Page 43 of Be Still My Unbeating Heart

A familiar beat came over the sound system of the bar a few feet away. A soulful voice trilled the opening of “Smalltown Boy.” It was the song that De Luca had been humming outside the gelateria.

“De Luca!” Bastian cried. “Listen! It’s Bronski Beat! Ah, I just love this song.” He tugged his hair free from the ponytail, letting it blow in the breeze. He raised his arms and stepped side to side, letting the song fill him up.

“Bastian, what’s gotten into you?” Whitby asked.

“It’s called dancing, love!” He twirled on the spot, feeling light as air. “Even in the darkest moments, dancing is a ray of light. Join me, Inspector! It’ll make you feel better!”

“Bastian, this is completely—” Whitby began, then she groaned. “The sun. He’s been in the sun too long. It does funny things to him. Makes him giddy and annoying.”

De Luca looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“You really don’t know much about vampires, do you? There are certain vampires who can go out in daylight, but after a while, the sun makes them all…drunk or something. Pretty soon, he won’t want to go inside at all, which is bad, because he’ll begin to cook.”

“Cook?”

She nodded. “Slowly, but it’ll kill him.”

“What do I do?” De Luca asked.

Whitby rolled her eyes. “Get him out of the sun.”

“No, not indoors,” Bastian said. “I’m not sick. I feel amazing.”

“Bastian, stop,” De Luca ordered.

Bastian booped him on the nose. “Inspector, it’s possible to have funandbe a good person, you know.”

De Luca scowled. “Don’t make me cuff you again.”

Bastian shook his head. “You need to live a little, dear.”

“Don’t call me—”

“Oh phooey. You need to lighten up, De Luca. You’re so wedded to your job.I’mbetter at living than you are, and I’mdead.”

De Luca’s mouth opened, then closed again. Bastian got the sense he’d hit a nerve. The inspector’s throat blushed red.

“Oh dear,” Bastian said, putting a palm to his forehead. “I fear Whitby may be right about the sun. Forgive me, Inspector.”

He reached out to take De Luca’s hand, but the inspector stepped backward, out of Bastian’s reach, off the sidewalk. At the same time, Bastian heard the sputter of an engine, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a scooter speeding toward De Luca.

“Watch out!” Whitby cried.

Bastian lunged forward, dragging De Luca safely out of the scooter’s path, back onto the sidewalk.

He was only vaguely aware of the bike continuing on down the road, because a new sensation overwhelmed his senses.

Warmth spreading through his torso.

De Luca’s chest was pressed against his. Firm and strong. De Luca’s heartbeat echoed in Bastian’s own chest, filling him with heat and life. Their arms were wrapped around each other, and De Luca’s biceps popped against Bastian’s ribs. His scent was overpowering, that muskyparfummixed with perspiration.

Maybe it was the sun sickness, but De Luca’s embrace caused a prickle of excitement to travel up Bastian’s spine.

“That was close, darling,” he said softly.

“I didn’t…” De Luca murmured, but the words died on his lips. His eyes, so beautifully clear and blue, were fixed on Bastian’s, and there was a new look in De Luca’s gaze. Confusion and…enjoyment? Was he enjoying this closeness as much as Bastian?

Bastian’s gaze dropped to De Luca’s lips and suddenly he was thinking about what it would be like to kiss the handsome inspector. Would his kisses be tentative or insistent? Angry, perhaps?The same kind of angry he’d witnessed when De Luca kicked the bin into the street? A part of Bastian wished De Luca would lean forward, just a couple of inches so he could find out and—