do your brothers and sisters say?’
‘There are some things that you just don’t discuss. We talk about other things, but the past is there—we all know it. I’m sure they have their own memories and issues. I’ve never told anyone about that night.’ He gave her a wry smile. ‘So, no—tell Pedro thanks but no thanks. I shan’t be taking him up on his offer.’
He tipped the last of the champagne into her glass.
‘Enough of the sad stuff,’ he said. ‘We’re supposed to be celebrating.’
They danced on the beach, a lovely long, slow dance, and Abby was celebrating not just the win, nor that she was out in her sexy silver dress and necklace, drinking champagne and relaxed, but turned on in his arms. But that this emotionally elusive man had told her something about himself.
Something that not even his family knew.
It was, without doubt, for Abby, the perfect end to the perfect day.
Matteo thought it less than perfect. Not the day, nor the night—more what he had found out. What had happened to Abby was criminal, not just the event but the effect that it had had on her.
For the first time that he could remember he wanted to step up, but that would mean offering more than he had sworn to ever do.
He remembered their kiss and could feel the attraction but the cruellest thing in the world would be to let her think he was capable of even a short-term relationship. And so, when the music ended Matteo did as promised.
He took her safely home.
ABBY WOKE AND stretched and looked over to her lovely silver dress that was draped over the chair and she was more mixed up than ever.
Matteo confused her almost as much she confused herself.
She wanted him.
Oh, my, she wanted him, and last night had been perfect.
Absolutely perfect except for one thing.
Unlike the sensual kiss they had shared after the win, at the end of last night, when he’d taken her back to the hotel, Matteo had briefly kissed her on the cheek like he was saying goodbye to some elderly moustached aunt.
Maybe all that she’d told him had been a bit too much.
And, Abby conceded, Matteo was way too much to be cutting her teeth on. He didn’t do relationships—he had made that blatantly clear—and Abby really was the last person to consider a casual relationship.
Except she was.
She was lying in bed, in pyjamas, and wondering what it would be like to have sex with Matteo.
In fact, since the first night they’d met she’d often found herself lying in bed wondering the very same.
Instead of dwelling on that lovely thought, when there was a knock at the door she pulled back the covers and answered it.
It wasn’t breakfast, just the coffee she had ordered, given that they had an official breakfast starting in less than an hour.
She wondered how the team would shape up this morning.
Abby got dressed. There were several issues being a woman in a very male world and the Boucher corporate wear was one of them.
Bottle-green men’s trousers.
Yum.
A bottle-green shirt and a black belt and lovely flat black shoes.
She headed down to the restaurant and there, looking very seedy but dressed in bottle-green, were her team.
‘How was last night?’ Abby asked.
‘Kedah’s a bad influence,’ Pedro said. ‘I can see pink elephants.’
‘Just keep smiling,’ Abby said.
‘Kedah wants to sponsor us too!’ Pedro told her.
Breakfast was long and there were an awful lot of photos and after that there were even more interviews for poor Pedro.
‘How’s Pedro doing?’ Abby jumped at the sound of Matteo’s voice.
‘Very well,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning.’
‘We’ll talk in a moment,’ Matteo said. ‘I just want to catch up with Pedro.’ He went over and whatever he had to say to Pedro took ages and then finally he came over to her.
‘Can we go somewhere?’ Matteo asked and Abby nodded; he had his business face on and looked tired.
They found a table and she ordered tea and Matteo did the same.
‘You don’t look like you’ve slept,’ she commented.
‘I haven’t,’ Matteo admitted. ‘And neither has my lawyer.’
Abby frowned.
‘I’m in,’ Matteo said.
‘Officially?’
‘Yes.’ He handed her a very thick contract. ‘In a nutshell, I’ll be your sponsor for the next eighteen months. You can back out at any time. I can’t. Take your time to go through it though.’
She skimmed the first couple of pages and saw the figures he was talking and, no, she couldn’t imagine backing out.
‘What do you get out of it?’ Abby asked.
‘The Di Sione name on your car and Pedro, as well as your disgusting shirt...’ He looked at her attire. ‘Can we add a clause about your clothes? You’re wearing the same as the men.’
‘We can!’ Abby smiled. ‘What else?’
‘That’s pretty much it. Abby, I love the racing world. I can see why you’re completely hooked.’
‘It’s not always this good,’ she warned. ‘In fact, it’s never been this good till now and it might not be again.’
‘I get that,’ Matteo said. ‘I’ve just spoken to Pedro and when we’re both in New York I’m taking him shopping for a car. I’ll deal with his ego,’ he said and Abby let out a breath of relief. ‘You can concentrate on the cars.’
It felt too good to be true and she waited for Matteo to reveal the catch as he carried on speaking. ‘Now, go through the contract and flag any concerns that you have but when you read it, know that I’m in, no matter what happens between us.’
Abby looked up from the contract she was reading.
It had been business but now he had sideswiped her.
‘Us?’
‘Do I have to spell it out?’
‘I think so.’
‘I don’t do relationships,’ Matteo said. ‘I never have and I never will but I think we both know we’re heading for bed.’
‘I don’t know that,’ Abby flustered.
‘Of course you do.’ Matteo stated it as fact. ‘And, as I said the day we met, I am very patient. So, don’t stress about cup-winning performances on that front either. We’ll take it slow, get you enjoying it. Just know that when we’re miserable exes, and loathe each other, I’ll still be here for the team.’
He meant it.
For the best part of the night and well into the morning he had been speaking with his lawyer and playing email ping-pong with him.
In between all of that though, he had been thinking about Abby.
A future for the two of them was impossible but a future for Abby he could envisage, and