The Moretti Heir by Katherine Garbera

any Moretti would do?” he asked, stroking his finger down the side of her face.
    She caught his hand and kissed his fingers. “Exactly. It was you or no one.”
    It was only at this moment that she realized the truth of her words and how important he was to her. And she made a promise to herself. She wasn’t going to let herself fall for him, because Festa women and Moretti men weren’t meant to be in love.
    Lorenzo and Cassia had proven how disastrous that could be.

    Marco was used to traveling and doing promotional events. He gave interviews to both broadcast and print media and was entirely at home in front of the public. He had always craved the spotlight and freely admitted that he liked the attention.
    It wasn’t that he was an egomaniac, it was simply that he liked all the fuss. And now, in Monte Carlo, it was even better, because when he left this press event he’d be going back to his villa where Virginia was waiting for him. It was as if he’d finally found what he’d been looking for, a surcease from the manic lifestyle he’d been living to try to prove to himself that he had a life.
    “What’s your hurry?” Keke asked as Marco tried to sneak out the back door of a party sponsored by Moretti Motors.
    “I’m not in a hurry,” Marco said.
    “Yes, you are. It has been this way since you hooked up with Virginia in Spain. I’m engaged to Elena, and I’m not as desperate to get back to my woman as you are.”
    “I’m not desperate, Keke.”
    “I didn’t mean that in a bad way. I think it’s good that you have something other than Moretti Motors to fill your life.”
    “I’ve always had more than the company. I’m known the world over for my party lifestyle.”
    “I am, too—that’s why I know how empty it is. There’s a difference between filling time and actually having someone to spend it with. Someone who means something.”
    “Keke, when did you get to be a philosopher?”
    “I know that I’m not a smart man, but having Elena in my life made me realize what I’d been missing.”
    “What does that have to do with me?” Marco asked.
    “Seeing you with your Virginia reminds me of me and Elena.” Keke shrugged. “I’m starting to think there’s more to life than racing…like maybe it’s time for me to retire and settle down.”
    Marco looked at his old friend. He and Keke had been teammates for the last five years. Keke was older than Marco, and maybe it was those four years age difference that had Keke talking like he was, but there was a sincerity in Keke’s voice that made Marco hesitate.
    “I’m not retiring, and Virginia is just a girl.”
    Keke raised both eyebrows at him. “Whatever you say, man.”
    Elena interrupted them before Marco could comment, and then he watched as his friends walked away from him. Was he desperate for Virginia’s company? Was that why he hadn’t sent her away immediately, as soon as she’d started going on about breaking the curse?
    A part of him knew it was because he’d never fully believed in the curse. What he did believe was simpler. He wanted Virginia, and the contract gave him a safe reason to be with her. He didn’t have to worry about marriage or expectations of love from Virginia. But her having his child was huge. Having a legal agreement seemed to make things simpler—unless he was just fooling himself.
    He made his way to the waiting Moretti Motors convertible that he’d left in the drivers’ parking lot. He liked the city of Monaco. He’d grown up coming here every year to watch the races with his grandfather. The Grand Prix de Monaco was one of the most famous.
    Even the car he was driving had been his grandfather’s. He’d always felt a special connection to Nonno Lorenzo, one that his brothers hadn’t shared. Nonno had said it was because they both had a passion for speed. And Marco had to agree. But now, staring down at his grandfather’s car, he wondered if there was more to him than racing. Was there more to