Page 18 of Tempted Hearts
Everyone looked at me expectantly. If we were going to be here for a few days with the guys, I needed to be clear. “We’re keeping track of my expenses, and I will pay you back the second we’re back in the States,” I said to Delaney, willing her to understand.
“Deal,” she said, thankfully not arguing.
“And you”—I turned to Cole—“have to behave.”
He gazed dropped. To my mouth.
“Define behave,” he said, his voice much too low. My knees actually wobbled.
“Onward.” Delaney was in a better mood than I’d seen her since the incident. I would be too if my gorgeous fiancé, who was actually a nice guy, had come to rescue me from one of the most beautiful countries on the planet. Unfortunately for me, I got Mr. Stick Up His Ass who looked way too good for comfort.
At least, for my comfort. It had been way too long since I’d been laid, the vibrator he saw in my drawer not counting. Of course, a vision of that flashed in my mind. He’d looked at me after that revelation like he knew exactly what setting I used. Not that he’d probably ever even seen one before. If there was any man on earth least likely to know his way around sex toys, it was Cole.
Ignoring him, or trying to, I asked Parker to navigate us to the address. “It’s so strange, not having a phone. So my mom said the last address we got from his cousin who’s into the genealogy stuff more than me is…” I thought about it for a second, knowing it would come to me. “Got it. Salita San Rocco, 3. I looked it up before we left and think it’s in this part of town. Seemed walkable.”
Delaney and I crowded on both sides of Parker’s phone trying to decipher the map since the address didn’t seem to be pulling up for him. A few minutes later, Cole’s voice interrupted our map study.
“Monterosso Al Mara is broken up into two main areas. Fegina is the beach area and Centro Storico, or old town, is where we are now. We’re better off heading into the residential area, that way.” He pointed. “I’m assuming. And asking a local.”
All three of us stared at him.
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“Cole does shit like this all the time. He knows everything.”
The hero worship was strong between all three of the guys and Cole. Honestly, I didn’t get what they saw in him.
On the other hand, it was a pretty random thing to know.
“Did you study the town on the plane or something?” I asked.
“Or something,” he said, maddeningly. “I pay attention to things.”
Was it my imagination, or did he use that low, sexy tone again?
“Do you ever give a straightforward answer?”
“Do you want to hunt down your ancestors or continue to interrogate me?”
“I wasn’t interr?—”
“Okie dokie.” Delaney linked arms with me. “Let’s go this way and see if you can drum up enough Italian to ask a local for the address.”
After an accidental glance back, I wished I could take back the slip. He was smiling at me. The kind of smile a man made when he knew what you looked like naked.
My stomach did a traitorous swoop as Delaney whispered furiously beside me.
“Careful, Jules, or I’ll start to think you actually like him.”
“Like him?” That was too loud. “It’s just the opposite.”
“She who doth protest too much. Or whatever the quote is.”
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks. It’s fromHamlet,” I said as we slowed to accommodate for the ever-increasing uneven sidewalks. Every block further from the sea changed the feel of the town. It was obvious most tourists didn’t venture this way. Less restaurants. More clothes hanging from the balconies. But just as much charm.
“Scusate.” That perfect Italian accent was from Cole. I whipped around to see him speaking to an older gentleman. “Mi potete dire dove si trova Salita San Rocco, 3?”
“Salite la collina per circa tre isolati e cercate Scusate. Cercate Vicolo degli Ulivi e girate a sinistra, quindi seguite i numeri civici.”
