“Better, baby?”

“Mmm, much,” she sighed, resting her head on my chest.

I kissed her lightly, loving the soft smile that made her eyes glow. I swallowed, fighting to control the feelings that threatened to overwhelm me. Goddamn it! I was a US Marine, not some lovesick teenager. Pity my body couldn’t tell the difference.

“Come on then,” I said quickly, “let’s walk for a while. We’ll find a room—and a pharmacy.”

“Good to see you’ve got your priorities in order, Sebastian,” she laughed.

“Trained by the Marines, baby. What can I say?”

We walked lazily through the warm streets, as crazy drivers in cars and scooters raced past us. A few of the men were giving Caro sleazy stares, so I slung my arm around her and glared at the ones who were the most obvious. I felt her hand slide around my waist as she smiled up at me.

When I saw a small sidewalk café I realized how thirsty I was.

“I could really use a beer,” I suggested.

But Caro shook her head.

“This is the home of limoncello, Sebastian, the real thing—made with Sorrento lemons. I think we should try some.”

“Yeah! You used to make those amazing ones when I was a kid.”

She shrugged, wincing slightly as we both remembered that I’d first met her when I was eight years old and she was a newly married woman. Other than my fucking parents, Ches and his family were the only people who knew that. No one else would ever understand what we’d been to each other then. She’d been the only person in the world who cared for me then, and even as a little kid, I knew that I wanted to save her. It was fairytale stuff, and it wasn’t until we met again when I was 17 that I recognized what a douche her husband was. Those memories were private.

“Sure, but these are alcoholic,” she said, glancing up at me with a smile. “We could order them with a pitcher of water, too.”

“Sounds good,” I said, knowing that it was her way of challenging me not to get wasted. Whatever, but it wasn’t like the military made many teetotalers.

The waiter was a kid who needed a fucking lesson in manners. He cheered up when Caro spoke to him in Italian, but I stared him down when I caught his eyes on her tits.

“And would you know of anywhere we could rent a room for a couple of nights?” Caro asked him. “Nothing too expensive?”

“My Uncle Aberto might,” said the kid, smiling at her, caught in her spell like so many other guys. “I’ll go and ask him.”

“You didn’t have to flirt with him, Caro,” I said, at the same time kicking myself for sounding like the jealous asshole she’d been married to.

She stared at me, completely confused.

“Excuse me? Flirt with him? I was being friendly, that’s all.”

“Well, it didn’t look like that from here,” I snapped, trying to rein in my temper—and failing.

She shook her head and held up a finger. “Rule number three, Sebastian, of my conditions for coming on this road trip with you: no displays of adolescent jealousy. Remember?”

I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms. I definitely needed a moment.

The kid waiter returned with the limoncellos, water, and an older guy with black hair and dark olive skin.

“My nephew tells me you’re looking for a room. For how long?”

“Just a couple of nights,” Caro replied, smiling at him.

Yep, that jealousy wasn’t going away anytime soon.

“Somewhere in town,” she continued, “nothing too upscale—although somewhere with a bath would be great. We’ve been on our motorcycle all day.”

“I have just the thing,” he said, returning her smile a little too happily. “My mother-in-law’s sister’s neighbor rents rooms. Her villa overlooks the sea—very pretty rooms. Only €50 a night. I could call her for you, if you like?”

“Thanks,” I said, letting him know who was in charge. “We’ll take a look.”

Caro’s expression told me that she wasn’t impressed, but I didn’t care. No one was hitting on my woman in front of me. Fuck that!

The older guy returned, addressing himself to me this time.

“You’re in luck, signore, signora. She has a room available. I’ve written the address down for you.”

“Thank you,” Caro said, “that’s very kind of you.”

He nodded and turned to leave.

“Aberto, can I ask you something else?” she said, her voice hesitant. “My father was from Capezzano Inferiore. He left many years ago, but I was wondering, do you know anyone with the surname of ‘Venzi’?”

He scratched his head but then shrugged, and Caro’s face fell. I wanted to beat the shit out of the man who put that look on her face, even though I knew it wasn’t his fault.

“No, I’m sorry, signora, I don’t know that name. I could look in the phone book for you?”

“Thank you,” she said, trying to smile. “That would be so helpful.”

I held her hand while we waited for him to return, and I could feel the tension in her.

“Ah, I’m sorry, signora,” he said a few minutes later, “there’s no one with that surname in the town—some in the province, but none within 70km.”

Caro’s shoulders slumped.

“Thank you for looking, Aberto,” she said quietly.

He smiled sympathetically then walked away.

“Sorry, baby,” I said. “I know you had gotten your hopes up.”

“I was just being stupid,” she said, smiling weakly. “I just wanted … I just hoped I’d find some family.”

“Hey, I get that. I know what it’s like.”

She swiped a finger under her eyes, trying to hide the fact that she was trying not to cry.

“I never even asked you, Sebastian, but do you have grandparents? You never mentioned any.”

I shrugged. “No, not really. Mom’s parents died when I was a kid; Dad never spoke to his. Big surprise. I don’t even know where they live.”

“And you’ve never wanted to find out?” she asked

Her eyes were so full of compassion, it fucking slayed me.

“I thought about it once. Anyway, I’m not sure I’d want to find anyone who was related to that bastard. Besides, they never showed any interest in me … it made me wonder if the bastard was really my dad. I dunno…” I shrugged. “Ches and his kids, Mitch and Shirley—they’re my family.”

“And Amy,” Caro said, her voice teasing.

I groaned. “Yeah, and she’s thrilled about that.”

“Well, she’ll be much happier when we show her the new, improved Sebastian Hunter. I could tell her that I’ve tamed you.”

I threw her a look.

“You’re treading on dangerous ground there, Venzi.”

She sat back and smiled at me. “You’re so masterful when you talk like that, Sebastian.”

I knew she was just yanking my chain, but there’d be payback for that.

I leaned forward and stared at her. “Yeah, well, if we can find a fucking pharmacy, you’ll find out just how ‘masterful’ I can be.”

“Looking forward to it,” she smiled.

“You know what we should do, Caro?” I said, as we sat in the warm Mediterranean sunshine, a huge fucking relief after the grayness of Geneva. “We should drive up to Amalfi. The coast road has some gnarly mean bends—see what the bike can really do. There should be some great views, too.”

“That sounds fun,” she said, although her face told me she was less than thrilled with the idea.

“That’s my girl!” I grinned, winking at her.

After I paid for our drinks, we walked through the town, on the lookout for Via Roma. It turned out to be a wide avenue running alongside the harbor. Better still, it had a farmacia.

I pushed the door open, finding an old fashioned mom and pop type of place. The preservativi had a shelf high up all to themselves. I chose Trojans—a brand I knew and trusted. I didn’t care if Caro got knocked up, but she obviously did. So I’d play by her rules—for now.

Caro was at the makeup counter, which surprised me as I hadn’t seen her wear makeup so far. She paid for mascara and a dark red lipstick which she slid into her pocket.

“Looking forward to tasting that lipstick on you later,” I whispered.