“I’m protecting you,” I say with a grin. “If you read it now, you’ll just fall in love with the heroine and get jealous of the hero.”
He laughs, low and warm. “So the hero’s based on me.”
My eyes go wide. “I didn’t say that. I didn’t even know you two years ago. You don’t factor into it at all.”
He puts a hand to his heart. “Wow. That actually stings a little.”
I laugh. “Good.”
I try to shove him away, but he catches my wrist and pulls me closer, his voice dropping to a murmur. “One day, Olive Hart… I’m gonna read that book.”
Before I can roll my eyes or come up with a smart retort, his mouth is on mine. Slow at first, then deeper—hot enough to make my knees feel like they’ve forgotten how to function. His fingers slide into my hair, tilting my head just the way he likes, and my pulse kicks into a sprint.
By the time I’m melting against him, ready to forget my own name, he pulls back. Just like that. Gone.
I blink at him, breathless. “What the hell—?”
He grins, pure wickedness. “If you won’t let me read your book, there’s no sense in still hanging around the villa.”
I gape at him. “So you’re… withholding kisses now? Is that your strategy?”
“Not withholding.” He stands, offering me a hand like a perfect gentleman. “Just motivating.”
“Motivating forwhat?” I demand, refusing to take his hand.
He shrugs, already heading for the terrace doors. “For adventure. For mystery. For… swimming in a cenote before the sun gets too low.”
I fold my arms, still trying to get my pulse under control. “You’re infuriating.”
“And yet,” he says over his shoulder, “you’re coming with me.”
He’s halfway down the path before I give in, grabbing my swimsuit from the bedroom and muttering under my breath.
By the time I catch up to him, he’s already waiting beside a rented Jeep. He grins, opens the passenger door, and I climb in. Soon we’re winding through lush green trails, jungle pressing close on either side. The hum of cicadas fills the air, and every bump in the road makes me more curious about where he’s taking me. When we finally stop, the trees part to reveal a secluded clearing and a wooden platform that seems to float above a hidden pool.
The first thing I notice is how impossibly clear the water is—like glass that’s been tinted turquoise. Sunlight filters through gaps in the limestone above, scattering gold across the surface. The air smells faintly of wet stone and earth, cooler than the humid warmth outside.
“This is ridiculous,” I murmur, peering over the edge of the wooden platform. “This doesn’t even look real.”
Ash grins, tossing his shirt aside. “It’s real. And you’re getting in.”
I hesitate, peeking down at the drop. The cenote stretches out like a secret world beneath us—water so deep it fades to navy. “What if there are, I don’t know… ancient spirits down there? Or fish with teeth?”
He steps close, his voice low in my ear. “Then I’ll protect you.”
It’s meant to tease, but my stomach flips anyway.
Ash jumps first, slicing into the water with barely a splash. His laugh echoes off the stone walls when he surfaces, hair slicked back. “Your turn!”
I take a deep breath and leap. The water swallows me in a rush of cool silk, bubbles fizzing around my ears. When I break the surface, I’m laughing—shocked at how alive I feel.
“Not so bad, right?” he calls, swimming toward me.
“Not bad,” I admit, treading water. “Actually… perfect.”
We spend the next hour exploring—ducking into shadowy overhangs, pointing out tiny silver fish darting around our ankles, floating on our backs beneath the skylight of sun above.
We climb out eventually, dripping and exhilarated. My legs feel like jelly in the best way. Ash hands me a towel, his fingers lingering just a beat too long on mine. “Ready for the next stop?”
