Faith’s worry lines creased as she glanced at me. “Okay, but grab a basket for the stuff you find.” She motioned to the stacks of small baskets in the sand.
I slipped over toward Luca. “Ready to win this?”
He chuckled as he grabbed the basket. “Hell yeah. What’s up first?”
“Sunray… Venus?” I showed him the picture of the flat shell with flashing colors.
He pointed toward my feet with a small smirk. “Clearly, I’m too good at this.”
“They already found one! Let’s go!” Eve, Jamie, and John rushed off the other direction.
I bent down and picked up the shell. On the top it was iridescent, shining with the colors of the ocean. Blues swirled with greens shone in the afternoon sun. The texture was rippled, and I placed it in our basket. “One down.”
He glanced over my shoulder at the list. “Fourteen to go.”
I blew out a long breath. “Luca?”
Our gazes met as we stood there. “Yes?”
“I—uh, nevermind.” I squeezed the handle of the basket and crossed one leg behind me as I stepped back. It wasn’t the right time to ask him about his past.
We walked along the shore in silence. Electricity buzzed between us, reminding me of the unspoken tension that remained. Small, wet pebbles lined the beach and sparkled as the sun rays bathed them in golden light. I reached down to pick up a shark eye shell, the next shell on our list. My thumb followed the swirl on the white shell before I placed it in the basket.
We went on walking down the shore, picking up shells, for at least half an hour in silence before I couldn’t take it anymore.
I placed the basket of pretty shells and seaweed down before stepping toe-to-toe with Luca. “Damn it, okay. I have to ask. Are you attracted to me?”
His pupils dilated as he glanced down at me. I was lost within the depths of his blue eyes that reminded me of the ocean just a few feet away.
Without any hesitation, he clutched his hands onto my hips, leaning me against his muscular body. His touch was gentle yet seductive. When Luca touched me before, the raw passion encompassed his movements, but this time his touch was tender and controlled. The chemistry had always been there between us, he couldn’t deny that.
“Of course I’m fucking attracted to you,” he growled. The look in his eyes told me he was worried. His breathing hastened, the intense rhythm of his heart pounded against his chest.
“What are you afraid of?” I rasped out. The tension between us thickened, making it hard to breathe.
He pressed his body against mine and never broke eye contact as he leaned down, brushing the tips of our noses. “I’m afraid you’ll end up seeing me the way I see myself. The way I see my father.”
My heart skipped a beat as confusion swelled in my chest. “Your father?”
“I’m not perfect. I know that. I find you irresistible, Mags. I always have.” His breath fanned over my lips.
I knew kissing him at that moment would be wrong, but I wanted him however he’d let me have him. “Then what’s stopping you? I know you, Luca. You’re who I want.”
He pulled away, shaking his head. “I can’t be who you want no matter how bad I wish I could be.”
The self-deprecation behind his eyes shone full-force and left me with a million questions. I reached out and grabbed his hand as panic flooded through me. He couldn’t leave. Not now. Damn it, not when we were finally getting somewhere. “You already are. I’ve wanted you for as long as I can remember. ”
Pain welled up behind his eyes as he shrugged my hand off. “You’ve had me twice.”
“Not like that!” My bottom lip trembled, and my eyes burned. “Shit.I want all of you. Not just for sex. I want us to give this a real shot. Without you running away.”
He sniffed, tearing his eyes away from me. “I’m sorry, Mags. I hate this, okay? I hate that I’m fucking broken. I can’t be good enough for anyone. But especially not you. You deserve someone who can give you all of them with nothing holding them back.”
“Luca, don’t walk away. Please. Not again.” My breaths were inconsistent as I tried to control the sobs that tried to break free.
He refused to look at me as his lips trembled, and his shoulders heaved with emotion. His dark lashes brimmed heavy with tears, and his hands clenched into shaking fists. He was fighting himself, but why couldn’t he see that I didn’t want him to fight it? A lone tear trailed down his cheek, and just like that, he spun around and walked away from me again.
The muscles of my chin trembled. Static filled my head as I watched him take another step toward the resort, away from me. My eyes dripped with tears. My walls, the confidence that held me up, and made me who I was, collapsed. Salty drops fell from my chin, drenching my chest. The trembling didn’t stop. Even as I turned away from his retreating figure and stepped knee-deep into the ocean. The pain was raw. I couldn’t stop the tears as I bent down and plucked a piece of driftwood that floated in front of me.
