Rush: Part One & Two (The Pitstop Series Book 3)

The rooms are too small, the windows barely let in any light, and the kitchen is a disaster. This is the third apartment my realtor has taken Valentina and me to, and all of them have looked better in the photos than in real life. I can’t see myself living in any of the spaces we’ve seen, which is quite disappointing. We need our privacy, and I was hoping one of the apartments would be a place I can see myself and Val spending our time, but none of them felt right.

I drop my head in response.

“Mon amour,” Valentina says, her arms wrapping around me from behind. “We’ll find one, don’t worry,” she assures me in French, sending a thrill through me. I love the way it falls off her lips.

“I know,” I reply, running my hands over her arms before I guide her in front of me to capture her lips with mine.

She smiles, kissing me a few times and then stepping back. The bags under her eyes break my heart, especially because they’re not from crying.

They’ve appeared because she isn’t sleeping. We’ve been spending our nights reading, but every time she closes her eyes, I feel her heart accelerate and then they open again. I can’t imagine what’s going through her head when that happens.

“Listen, bébé, I had a feeling we wouldn’t find something you’d be happy with today, so I got you this,” she says, and I smile at the pet name before focusing on the ring-sized box she lifts up for me to take.

“Are you proposing?” I ask and cock an eyebrow. Her cheeks turn a bright red.

“No, it’s way too early for that,” she says with a small laugh, making me smile.

“Promise when it isn’t, you’ll let me propose. I want to be the one.” Val lets out another little laugh, straightening out her back.

“We’ll see,” she simply replies, urging me to open the box.

I do as I’m told, raising the lid to see a key sitting inside.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“To my house. I discussed it with Adrian, and we both agreed it’s time for you to have one. I want you to be comfortable in my home,” she explains, stepping back and touching the tips of her fingers to her mouth while she waits for a reaction from me.

“Are you sure we’re ready for this?” I know I am, but I want her to be too.

This will be a big commitment for us, for our relationship, and it shouldn’t be because she doesn’t like that I wait for her outside.

“Gabriel, this is long overdue. My house, my grandfather’s house, it’s my safe place, but so are you. I want you to be able to feel at home there too.”

I reach for her hips, her now healed tattoo no longer at risk of me applying too much pressure and hurting her.

“Wherever you are, I’ll feel at home.”

She pretends like she hates my cheesy, corny words, but the corners of her mouth always stretch into a smile. She secretly loves it, which is why I never hold back from saying them out loud.

“I’ll still text and ask for permission before coming over. I won’t just show up,” I say, and Valentina chuckles, her hands lifting to my neck.

“I know, which is why I feel so comfortable giving you this.” I’m about to kiss her again when my realtor interrupts us.

“Ready to go?” she asks, and I turn to the short woman.

“Yes, we’re ready,” I say, grabbing Val’s hand and leading her toward the door. She needs to get some sleep, and I have to find a way to get her mind off what haunts her at night.

“I’m going to look for places with more windows and bigger rooms. Also one with a balcony that overlooks the ocean. How does that sound?” Kim, my realtor, says, and I thank her a few times. Valentina does so as well before we make our way to my car.

“What can I do to make you happy?” I ask my sunflower when she sits in the passenger seat, staring out of the window and getting lost in her thoughts.

She tilts her head to me, a tired smile on her face.

“You already have,” she replies, closing her eyes as I place my hand on her thigh.

Val falls asleep before we even make it home, and I carry her to bed. I wrap the blanket around her, caressing her cheek for a moment. My heart beats a little more evenly now that she’s getting the rest she needs.

“How is she?” Adrian’s voice comes from behind me, but I signal for him to leave the room with me. I don’t want to risk waking Val under any circumstance.

“She’s sleeping now, which is an improvement.” He nods, rubbing his face and revealing how tired and frustrated he is. “When’s the last time you got any sleep?” I ask, but he shakes his head as if to dismiss my question.

“I got better things to do. I’ve been trying to contact Lorenzo Mattia, but he hasn’t answered any of my calls, texts, or e-mails. I think he’s scared to face me,” he jokes, a yawn slipping past his lips.

The usual white in his eyes is a fire red, and there are dark circles underneath them.

“Well, it’s too late now, he won’t get back to you at this hour. You, mate, need to rest. We all do,” I remind him, and he gives me an agreeing wink.

“Yeah, you’re right. I have to get up early. Daniel wants us to go for a run.”

He rolls his eyes, giving my shoulder one last squeeze before disappearing into his bedroom. I walk into Val’s, undressing and sliding under the blanket to get close to her.