“So, clowns, the cold, and the ocean,” he said, counting on his fingers as if making a list. “Anything else I should know?”
I didn’t rise to the bait, too distracted by the slow pound of my heart against my ribs.
His teasing softened into something gentler. “I’ll keep you safe,” he said quietly.
I arched a brow. “From sharks and water snakes?”
Matteo chuckled, low and warm. “From all discovered and undiscovered water creatures.”
A silence settled between us, carried by the salty wind. I looked up at him, the moonlight silvering the sharp lines of his face, and found his gaze waiting for mine – steady, unwavering.
“I promise,” he said, and it wasn’t a tease this time. His voice was somber, certain.
Before I could overthink it, Matteo turned, dropped his shoes into the sand, and in one fluid motion peeled off his white linen shirt. The moon caught the gold chain resting against his chest before it disappeared into the pile with his trousers. He stood there in nothing but black boxers, broad shoulders gleaming faintly from the night air, then strode toward the water.
He didn’t look back to see if I’d follow. He just trusted I would.
My pulse thrummed like the ocean itself.
“You’re insane!” I shouted after him, even as my fingers found the straps of my nightdress, and he laughed. I tugged it over my head, the soft fabric whispering against my skin before it pooled at my feet. The night air brushed over me, cool against my breasts and the white Brazilian-cut panties I’d worn to sleep.
For a moment, I stood there barefoot on the sand, staring at the dark water ahead. It was pitch black – the kind of darkness that could swallow you whole. But Matteo’ssilhouette was already waist-deep, glancing back at me, that boyish, daring grin tugging at his mouth.
“I’m waiting for you,princesa!” he called.
I inhaled sharply and stepped forward. The sand gave way beneath my feet, cool and soft, then the first lick of water met my ankles. A shiver raced up my spine. Step by step, I waded in deeper until the ocean wrapped itself around me like silk, cold and endless.
When I reached him, Matteo was already swimming, cutting through the dark water with easy strength. Overhead, the stars sprawled across the sky like spilled diamonds.
I pushed forward, tentative at first. My heart beat wildly, but the water held me, lifted me. Matteo slowed, circling closer, and suddenly splashed a wave straight at me.
“Hey!” I shrieked, laughing despite myself.
His grin widened, wicked and beautiful. “You looked too serious.”
Before I could retaliate, Matteo darted forward, his arms snaking around my waist. He picked me up effortlessly, the water gliding around us as he spun me in a playful circle. My hair stuck wet to my face, and the sound that left me wasn’t a scream – it was laughter, as he threw me in the water like a bomb. Real, bubbling, unstoppable laughter.
“Matteo!” I gasped between giggles.
He only laughed back, a deep, rich sound that mingled with mine and the rhythm of the waves, as he swam back to me.
The world narrowed down to the feel of cool water against my skin, the stars above, and Matteo’s hands steadying me. My cheeks hurt from smiling, and for thefirst time that night, the melancholy that had wrapped itself around me like fog finally lifted.
Out there, under the midnight sky, I felt wild and alive.
The ocean cradled us in its inky arms, the gentle push and pull of the tide rocking my body closer against Matteo’s. At some point during the splashing and laughing, we’d drifted into deeper water – where my toes no longer grazed the sand below.
Matteo didn’t seem worried. He slipped his hands to my waist, steadying me with effortless strength. My legs instinctively hooked around his hips, clinging to him in the dark water. The movement brought us chest-to-chest, breath-to-breath. His hands splayed against the small of my back, holding me up as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
My nipples hardened from the cold and the feel of his muscular chest against mine, and I knew he could feel it. I couldfeel himfeel me, hard against the fire burning between my legs. Liquid fire pulsed through my veins.
The world had gone silent except for the soft lapping of the waves and my heartbeat hammering in my ears. Above us, the moon burned bright and round, its reflection shattered into rippling silver across the surface of the water. His face was half-lit by that pale light, turning his honey-brown eyes into molten bronze.
I couldn’t breathe.
His gaze dropped to my mouth. Slowly. Deliberately.
Every nerve in my body seemed to light up at once. My fingers tightened against the back of his neck, slick from the seawater. I felt delirious from the way he held me, from the salt on my tongue, from the way the moonlight turned this moment into something out of a dream.
