He leaned over some and kissed my fingers. I grinned a little after looking away, but not only because his lips were warm against my skin.
Before we left for Sicily, I’d bought him a cap with a picture of Italian colors inside of the hand gesture called a finger purse—the fingers and thumb of one hand pinched together, pointing upward, making the hand look like a sack of coins tied at the top. He had it turned backward, and he was shirtless at the helm of the fast boat he must have rented or arranged for us to take. Rarely did he look that casual, that relaxed, and that made the grin linger on my face.
The day before had been my pick, as he’d reminded me, and I had no idea where we were going for his. He’d woken me up before sunrise, and after breakfast we headed to Paleokastritsa by motorcycle. After I took about hundred pictures—it was understandable why it was one of the most photographed areas on the island—Capo helped me into the boat. It seemed like he knew where we were going, so I settled in for the ride.
Wherever we were going, it seemed like it was private, maybe even secluded. I didn’t see any other boats or even land after a few minutes. It was all mountains and sea.
I thought about asking him where we were headed, but the wind was so loud and so ferocious that I decided not to. I didn’t want to have to scream over it and into his ear. Besides, the ride itself was fun and exhilarating. Especially seeing Capo so relaxed. In New York, I’d only seen him out of a suit once. He was all business and no play.
Even though I couldn’t describe him as playful,ever,I could tell he was even more relaxed here than he had been in Sicily.
We were both changing.
I wasn’t sure if it was because of what had happened before we left—Nonno—or something else, but something was evolving between us. We had an arranged marriage, one created by his own rules, but still… We were essentially strangers, but in another way, it felt like I’d known him my entire life. I couldn’t claim that he didn’t make me uneasy, but it wasn’t because he felt like a stranger to me. It was because he didn’t, and my flesh was drawn to his like the water draws the sun.
My attention stayed half on the thought and half on the scenery as we continued to travel further and further away from the shore. Between my inattention and taking pictures, I wasn’t even sure how long it took us to get there, but out of the blue— almost literally—a small beach appeared. It was surrounded by humungous rocks. One of them was open, like a mouth, and azure water flowed in. It was so clear that I could see straight to the bottom of it.
If I had a jar and scooped some in, would the water hold the color, I wondered? I never wanted to forget how beautiful it was. How hypnotic. It was inviting, and I wanted to keep it close to me. Never lose the memory of how clear and how vibrant the colors were against the sun.
The water swirled behind us as Capo took a turn and brought us closer to the shore. The beach was empty, not even an umbrella left behind, except for a blue wooden boat. It didn’t seem shipwrecked, and it wasn’t dilapidated. It still had oars. Maybe someone had left it behind for the visitors of the beach to use? I was going to ask Capo, but I decided on something that felt even more pressing.
“We’re alone here?” A sense of anticipation twisted in my lower stomach, thinking about having the beach to ourselves.
“For a while.” It sounded cryptic. More cryptic than usual, which made me feel even more anxious about his plans.
The sand was fine where the water rushed over it constantly, but further onto the beach, it became pebbled. The towering rock had craters in certain spots, almost like foot and handholds, that would help the climb to the top, where greenery grew wild like hair. The entire setup was nice, because in the bigger openings in the rock, we could hide from the sun if it became too hot.
Capo handed me a bag packed with towels and fresh clothes. Then he brought out an insulated bag with food and drinks. He took out two umbrellas, too, and stuck them in the sand.
All he had on was blue swimming trunks and the Italian-purse hat. His tan had gotten deeper with us spending so much time in the sun, and his hair was so dark, setting off his electric blue eyes, like the color of his swim trunks set off the color of his skin.
I went to touch my hair, for something to do, when he started to stalk toward me, but I had forgotten that I’d wrapped it in a silk scarf the way Capo’s Aunt Stella had taught me. Maybe me touching my head gave him an idea. He threw his hat on one of the towels as he moved closer.
His eyes were intense on mine, and I knew the look—it was one of the expressions I had no doubt about. It seemed like ourbodies had been tangled since we got married, unable to unknot. The push and pull of it was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. It made me reach out for him at the same time I took a step back and hit the rock.
This was one of the reasons why I’d felt as if I’d known him forever. My body acted on instinct. I felt comfortable reaching out and touching him like I wanted to, all inhibitions lost. He welcomed it.
“Up for a swim?” I breathed out, nodding toward the water, my hands pressing against his shoulders.
“Not hot enoughyet,” he said.
“Not dirty enoughyet,” I said.
He grinned, and my heart fell into the lowest part of my stomach. My nipples were hard, straining against the fabric of the bathing suit, and it wasn’t only sweat making the bottoms feel wet.
He stepped back, allowing a tepid breeze to blow through the space between his body and mine, and took off his swim trunks.
My eyes absorbed his entire body like they were sponges.Damn. He was so fucking fine…or hot…or handsome.The adjectives kept turning over in my head, and I couldn’t decide on only one to describe him. His body was a live wire, and his eyes were electric. Everything about him was…charged.
He lifted his eyebrows as if to say…your turn.
I’d been naked in front of him before, plenty times, but this felt… I was more exposed. But I wanted this, him, more than I considered the risks. Taking a deep breath, I kicked my flip-flops off, shimmied out of my jean shorts, and then peeled the bathing suit off.
I opened my arms, as if to say…we’re square now.
His eyes took in my body, from feet all the way to covered head, so slowly that I felt it when a droplet of sweat ran between my breasts.
He called me toward him with a finger, and I took the step to bridge the gap. He removed the silk scarf, let my hair cascade down, and then slid his hand underneath, guiding my face closer to his. When his lips closed over mine, a low moan escaped my lips and trembled against his. I could taste the salt on his lips, and his skin was as hot as the weather.
