The limo window is tinted, but I know just who is hearing my knocks on the glass and whose face I’ll see as the window rolls down.

One of the most impressive things about this woman is the effect she’s had on me over such a damned short period of time. Before today, you wouldn’t catch me running out to the driveway and knocking on a car window for anyone.

Even for me, it’s hard to fucking believe that I’m standing in the middle of the goddamned mansion driveway, peering eagerly into the luxury vehicle.

Yet, here I am. And as the window rolls down, I get a breathtaking eyeful as to why I ran out here like a kid on Christmas morning.

“I was hoping somebody would be home, but seeing you here to greet me is more than I could’ve asked for.”

The way Sofia’s smiling right now is more than I could’ve asked for, and I’m about to tell her that when I notice the way she’s holding her phone.

It looks like she rode all the way back here by herself, so it’s no surprise she has her phone out.

But, the way she’s holding it—her arm outstretched slightly, the screen tilted away from her—looks as if she’s trying to get away from something—or someone—on the phone.

When I open the door for her, I notice the tiniest bit of stress in her smile—and the way she seems to push it away from herself as she steps out the door.

Fuck, it’s none of my business anyway. Whatever shit’s going down in her life, I’m glad she has a place here with us.

A place where she’ll always be treated right.

A place to get away from all the bullshit.

The stress is gone from Sofia’s face by the time I lean in for a kiss. It’s no fucking short greeting kiss, either.

It starts out that way, but it keeps going for a second, then another, and the smallest spark soon takes on a bit of fire.

With our lips still locked, I reach behind Sofia to shut the limo door. My hand finds her ass for a satisfying little pat on its way back to my side.

That puts the perfect punctuation on the kiss, and we both end it right there.

“Wait!” Sofia yells, bringing the moment to an end. “Don’t let the limo drive off with my stuff!”

She does not seem amused at my laughter, but I can’t help myself.

“It’s not a taxi, Sofia. It’s not going far, no matter what—but I’ll make sure it doesn’t go anywhere. And I’ll get your stuff.”

Sofia seems a bit more pleased with that response, giving me a surprised, satisfied little nod.

“That would be terrific, Marco. Thanks. You can leave it, I guess...inside somewhere?”

“You mean, in your room, Sofia? I wouldn’t leave it anywhere else.”

“Ooh, that works. I just have to clear some of these missed texts and calls from my phone. Shit’s been blowing up recently.”

This woman has no problem taking charge, and I must say, I love it. What I love even more is the feeling that there’s a whole lot more to discover.

Sofia smiles slyly as she walks past me towards the mansion, leaving me to get whatever she’s left in the limo and carry it for her. That smile raises my temperature by a couple of notches, easily, and I’m not only happy to carry her stuff inside, I’m fucking looking forward to it.

Just like I’m looking forward to learning more about her, to maybe figuring it out someday. For now, it’s just a beautiful fucking mystery.

The vibe she gives off just being in fucking control is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Even zooming along in one of Bocci’s F1s can’t really compete with it—but it’s still the only thing I can even compare it to.

Carrying Sofia’s bags inside, I see her wandering into the kitchen, doing something on her phone. I’ve never been jealous of a fucking phone before, but, fuck...I’m going to have to come up with something better than whatever’s on there to keep her attention.

After carrying the bags into Sofia’s room, I finally think of something that no fucking smartphone can hope to contend with.

As happy as I am to carry the bags, I won’t even dare to mess with their contents. Sofia knows exactly how she wants all this stuff stored, I’m sure, and there is no lack of storage in this room. So, I leave them carefully in the middle of the floor, already starting to shake with fucking excitement at the time I’m about to show Sofia.

It’s going to be the time of her fucking life, for sure.

At least, I hope it is.

Sofia’s footsteps are coming up the stairs, so I better act fast if I want this to be any sort of surprise. I yank my phone from my pocket, find the number, and dial it as fast as my thumb will allow.

“Marco,” a slightly nervous voice answers, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Hey, I was just wondering if I could get some more time in today.”

“Of course! Anytime, like we agreed.”

“Great, we’ll be there in a bit.”

“We? Are you br...”

Sofia walks into the room, and I hang up abruptly.

“Who were you talking to?” she asks. “Sorry to pry...”

“No, no one. Hey, how are you feeling?”

“Pretty good. I just had a glass of water, and, I don’t know...What’s going on?”

“Pretty good, huh? Do you think you’d be up for the ride of your life?”

Sofia lets a mischievous smile spread across her face as she looks down at the floor for a moment.

“You mean, better than last night?”

She looks back up at me as I take a few steps towards her.

“The ride of your life, Sofia. Are you ready?”

Sofia casually shrugs with a cool confidence that sets my insides alight like a fucking firebomb.

But on the outside, I stay cool myself.

“Sure.”

“Well, if you’re ready, we’ve got a whole fucking F1 racetrack waiting for us.”