Before he can finish that query, I step into him, placing my hand on his chest. He cuts himself off and his gaze slides to my mouth, lips parting slightly. His heart hammers beneath my touch, matching my own. The last time we were this close, Bes held me on the deck of the boat after saving me from going overboard. But now, this moment… I swallow hard.It’s utterly different.
“Place your hand on my cheek and pretend to kiss me,” I murmur, arching my neck until our lips nearly touch.
Cec gently clears his throat but doesn’t say anything.
Bes pauses for a second longer than he should, brow furrowed in thought. I’ve never before wanted to know what Bes is thinking, but I’d give anything to know it now.
Finally, he reaches up to cup my cheek, effectively hiding our lips. His hand is hot against my skin and I can’t help leaning in another inch or so. Our breaths mingle softly, and my fingers curl around the fabric of his shirt on their own, knuckles pressing into the muscle of his chest. His Adam’s apple bobs gently as he swallows, deep brown eyes flicking to my lips again. Slow warmth pools in my stomach at his proximity, and I bite the inside of my lip to stop the ache growing inside me.
God, I want to kiss him. The urge hits me so acutely that I’m barely able to breathe from it.
Remember why you’re in this position, I practically yell at myself.
Tearing my attention from him, I flick my gaze toward the street—right as the two Carabinieri walk by without giving us a single glance.
Once they’re out of sight, I take a step back and let out a breath. My pulse hammers in my chest and my neck, and I’m having difficulties settling it.
“Looks like they’re gone,” I say, voice hoarse.
“If only they’d stayed a little longer,” Cec quips, winking when I glance over. “Who knows what would’ve happened.”
“That was quick thinking, Miss Hawkins,” Bes admits roughly, not meeting my eyes as he grips the back of his neck.
Heat rises to my cheeks. “I was bound to do something right eventually.”
With the Italian police moved on, Bes wordlessly leads us out of the alleyway and over worn cobblestone, down one street after another, until we slip away from the crowd.
Heat lingers in my veins as we pass dozens of storefronts, though most have shut their doors for the night. Or closed up shop altogether, their windows boarded up with weathered plywood. The few souls who pass us now rush by with their heads down. As if they’re hoping we overlook them too.
And still, I haven’t managed to shake off how I felt in that alleyway. I’ve never wanted Bes to kiss me before, but the way he was looking at me, the way my body warmed and ached at his presence… I became temporarily desperate for him.
Now’s not the time nor the place to get distracted, I remind myself, looking for Ingrid in every face we pass.
I open my mouth to ask Bes if we’re close, when he pivots down a narrow corridor. Cec and I stumble to keep up.
The cobblestones become more uneven here, and my feet have trouble adapting, ankles and knees trembling like a newborn foal. Luckily, it doesn’t take long for Bes to choose another, narrower passageway that spits us out in front of a darkened shopfront. It sits silently across from a faceless, cracking building, not another soul in sight.
“Cozy,” I note. “So, is this a place you come to often? Will anyone here recognize either of you?”
Bes pushes his glasses up his nose. “It’s rare we find ourselves in this port. Likely only the owner remembers us.”
Likely? That’s reassuring.
“And you don’t think it’s too much of a risk? Considering we’re trying to keep a low profile because we’re, you know, beinghunted?”
Bes’s tone grows impatient. “Every choice we make is a risk. I trust Uncle Arturo’s contacts.”
Must be nice.
“I don’t like it,” I announce.
Cec buts in. “Hawkins might be right, Bes. If our movementsarebeing tracked, then going to Gino’s will put him in danger as well.”
Bes turns to us. “Then go back to the boat; no one’s stopping you.”
My nostrils flare and my jaw clenches, the only outward show of my rising anger I allow.
Don’t forget why you’re here, I tell myself.You need to learn as much as you can about the amulet and the God Men. You might not get another opportunity like this.
