He chuckles and continues steering me towards the pool. “Noted. We’ll start in the natural cave. From what I remember, that pool’s warm and the cave will keep the sun out of your poor, hungover eyes.”
“You’re the best.”
He throws his arm around my shoulder, and we walk in companionable silence towards the cave at the back of the resort.
If we did this day properly, we’d move through the pools inthe order the resort suggested, each change in temperature and length of time designed for optimal relaxation and healing. But right now, I need to stay submerged.
We toss our clothes and towels onto a nearby chair. The air in the cave is cool, tucked away from the heat of the Mediterranean sun. The warmth of the water and the chilly bite of the air ease the tension in my body, and I drift over to the back corner of the cave. I lean against the natural wall, the edges of the cliffside digging into my back like the island itself is giving me a massage.
I open my eyes and breathe a sigh as the pain in my head fades. Colton makes his way to me, his eyes dark in the dim light. No one else has made it to this pool yet. We’re closed off from the rest of the guests, and I shiver at the predatory glint in his eye.
I wet my lips as he closes in, and his eyes track the movement.
“Remember the last time we were here?” I ask.
He lets out a cross between a scoff and a laugh. “Yeah.”
“What’s that scoff mean?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.
“It means I definitely remember you running around in a tiny bikini,” he says, his voice as dry as the Sahara. “Not the easiest day of my life.”
“Would you say it was…hard?” I roll my lips together in an attempt to bite back a smile at my truly horrendous joke.
His arms land on either side of my body. “That was terrible, and you should be ashamed of yourself. But yes. It was very, very hard.”
The press of his lower half to mine makes me gasp. He runs his nose along my jaw. The way he inhales, like my scent is sustenance and he’s starving, makes my heart tighten. I grasp his shoulders, wrapping my legs around him.
“Do you want to head back to the hotel?” I whisper.
He leans back and quirks an eyebrow. “No need to rush this. I want to spend the day with you.”
I bite my lip against the smile. How does he know the perfect thing to say?
The idea of spending the day together without the awkwardness of us pretending we aren’t attracted to each other is exactly what I need. His willingness—no, his request—to put off sex to get more time with me is everything. It’s a relief to know that in a few hours, when our one time is up and sex is back off the table, this connection will still be there.
I lean forward and give him a light kiss. “That sounds perfect,” I whisper against his lips.
He groans and deepens the kiss. We may not be running back to the hotel, but we’re only human.
I hear the voices before he does, unwrapping my legs and using them to push him across the pool. His eyes are still dazed as the new swimmers come around the corner to join our oasis.
“Quinn!” Markus calls out, and I realize the poorly timed interruption is a group of our students. Thank god we stopped when we did. The last thing we need is the students gossiping about how they found two professors grinding against a cave wall on a school-sanctioned trip.
“She’s Professor Riley while here,” Colton barks from the other side of the pool. I send him a chastising look. His frustration isn’t an excuse to snap at poor students. He rolls his eyes and moves back next to me.
Markus looks chagrined, and I almost elbow Colton. The kid’s a goofball, but it’s clear to anyone watching that he idolizes Colton. “I’m sorry, Dr. Miller. Habit from back home.”
“Don’t worry about it, Markus,” I say with a smile. “It’s not a big deal. Right, Dr. Miller?”
Colt holds my gaze for a second before turning back to Markus. “Honest mistake.”
Markus visibly relaxes and swims closer while the rest of the students start horsing around. “Have you two been here long?”
Colton shoots me a look that saysthis is why I’m not friendly with the students, and I smother a laugh.
“We’ve been here for a bit,” I say. “I didn’t know you all were coming to the thermal park.”
“Yeah! It was on the list you gave us of places to visit around Ischia, remember?”
