His Lover to Protect - Katee Robert Page 0,48

was so prominent in the city. It was so familiar, even if she’d never walked down this street before, and it all reminded her of Mom. “I…” She cut herself off. Even now, it was so hard to put herself out there.

“Yeah?”

What the hell was the point if she didn’t take a leap of faith? Or another one in the line of what felt like countless ones. “I don’t want to stay here tonight.” She could keep going, tell him that even the cathartic sobbing at the gazebo hadn’t been enough to banish the ache of missing her mom. “Being here makes it hard to do anything but dwell in the memories, both good and bad. I just…I’m not up to it right now.”

She braced herself for a glare or angry comment, but Luke only gave a short nod. “Let’s see what our options are.” That was it. He even took her hand as they made their way down to a corner with several cabs. He glanced at his watch. “It’s getting kind of late for a flight going out, but we can see if there are any night trains.”

“I’ve never been on a train.” And she could barely reconcile this man with the one she’d met back in Cork. It was more than his taking care of her—there was something relaxed in his face that hadn’t been there before. As if maybe he’d let go of some of the baggage weighing him down. She understood. It had hurt to lay the innermost part of herself out there, but she felt like she’d lanced an old wound. It would take time, but maybe she’d heal cleanly now.

Maybe his talking about his injury and potential future had done the same for him.

“Then here’s to new experiences.” He opened the cab door for her and followed her into the backseat. “Train station.”

The cab driver muttered a confirmation and the car lurched into motion, throwing her against him. He put his arm around her shoulders. “So where else is on your list?”

She was so distracted by the insane way the cabbie was tearing through the streets, it took her a few seconds to realize he’d asked her a question. “What?”

“Your path to enlightenment or whatever you’re calling it. Where else is on your list?”

This was so much easier to talk about that the relief made her feel wobbly. “There were a couple places I wanted to see just because I’m over here—Rome, Paris, Barcelona—but there’s only one place left on my list. Verona.”

He was silent for a few seconds. “Because…”

Right. She’d told him the reasons behind the other places. Alexis looked out the window, knowing that he could see her blush. “Juliet’s Wall is there. I know the whole Romeo and Juliet thing is more tragedy than romance, but the wall itself has become something more. People write the name of the ones they love, and legend has it that doing so makes the love stronger.” Her face was so hot, it was a wonder she didn’t set fire to her skin. “And I’m sure you’ve heard of the letters people write to their lost loves.”

“There was a movie a few years back.” When she shot him a look, he shrugged. “I didn’t see it, but Aunt Rose is a huge chick flick fan.”

“Oh.”

Luke sat back, his eyes intense despite his relaxed posture. “So you’re going to go write a letter to that piece of shit ex of yours.”

“What?” She burst out laughing. “God, no. Maybe I wasn’t clear before, but that wasn’t exactly an epic love worth writing home about.” Which is why she shouldn’t have been surprised by Eric’s reaction to her barrenness. They’d never shared half the connection she felt with Luke.

Dangerous territory, Alexis.

She looked back out the window, trying to ignore the tension in the cab and how the scenery was flying by at a truly terrifying rate. “No, it’s nothing like that. I might not have been head over heels in love with Eric, but how things fell out between us… It made me bitter. I want to let that go, and I want to open myself up to loving again.”

Though she was starting to think that she didn’t need a trip to Italy to accomplish that.

“Well, let’s see what the train station has to offer, and then we’ll see about getting you to Verona.” There was a warmth in his voice that she was rapidly becoming used to. She liked grouchy Luke despite herself. A Luke who