One hand dove under his shirt and up the wide expanse of his back as the other wound around his neck, locking him in place.
High-pitched giggling broke the spell. They pulled apart and tilted their heads back. Three young girls stood at the edge of the path watching them.
Jordan looked at her, amusement sparkling in his eyes. “Come on, before they whip out their phones and start taking pictures.”
They wandered away from the Trevi Fountain, meandering through cobblestoned side streets. It was their last night in Rome and Jordan was determined to hit all the highlights and places Emme had said were her favorite. He pulled her hand around his back and dropped his arm over her shoulders, tucking her into his side.
She tilted her head back to look at him and he kissed her as they walked. His reward was a smile and a sparkle in her eyes. He committed that look to memory so he could pull it up when he rejoined his unit next week.
“Dinner in Piazza Navona?” he asked.
“Are you sure? We’ve eaten there three times already.”
“The food’s good and their house wine is the best we’ve found.”
“Good point.”
He kissed her temple and pulled her around a family taking pictures.
“Do you think they’ll give it to us to go?”
“We can ask. Why?”
Her hand dropped down and squeezed his ass. “It’s our last night here. I’d rather spend it in the apartment.”
Stopping, he pulled her into his arms. “We can always get some penne all’arrabbiata and a bottle of wine on the way.”
She smiled and licked her lips. “I like that idea a lot better.”
He cradled the back of her head and drew her in for a kiss. Her mouth was soft and welcoming. He cursed the distance back to their apartment. Releasing her, he grabbed her hand and picked up his pace to the main road a few yards ahead of them. No more meandering.
They reached the road and he scanned for the closest taxi stand, leading Emme to the car at the head of the line.
The white cab pulled to the curb in front of them and he opened the back door, ushering Emme into the car. “Via Ceriani Antonio, per favore.” He slammed the door and the taxi jerked into traffic. Emme slid into him as the taxi driver took an especially sharp turn, weaving around a parked car.
What might have taken thirty minutes in normal circumstances, took half that time. When in Rome. He passed the driver the fare and exited, reaching in to help Emme climb out. She pressed a hand over her stomach and took a deep breath.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’m glad we walked most of the time. I don’t think my stomach would have taken that every day.”
The corners of his mouth quirked up. “Sorry, I didn’t want to wait to get you back here.”
“Oh, I’m okay with that.”
Her voice was breathless again. Christ, that sound could bring him to his knees. He took her hand. “Come on. Let’s get pasta and wine.”
Twenty minutes later, they climbed the stairs to the third floor apartment. They’d lucked out finding an apartment so close to Saint Peter’s — they could actually see the dome from the roof. “Roof or apartment?” he asked. He could at least try to throw some ambiance at pizza and house wine.
She looked over her shoulder at him. “Apartment?” She stopped on the landing of their floor.
He stood on the step below, putting them eye-to-eye. “Why are you saying that like a question?”
“Because if we go to the roof we have to clean up and take everything back downstairs, but if we stay here, we can just leave everything on the counter and clean it up later.”
His booming laugh filled the close stairwell. “So you’re saying you want to eat and have your way with me.”
Her smile was sultry. “Well, if having my way with you involves getting your tongue on my clit, then yes.”
