eyes closed and envisioning what Max told her. It started taking shape in her mind and she really liked what she saw. “Now, let’s step inside. Do you see the hardwood floors? Do you feel the underfloor heating? Look to your right – do you see the original, completely restored fireplace? Do you feel the heat from the flames inside?” The timbre of Max’s voice had gone low and husky. His warm breath on her ear was driving Stella crazy. She wasn’t thinking about the house anymore; she imagined them sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, kissing, tugging at each other’s clothes. A soft moan escaped her lips involuntarily and Max’s arms tightened around her. “Stella? Are you still imagining the house?” He kissed her neck under the ear, scattering her thoughts way beyond any images of the house. “I haven’t even described the other rooms yet. Especially the master bedroom. I have great plans for that one.” Stella felt him smile against her skin. Turning around to face him, she opened her eyes and said,

“I’ll take it.” Max threw his head back and laughed.

“I thought you said it was old and barely standing.”

“Well, you can be very persuasive.” He dipped his head down and kissed her.

“This is what I want, baby. I want a house like this, surrounded by my own land, having an orchard, a vineyard, a vegetable patch, two dogs. I want to restore as many houses like this one as I can, give them the life they deserve.” The passion in his eyes was contagious and Stella felt her lips spreading into a huge grin. The life Max wanted for himself was amazing, and knowing him, she was certain that one day he’d achieve everything he dreamed of.

Stella wanted to tell him all that, but behind her smile there was a pang of sadness. For a moment she had imagined herself in that future scenario with Max, but then she had to mentally shake herself and remember that her future was very uncertain – and it didn’t include Max. Afraid that if she spoke he might feel it, she just kissed him, trying to push the sorrow away before he picked up on it.

“Come on, let’s go. We have some more houses to see,” he said when she had separated her lips from his.

The other three houses they saw were in no better condition, but Stella looked at them with an open mind. She didn’t see the ruins of a brick building anymore; she saw a house full of life and possibilities.

It was way past lunchtime when they finished their road trip and Stella’s tummy rumbled to remind her that they hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. Max looked at her and smiled, pulling the car over. He took two paper bags from the boot and gave one to Stella, gesturing for her to follow him. They sat down on the grass, a few yards away from the road, and ate the sandwiches Max had made for them.

“This is just to tide us over. I have plans to make something special for dinner tonight.”

Of course he does. How can I be so lucky and so doomed all at the same time?

Dinner was indeed special. Max made lamb chops with some magical sauce, the ingredients of which he refused to disclose. Stella didn’t usually eat lamb, but the way Max had prepared it made her taste buds leap for joy and cry out for more. The evening was gorgeous and warm, and Max suggested they eat dessert in the jacuzzi outside. Stella ran upstairs to put her bikini on, while Max cut fruit into pieces and arranged them in a big bowl.

He fed her strawberries, melon and peaches, and kissed her after each bite. At some point he had managed to remove her bikini and discard it at the edge of the jacuzzi without Stella even noticing. Not that she complained.

He trailed his fingers along her back as she sat in his lap straddling him and literally eating out of his hand.

“What does your tattoo mean?” he asked, as he trailed the symbols on her back.

“Love, dreams and luck.”

Max raised an eyebrow, expecting some clarification.

“Those are the three things I think no one can live without. You have to love something or someone; it doesn’t matter if it’s romantic or not, but if you don’t have anything you love in your life, then you’re lost. Damaged. Broken.” Stella sighed, and paused before she spoke again. “You need to have a dream, otherwise what is there to look forward to? Without a dream it’s like you’re walking in a constantly dark tunnel and there’s no light at the other end. And you need luck, of course, because without it things just don’t work out, however hard you try.”