Sully blinks slowly. “Heart surgeon?”
I lift my wineglass with a smile. “Yep.”
“I bet that’s stressful.”
“You can say that again.”
Sully steps closer to me so that I can feel the heat radiating off of him. He smells nice, a little smoky, with a hint of spice. It’s a warm smell that oddly settles my nerves.
“So, you’re between seasons now, right? I know that much about football.”
Sully gives me this puzzled look before taking a sip of his wine. “Yes, we head back to pre-season training in a few weeks. That’s why Bailey picked now for the wedding so he can enjoy his time off, enjoy the honeymoon.”
I nod as if I understand. “Makes sense.”
Sully chuckles, soft and low. “Do you even know when the season is?”
I at least have the decency to give him a sheepish look. “Guilty as charged, I don’t. I’m not much of a sports guy.”
Sully takes a step further into the garden, and I follow as if tied to him by a string. Our arms brush gently; my shoulder brushes his bicep since he has enough inches on me that I have to look up a little when we speak. A shiver passes over me in the dark as the breeze picks up again, causing Sully’s blond hair to ruffle delightfully in the wind. He’s beautiful.
“So, what do you do for fun?”
I blink slowly, then frown as I try to think up something. What do I do for fun? Such a horrible little three-letter word.
“I used to rock climb back in college and during residency.”
Sully’s eyes light up. “I love to rock climb! Well, I used to. I’m over the weight limit for most gyms now, so I can only belay. You don’t climb anymore?”
“No,” I say sadly, swishing the wine in my glass as we walk. “I don’t have much time anymore with work. I still have all of my gear… just never go.”
Sully sends a frown my way, then looks back up at the sky as we walk aimlessly. “That’s sad. It’s fun. Even though most gyms have that auto-belay feature now.”
“Mmm, yes. The best part is trusting your partner and them guiding you when you’re stuck on a tough route.”
Sully all-out grins again. He’s got a nice mouth, and his eyes crinkle at the corners when he grins. Oh boy. I feel myself flush and tear my gaze away from him before I can start thinking dangerous thoughts. It’s been so long since I felt intimacy, not even just sex, but true intimacy, like holding a lover's hand as we walk down the sidewalk after dinner or someone spooning behind me in the middle of the night when they’re cold. I might’ve been bad at marriage, but I enjoy the intimacy of a partner, of being loved.
“It’s lovely here.” Sully glances over at me, then back ahead as if caught looking at me. “I got in this morning, napped, then swam. The pool’s nice!”
Sully says everything in a rush, almost as if he’s nervous. I glance behind me only to find we’ve wandered further away than I realized. The villa is a bright spot in the darkness, with the sound of the others faded from view. Out here under the stars, Sully and I are almost completely alone.
“What college did you play for?”
“University of Florida.”
I gasp and smack his arm, which is a solid rock under my hand. Jesus. “I did my medical degree there.”
“When?”
I roll my eyes. “Many years ago. I’m forty.”
Sully shrugs as we stop at the end of the trail. I hadn’t noticed how much noise we’d been making by walking on the gravel until we came to a stop. It’s so silent here. Only the distant sound of the villa and the wind swooshing through the trees. I take a sip of my wine just as I glance up to find Sully staring down at me.
“Forty isn’t old,” Sully says matter-of-factly.
I blink up at him. “I know.”
“I’m thirty.” Sully runs a hand through his hair, oddly making him look even more attractive. I’ve never been someone who has a “type,” but I think if I did, it would be someone exactly like Sully. My throat feels thick as I imagine wrapping my arms around his neck, him lifting me up, him tossing me around like a rag doll. Yeah, bad train of thought. Bad Tate.
