“I am,” I whisper; my pulse runs with a mixture of icy fear and sweating desire. “And this isn’t some professional crusade.”
“What?” he mouths, barely a sound coming out over the echo of their footsteps and the continuous muffled vibration from my phone. I wonder for a second if it’s Spencer calling to apologize.
“What you said over there.” I glance in the direction of the illuminated loungers. “I’m not out to get credit; I just want to do things the right way.” He stares at me, almost impressed that I can manage a stressful situation and still have a bone to pick with him.
Finally, my phone stops ringing, plunging all four of us into a humming silence.
“Do you meanyourway?” he asks into my ear; I can hear the fucking smirk on his lips. “Ever heard of a compromise? We all have to do things we don’t want to do.”
My eyebrows meet in the middle. I want to ask what he means, but before I have a chance to, my whole body jolts as the sound of a walkie-talkie’s static blasts through the air. The water sloshing around us, I press in closer, his taut body holding me steady.
“Tutto okay?”a crackling voice asks down the line.
“Va tutto bene,” the man standing just feet from our floating foreheads confirms as his footsteps slowly dissipate toward the door. Waiting until the door clicks shut, Oliver lets out a breath, then huffs a laugh, lifting his head so we’re face-to-face.
He runs a wet hand over his face, then through his hair, and I don’t know if it’s the wine or the adrenaline or this day or his full lips, but I’m worryingly close to making out with this man in a hot tub.
“You okay?” he asks, inspecting my face.
“Yeah,” I say breathily, “just a bit wired.”
“I know how we can work all this adrenaline off.” He wiggles his eyebrows.
“Seriously?” I say, rolling my eyes as an electric thrill chases the blood pumping at top speed around my body. The feeling marbleizes in my chest.
“I feel like it would do you a world of good.” He steps forward toward me, then sinks into the water until fully submerged. After a few seconds, I hear a muffled shout under the surface, bubbles appearing on the surface.
I laugh, close my eyes, go under, and scream. Letting everything from the past couple of days out into the warm abyss.
Eventually, we both come up for air. My mind is empty of stress, like a fresh lump of clay ready to mold to whatever comes next. Panting and laughing, which quickly disintegrates into shallow breaths and held stares. The way he’s looking at me turns my blood into strawberry jam.
Maybe I’m riding the high of not getting caught, but before I can think of a reason not to, I tug his wet shirt toward me and kiss him. I’m unsure of anything as his hand runs up the back of my neck to pull me in closer.
The kiss grows deeper, rougher, and more wanting than exploratory as I urge him closer. Our tongues graze, tasting the sweet, bitter red wine and Negroni that fueled us at full velocity toward this situation. A soft moan releases from my chest when his fingers grip my hair a little tighter until I come up on tiptoes to meet him. He nudges his thigh between mine and eases me against the edge of the hot tub. The cold tile above the surface at odds with the heat of the water surrounding us.
His erection presses against my thigh, water dripping from his hands as he runs his thumb over my cheek. He pulls back, surveying my body like I’m fucking edible.
My head spins as I try to catch my breath under his dark gaze. I know I should stop, but Cecily’s words ring in my ear: I need a break, I need a night off from myself, I need fun.
My voice comes out low, soft, and breathless. “Wanna get out of here?”
Chapter 9
Business Account (WYST) BALANCE: £9,485.44
Personal Account BALANCE: -£2,000.60
Recent transactions:
L’ultima Goccia: £13.98
We sneak through the men’s changing room toward the elevator, leaving a trail of pool water behind us like breadcrumbs. The air-conditioning is blasting throughout the hotel, keeping the temperature at a neutral sixty-six degrees. Since checking in, I haven’t noticed this at all. But now, soaking wet in this morning’s clothes, my whole body starts to shiver. The bell dings at our floor, and, once checking the coast is clear, Oliver takes my hand, leading me into his hotel room down a familiar hallway. Twenty-four hours ago, the idea of sneaking around with someone seemed unfathomable, but now it’s like the universe knew this is exactly what I needed.
His hand loops around my waist as we step through the door with our clothes squelching. I’m freezing cold, but the desire to have him all over me again feels like a bonfire that’s raging a little too hard for comfort. The contrast has goose bumps skirting across my skin. He turns the lights on, revealing hisroom. It’s slightly nicer than mine but not as neat. His clothes are still bundled in a suitcase, whereas mine are all hung up in the wardrobe. Some of his towels are draped over the bathroom door to dry, whereas mine are arranged neatly in a pile by the sink. His bed is rumpled, like he was lying on top of it earlier, whereas mine looks like the maid already came for turndown service.
Things were already getting heavy in the hot tub, but this feels new, like the stakes are higher now we are somewhere private. Somewhere there won’t be a flashlight shone in our eyes at any second, nothing to stop us.
“Sure you’re okay with this?” Oliver asks, his eyes dark as he searches my expression for any sign of hesitancy.
