The cut-through spills us out onto a broader sidewalk, flooded by a current of tourists flowing toward the Grand Canal. I catch the subtle pinch in Jackie’s expression, worry settling between her elegant brows.
Naturally, I do the sensible thing and take her hand.
Her body goes rigid. “You don’t have to play pretend again.”
“Let’s go this way.” I tug her gently toward another secluded pathway, wedged between two houses leaning toward each other.
The crowd presses from all sides, the air overstuffed with heat and noise, and her grip on me stiffens. Making sure her team keeps close, I slip into the shaded, tight space, drawing her in.
Her relieved sigh ghosts my shoulder, warm and velvety, tracing fire along my neck.
“Better?” I turn to catch her relaxed expression when we end up on a quiet canal-side promenade, lined with cozy homes and hole-in-the-wall wine bars.
“Been here before?” she asks.
Admit the research? “No,” I chuckle. “But I might have checked the satellite images for less crowded routes.”
She looks up at me with a wide and impossibly blue look. “You’re full of surprises today.”
I rub the back of my neck, playing for time. “We can pretend we’re on some fun holiday. But it’s always there, in the back of my mind.” My gaze never wavers. “Your safety. I’d never risk that.”
Jackie nods slowly, the weight of it sinking in. Then a wicked little smirk tugs at her lovely lips. “Careful,” she teases. “A girl might be flattered.”
Oh, we’re playing again. This side of her flips a switch of need I could never control around her.
“Through here.” Before she can take in her surroundings, I lead her down another tiny street. The space narrows, the beams of light only reaching the second floor. She walks ahead, our shoulders almost grazing the rough plaster of the old facades.
“This is one of the narrowest streets in Venice,” I murmur near her ear, close enough that her backside brushes the front of my pants. My body reacts with a familiar rush of heat.
She glances back, a faint blush painting her cheeks. “I’m starting to think this was part of your plan…”
It wasn’t, but the way I’m drawn to her is impossible to resist.
“Are you scared?” I tease her, my voice dropping lower.
She doesn’t answer, but her pupils dilate. I still know how to read her. Like my favorite fucking book. Every breath, every tell.
My mind is still riddled with doubt about her, but my body moves on its own.
“No,” I whisper, “you’re not.” I slide my thumb under her thin shoulder strap. “You look like you’re one compliment away from hiking up this pretty dress of yours and letting me press you against this wall.”
Her breath stutters.
“Should I flatter you some more?”
The shiver that runs through her shoots straight to my groin. My body tightens, ready to break.
“Miss Rawlings!” The guard’s voice booms from somewhere around the corner, bursting the moment.
“Here you are!” he pants, slightly panicked, the second one right behind. “I’m sorry, ma’am. We’re supposed to monitor you at all times.”
Right. I got so carried away, I forgot about her shadows.
“Of course,” Jackie says smoothly.
She recovers quickly, but I catch the way she looks down as we walk, her chest still heaving slightly, heat creeping up her cheeks.
Our last stop is a hidden spiral staircase few tourists ever find, tucked away behind the maze of narrow streets.
